Out of the 16 teams in the NBA playoffs, seven of the rosters have a former Kentucky basketball player. Now that college basketball is over, it’s time to turn our attention to these players.
The NBA playoffs begin on April 15th, where the premier athletes in the world face-off. During the regular season, the NBA may seem boring to some. This is due to a lack of effort displayed on occasion, not to mention the resting issue that has been the buzz as of late. Now though, the best of the best will begin to battle for the coveted NBA Finals trophy. This season, Kentucky basketball is proud to say that they have seven players on postseason rosters.
The seven different rosters that each player is on is tied for the most with North Carolina and UCLA. Here are the games and their start times so we as Big Blue Nation can root on our former Cats (all stats and game times were taken from ESPN):
Clippers vs. Jazz: Game 1 @ 10:15 p.m. on April 15th (ESPN)
Jazz: PF Trey Lyles (16.3 mpg, 6.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Rockets vs. Thunder: Game 1 @ 9:00 p.m. on April 16th (TNT)
Thunder: C Enes Kanter (21.3 mpg, 14.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
Spurs vs. Grizzlies: Game 1 @ 8:00 p.m. on April 15th (ESPN)
Grizzlies: PG Andrew Harrison (20.5 mpg, 5.9 ppg, 2.8 apg)
Celtics vs. Bulls: Game 1 @ 6:30 p.m. on April 16th (TNT)
Celtics: SG/SF James Young (7.6 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 0.9 rpg)
Bulls: PG Rajon Rondo (26.7 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 6.7 apg, 5.1 rpg)
Raptors vs. Bucks: Game 1 @ 5:30 p.m. on April 15th (ESPN)
Raptors: PF Patrick Patterson (24.6 mpg, 6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
Wizards vs. Hawks: Game 1 @ 1:00 p.m. on April 16th (TNT)
Wizards: PG John Wall (36.4 mpg, 23.1 ppg, 10.7 apg, 4.2 rpg)
Support Your Wildcats, BBN
There’s a lot of interesting story lines going into the playoffs, one being if John Wall can get the Wizards over the hump. John Wall is coming off his best season yet, and his team has developed well. Look for the Wizards to make a push this postseason, especially since they won’t have to see the Cavaliers in the second round.
Next: Ranking the Top 5 Kentucky Players to Wear No. 3
It’s going to be yet another exciting postseason, so Big Blue Nation, tune in and support your Cats.