Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons in the NBA Playoffs
5/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Josh Gresh, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After the conclusion of the first round of action, Wake Forest greats Chris Paul and Jeff Teague are the last two standing heading into the second round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs. Paul's heroics and game-winner in game seven against the San Antonio Spurs helped propel the Los Angeles Clippers into the second round, while Teague and the Atlanta Hawks upended the Brooklyn Nets in six games to advance.
In addition to Paul and Teague, three other Deacons were in action during the first round of the playoffs. James Johnson of the Toronto Raptors, Al-Farouq Aminu of the Dallas Mavericks, and the great Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs all played in the first round, but their teams were ousted in the opening round.
Chris Paul - Los Angeles Clippers
It was the NBA first round playoff matchup of the year as Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers faced off against the reigning 2014 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and Wake Forest legend Tim Duncan. Battling through a hamstring injury, Paul took the final shot for the Clippers and drained the game-winner floater off the glass with 1.0 seconds remaining for the 111-109 win. Paul poured in a team-high 27 points, added six assists and had two steals for the Clippers.
Both Paul and Duncan showed their respect after the game with an emotional embrace and conversation after the game. "I told him how much I love him," said Paul in his postgame interview with TNT. "I've known Tim since I was 11 years old. Me and his nephew played on the same AAU team together. So everyone always knows the Wake Forest connection, but he's been like a mentor, a big brother to me, ever since I've been in the league."
During the first round of action, Paul averaged 22.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 2.0 steals, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field per game. The Los Angeles Clippers, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, will face off against the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets in the second round. Game one begins tonight at 9:30 p.m. at the Toyota Center.
Jeff Teague - Atlanta Hawks
Teague continues to shine for the Atlanta Hawks as he led the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference past the Brooklyn Nets in six games to advance into the second round. The Hawks currently find themselves down 1-0 in the second round against the Washington Wizards after a 104-98 loss in Atlanta. So far after seven postseason games this season, Teague is averaging 13.7 points 7.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Game two against the Wizards is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. on TNT.
He has put together 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.
Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
Duncan matched Paul with 27 points of his own and grabbed 11 rebounds, both team-highs, for another playoff double-double, but it wasn't enough as Paul's heroics led to the Clippers outlasting Duncan's Spurs in seven games. During the series against Los Angeles, Duncan averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, while hitting 58.9 percent of his shots from the field.
Al-Farouq Aminu - Dallas Mavericks
Aminu made an impact in his first time in the playoffs with the Mavericks, but Dallas were unable to advance to the second round losing to the second-seeded Houston Rockets. In the final two games of the five-game series, Aminu made his first-career NBA postseason start in game four, which led to a 121-109 victory over Houston in Dallas. He started in game five, but the Rockets were able to close out the series. For the five games, Aminu played in all five games and made two starts. He averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.
James Johnson - Toronto Raptors
Johnson saw action in two games during the first round, but the Toronto Raptors fell to the Washington Wizards in four games in the first round. In two games, Johnson averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.
