Although the Miami Heat forced a seventh game in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors, the Heat fell on the road in the deciding game, meaning Kyrie Irving is the main former Duke standout still standing in the playoffs.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Irving picked up where he left off in the Eastern Conference semifinals despite more than a week off between games against Atlanta and Toronto. The dynamic point guard poured in 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, five assists, two blocks and two steals in Cleveland's 115-84 Game 1 win against the Raptors. The 6-foot-3 point guard highlighted the rout with a behind-the-back crossover dribble in transition to freeze Toronto guard Cory Joseph and get to the rim for a layup late in the first half.
In Game 2 Thursday, Irving had 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting, four rebounds and three assists in a 108-89 win. With Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love complementing each other more effectively than they have since the trio joined forces in Cleveland, the Cavaliers look poised to remain unbeaten in the postseason en route to a second straight NBA Finals appearance.
A truck featuring a limited edition of Irving's Kyrie 2 Nike shoe called the Ky-rispy Kreme also arrived in Cleveland this week as part of a tour across the country.
Ky-rispy Kreme truck selling limited edition Kyries tonight in Cleveland (via @STACKMedia) pic.twitter.com/PqXUG7B6Zf
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 17, 2016
Justise Winslow, Miami Heat
Winslow's minutes increased as Miami's series against the Raptors wore on, with the swingman being inserted in the starting lineup with the Heat down 3-2 in the series entering Game 6. Winslow responded, spacing the court and notching 12 points and three rebounds in 27 minutes in a 103-91 Miami win to extend the series to a seventh game despite playing without big men Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside.
In the deciding game, Winslow had 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 36 minutes, but the Heat were unable to stay close, falling 116-89 on the road in their final game of the season.
The Houston native finished his rookie campaign averaging 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and garnered All-Rookie second-team honors. Former teammate Jahlil Okafor earned first-team recognition.
Luol Deng, Miami Heat
Although the Heat won Game 6 by 12, Deng struggled, scoring just two points on 1-of-5 shooting. However, as was the case with Winslow, Deng's floor-spacing and rebounding sparked Miami's strong offensive game, with the forward grabbing eight rebounds. Deng had 12 points and two rebounds in the Game 7 blowout and finished his 12th NBA season averaging 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest.
Josh McRoberts, Miami Heat
With Bosh and Whiteside sidelined with injuries, McRoberts logged double-digits in minutes in Games 6 and 7 and had 10 points in each contest, adding five rebounds in Game 6 but just one in the series' final game. McRoberts averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in limited minutes in his ninth NBA season and was put in a tough spot on a big stage due to the team's limited frontcourt depth late in the year.
McRoberts and company struggled to slow down Bismack Biyombo, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds in Game 7 to send Toronto to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
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