Gators head into the NBA Playoffs
Friday, April 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Seven of the 10 NBA Gators plus Billy Donovan all head into playoff action.
A Gator with an NBA ring has been a common sight lately. Eight Florida players have won an NBA title since 2011, and the Gators' current five-year streak with an NBA Finals winner is by far the longest in college basketball (UNC, Michigan State and Washington State are next with two straight).
Six Gators will appear in the NBA playoffs this year, with Chandler Parsons forced to cheer his Mavericks from the sidelines after knee surgery earlier this season. Of course, long-time head coach Billy Donovan will also be leading the Oklahoma City Thunder into postseason action after a 55-27 regular season in his first season on the OKC bench.
Marreese Speights will attempt to help the Golden State Warriors win back-to-back NBA Finals after the team's record-setting 73-9 regular season. A Warriors repeat would make Speights the third Gator to win back-to-back NBA titles, along with Vernon Maxwell (Rockets, 1994-95) and Udonis Haslem (Heat, 2012-13). Speights and Corey Brewer are the two Gators with NCAA and NBA championships, and the pair square off in the opening round in the Warriors-Rockets series.
Matt Bonner and the Spurs also look to building on a significant regular season, as San Antonio matched an NBA record with a 40-1 home mark this season, opening their playoff season against the Memphis Grizzlies. Also in the Western Conference, Donovan's Thunder take on David Lee's Mavericks. Lee won an NBA ring with the Warriors last season and opened the season in Boston before a mid-season move to Dallas.
On the Eastern Conference side, four-time NBA All-Star Al Horford averaged 15.2 points per game in the regular season leads his Hawks against the Celtics, while three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem and the Heat square off against the Hornets.
Three Gators saw their seasons end with the regular season's close. Bradley Beal averaged 17.4 points for Washington, but was hampered by injuries throughout the season and played 55 games. Joakim Noah averaged 4.3 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Bulls, and Mike Miller saw limited duty with the Nuggets.
Six Gators will appear in the NBA playoffs this year, with Chandler Parsons forced to cheer his Mavericks from the sidelines after knee surgery earlier this season. Of course, long-time head coach Billy Donovan will also be leading the Oklahoma City Thunder into postseason action after a 55-27 regular season in his first season on the OKC bench.
Marreese Speights will attempt to help the Golden State Warriors win back-to-back NBA Finals after the team's record-setting 73-9 regular season. A Warriors repeat would make Speights the third Gator to win back-to-back NBA titles, along with Vernon Maxwell (Rockets, 1994-95) and Udonis Haslem (Heat, 2012-13). Speights and Corey Brewer are the two Gators with NCAA and NBA championships, and the pair square off in the opening round in the Warriors-Rockets series.
Matt Bonner and the Spurs also look to building on a significant regular season, as San Antonio matched an NBA record with a 40-1 home mark this season, opening their playoff season against the Memphis Grizzlies. Also in the Western Conference, Donovan's Thunder take on David Lee's Mavericks. Lee won an NBA ring with the Warriors last season and opened the season in Boston before a mid-season move to Dallas.
On the Eastern Conference side, four-time NBA All-Star Al Horford averaged 15.2 points per game in the regular season leads his Hawks against the Celtics, while three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem and the Heat square off against the Hornets.
Three Gators saw their seasons end with the regular season's close. Bradley Beal averaged 17.4 points for Washington, but was hampered by injuries throughout the season and played 55 games. Joakim Noah averaged 4.3 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Bulls, and Mike Miller saw limited duty with the Nuggets.
Players Mentioned
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