With the Atlanta Hawks set to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors through to the Western Conference Finals, only one spot remains in the NBA's version of the Final Four. Some of Duke's finest have had a lot to say about the playoff action to this point and will certainly make their impact felt down the stretch of the postseason.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: With three straight victories this week, Irving's Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals 4-2. The guard will be playing in his first ever conference finals—though it remains to see how effective he will be as he nurses an injured knee.
The Cavaliers tied the series against the Bulls 2-2 with an 86-84 victory Sunday after LeBron James connected on his third career postseason buzzer-beater. Despite playing with a sprained right foot and shooting just 2-of-10 from the field, Irving was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe and totaled 12 points in his 41 minutes of action.
James and Irving were at their best two days later as the duo teamed for 63 points in the Cavaliers’ 106-101 Game 5 victory. The 6-foot-3 point guard went 9-of-16 from the field and hit 3-of-6 from beyond the arc to go along with five assists, two rebounds and one steal—all in spite of his limited agility due to injury.
With a spot in the Eastern Conference finals in their sight, the Cavaliers trampled the Bulls 94-73 in a Game 6 road victory—Chicago’s worst-ever postseason defeat at the United Center. Irving scored only six points and left the contest early in the second quarter after stepping on the ankle of forward Tristan Thompson. The fourth-year guard would not return in the game, paving the way for a breakout performance from backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova.
The Cavaliers will hope the former Duke standout—who is averaging 19.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists this postseason—can recover from his injury in time to contribute in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday.
Mike Dunleavy, Chicago Bulls: Although he was crucial to the Bulls' success on offense this season, Dunleavy struggled with consistency in his team's season-ending series defeat to the Cavaliers despite averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest.
In Game 4, Dunleavy was held to just four points but made what appeared to be play of the game when he forced a turnover by LeBron James with 14.3 seconds left in the game. The Bulls evened the contest on their very next possession, only to fall on James' fall-away jumper a play later.
With Pau Gasol out for the second consecutive contest in Game 5 due to a strained left hamstring, Dunleavy delivered for the Bulls in a big way. The former Duke star scored 19 points—with six coming in the fourth quarter as the Bulls mounted an 11-0 run that trimmed the Bulls 15 point deficit. Yet once again, Dunleavy's efforts were unrewarding as Irving and James hit 7-of-8 in the final three minutes of the game to secure the Cavaliers' win.
The small forward's hustle and energy did little to help the Bulls’ season-ending debacle Thursday. Dunleavy finished with just seven points and could not find the range from deep where he was just 1-of-5 on the night. The 13-year veteran small forward is set to become a free agent this summer and may be looking for a new home depending on the amount of turnover in the Bulls franchise.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers: After knocking out the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round and taking a 3-1 lead against the Houston Rockets, Redick's Clippers appeared on the verge of their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance. Yet there hasn’t been a dull moment for the Clippers in the postseason—who have shockingly dropped two in a row leading to a winner-take-all Game 7 against the Rockets Sunday.
After notching a career playoff-high 31 points in Game 3, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard finished with 18 points, two assists and one rebound in the Clippers’ dominating 128-95 victory two days later—one that was headlined by teammate DeAndre Jordan's 14-of-34 performance from the free-throw line.
But Redick's breakout postseason hit hard times in games five and six.
The former Duke star struggled to defend James Harden—who delivered a triple-double, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists—in a 124-103 defeat Tuesday. Redick didn’t have his best day on the offensive side of the ball either as he scored only nine points and finished just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.
In a potential series-clinching Game 6, the Clippers appeared well on their way to victory after taking a 19-point lead late in the third quarter. Yet, Redick's squad became stagnant on offense for the remainder of the game and was outscored 40-15 in one of the biggest fourth-quarter collapses in memory. The guard had difficulty getting open off of screens and struggled shooting from the perimeter once again, finishing just 3-of-9 from deep.
Despite scoring in double-figures in all but two of his 13 postseason clashes this postseason, Redick desperately needs to relocate his shooting stroke by Sunday if he hopes to keep the Clippers' championship aspirations alive.
Austin Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers: After starting for Chris Paul in the first two clashes of the series and registering a playoff career-high 25 points in Game 3 off the bench, Rivers appeared to be finding himself after a tough first two years in the NBA.
Yet, Rivers’ postseason explosion lost some momentum over the last week.
The 6-foot-4 small guard—who’s averaging 8.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists this postseason—scored 12 points but played limited minutes due to foul trouble in a Game 4 blowout victory
In Rivers' next two contests, the third-year guard combined for only 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the floor. The former Duke star appeared to injure his hip after he took a hard fall on a drive late in the third quarter in Game 5. The effects of this injury appeared to carry over to Game 6 as Rivers played only 14 minutes and was unable to provide a life off the bench when the Clippers needed it most.
Rivers will look to resume his coming-out party in Game 7 and help send the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
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