Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers waltzed into the Eastern Conference Finals with another sweep, but other former Blue Devils around the league struggled during the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Irving scored more than 20 points in both games in Atlanta last week to help the Cavaliers close out the Hawks and improve to a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs. The all-star point guard shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in last Friday's 121-108 win before dishing out eight assists to go along with his 21 points in a 100-99 nailbiter Sunday. Irving faded down the stretch of Game 4, scoring just two points in the fourth quarter, but Cleveland prevailed when Lebron James blocked Dennis Schroder's attempt at a game-winner in the closing seconds. After playing at least 40 minutes in both games, Irving will be well-rested for the next round as the Cavaliers are enjoying another long layoff before their next series against either the Miami Heat or the Toronto Raptors.
Irving's shoes are still making headlines during his time off, as ESPN's Darren Rovell reported the release of the "Kyrachie" earlier in the week. The shoes are an old-school version of the popular Kyrie 2 model.
Nike is hitting Kyrie out of the park. Here's the "Kyrachie," the Kyrie 2 in original Huarache colors from 1992 pic.twitter.com/yWgVdZnlQ0
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 10, 2016
Since Cleveland swept the Hawks and did not return home for a Game 5, Cavalier fans are also still waiting until Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the arrival of the "Ky-rispy Kreme" truck, carrying a Krispy Kreme-themed model of the Kyrie 2.
Luol Deng, Miami Heat
Deng was one of Miami's biggest playmakers in its seven-game first-round series victory against the Charlotte Hornets, but he cooled off significantly in an abysmal week against the Raptors. After scoring in double figures in each of the Heat's first nine playoff games, Deng did not reach 10 points in any of the Heat's three games last week while they dropped two of three to fall behind 3-2 for the second straight series. His poor play culminated in an 0-for-8 night from the field in Wednesday's Game 5, which he exited midway through the third quarter after tripping over a photographer on the baseline and bruising his wrist. The 6-foot-9 small forward is questionable to play in Game 6 Friday night with Miami on the brink of elimination.
Mason Plumlee, Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers were eliminated in five games against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors, and Plumlee did not help his team's cause. He had one impressive game in Game 4—posting 12 points and 15 rebounds in a losing effort—but averaged just 5.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in Games 3 and 5 last week, struggling against the likes of Andrew Bogut, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli in the frontcourt. After averaging 8.0 points, 13.2 boards and 5.7 assists in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, Plumlee's production dropped sharply in all three categories against Golden State with 5.8 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and 3.8 helpers per game.
Justise Winslow, Miami Heat
Winslow's minutes had steadily decreased throughout the postseason and fell to zero in a Game 3 home loss to Toronto, which the Houston native watched the entirety of from the bench. But Winslow stepped right back into a major role in Games 4 and 5, playing more than 30 minutes in both games and averaging 8.5 points on a combined 7-of-13 shooting. The rookie matched his playoff high with nine points Monday in a Game 4 win to even the series, and he pulled down seven rebounds in the Game 5 loss Wednesday.
Gerald Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
The backup shooting guard failed to provide an efficient spark off the bench in the last three games of Portland's season, playing at least 16 minutes in every game but combining to shoot just 4-of-18 from the field. Henderson scored eight points and knocked down his only 3-point attempt in the Trail Blazers' only win of the series in Game 3 Saturday night.
Josh McRoberts, Miami Heat
McRoberts did not play in the first two games of the series against the Raptors, but was immediately thrust into a contributing role when starting center Hassan Whiteside sprained his MCL during Game 3. McRoberts had two blocks in 21 minutes of action in Game 4 Monday before tallying six points on 3-of-5 shooting in Game 5.
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