Deacons in the NBA Playoffs
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Josh Gresh, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - With the 2014-15 NBA regular season in the rearview mirror, the 2015 NBA Playoffs begin this weekend. Out of all of the final 16 teams that made the postseason, five Demon Deacons will be playing in the playoffs with their respective teams.
Tim Duncan and the Spurs are looking to defend their 2014 NBA Championship as they face Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. The Spurs find themselves as the lower No. 6-seed and have a steeper hill to climb to repeat as champions against the No. 3 seed Clippers.
Jeff Teague put in his best season in his career thus far and led the Atlanta Hawks to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the second-best record in the league behind the Golden State Warriors. Teague made is first-career appearance in the NBA All-Star Game this season.
James Johnson of the Toronto Raptors and Al-Farouq Aminu of the Dallas Mavericks are back in the playoffs for a second consecutive year with their teams. The Raptors earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Mavericks are the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
The 2015 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday with Game 1 of the series between an Eastern Conference matchup between No. 4 Toronto and No. 5 Washington.
Check out how the five Deacons who will be playing in the postseason fared during the regular season and how other Wake Forest alums are doing at the pro level.
Al-Farouq Aminu - Dallas Mavericks
The fifth-year forward Aminu has played in 74 games with three starts in his first season with the Mavericks. Aminu averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game while shooting 41 percent from the floor. Dallas finished 50-32 on the year in the rugged Southwest Division that saw all five teams make the playoffs. The Mavericks landed a No. 7-seed in the Western Conference and will face the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
The ageless Duncan is still dominating in his 18th season in the NBA. Duncan finished the regular season averaging 13.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.9 minutes per games--averages that are pretty consistent with his year-by-year numbers. Duncan made his 15th-career All-Star appearance. He achieved two other major milestones during the season. On April 12, he played his 1,330th career game against the Phoenix Suns, which passed Moses Malone for 11th all-time. Duncan also scored 22 points and passed Kevin Garnett to move into 14th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. He also ranks sixth all-time in career blocks. San Antonio finished 55-27 on the year and sixth in the tough Western Conference. The Spurs face off against the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Clippers in the first round on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on TNT.
James Johnson - Toronto Raptors
Now in his sixth year in the NBA, Johnson has helped Toronto to a 49-33 record, earning them a fourth seed in Eastern Conference. Johnson signed a two-year contract with the Raptors in the offseason, returning to the team he played two seasons for from 2011-12. For the 2014-15 season, Johnson played in 70 game and started in 17, averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game while shooting 59 percent from the field. Toronto will face the fifth seed Washington Wizards in the first round. Game one is set for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Chris Paul - Los Angeles Clippers
Paul put together another All-Star caliber season for the Clippers. Now in his 10th season in the NBA, Paul played in all 82 games and averaged 19.1 points, an NBA leading 10.2 assists, and fifth in the league with 1.9 steals in 34.8 minutes per game, while shooting just under 50 percent from the floor. His stellar play this season earned him his eighth-career All-Star appearance. During the season, Paul surpassed fellow Deacon Muggsy Bogues and Guy Rodgers on the all-time assists list, moving to 16th all-time. He is now only five assists away (6,950) from passing the legendary Bob Cousy (6,955) for a place 15th on the NBA's all-time assists list. The Clippers finished third in the Western Conference with a 56-26 overall record and will face Tim Duncan's Spurs in Game 1 on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Jeff Teague - Atlanta Hawks
Teague is has had the best season of his NBA career as the sixth-year guard led Atlanta to a 60-22 record, first in the Eastern Conference. Teague earned his first-career All Star appearance and averaged 15.9 points, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals in 30.5 minutes per game. The former Deacon ranks ninth in the NBA in assists and 16th in steals. After earning the top spot in the East and the second-best record in the league, the Hawks earn home court advantage and face off against the No. 8 seed Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on TNT. Teague has still never missed the playoffs in his six-year NBA career.
Ishmael Smith - Philadelphia 76ers
Smith signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 22 after being released by the New Orleans Pelicans, who acquired him in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Smith signed with the Thunder on Nov. 7 as the team was dealing with a glut of injuries on their roster, but traded him to New Orleans to acquire a protected 2015 second round pick. Smith saw his playing time increase significantly after the move to Philadelphia. He played in 25 games and made 14 starts, while averaging a career-best 12.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game. Since going undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2010, Smith has carved out a niche in the NBA by playing with nine different teams over five seasons.
L.D. Williams - Grand Rapids Drive (NBDL)
Williams returned to the NBDL for his fourth season in the league since graduating from Wake Forest in 2010. On February 27, 2015, Williams ruptured his left patellar tendon, and it was announced he would miss the remainder of the season. During the season, he averaged 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds, while playing in 29.0 minutes per game.
Travis McKie - Austin Spurs (NBDL)
McKie joined the NBDL for his first season after spending time in Belgium with Brussels. He was initially signed by the Canton Charge, but was waived and picked up by the Austin Spurs. In Canton, he played in three games and the Charge had a 2-1 record in those games. He made his debut scoring 12 points in 24 minutes of action against Oklahoma City. Since joining Austin, he has played in five games. For the season he has averaged 2.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, while averaging eight minutes per game in eight games.
Deacons in Other Professional Leagues
Chris Ellis, Indonesia Warriors (Indonesia)
Justin Gray, Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
C.J. Harris, Ratiopharm (Germany)
Jamaal Levy, Defensor (Uruguay)
Chas McFarland, Olympia (Uruguay)
Nikita Mescheriakov, Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus)
Darius Songaila, Zalgiris (Lithuania)
Kyle Visser, Braunschweig (Germany)
Ty Walker, Akita NH (Japan)
David Weaver, MKS DG (Poland)
Coron Williams, Treviso (Itay)
Eric Williams, AV Cantu (Italy)
