Arizona Basketball: Ten out of 18 Wildcats make the NBA Playoffs
Ten out of 18 former Arizona Basketball players will be playing or coach in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
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For all of you Wildcats fans whose NBA team did not make the cut, you now have a new reason to watch the NBA playoffs. You have your pick of NBA Teams teams in the playoffs that include former Arizona Wildcats. Some may be hard to back, especially if the team is a rival to your hometown team.
You could choose to play it safe and take the 73-9 record-breaking No. 1 seed in the Western Conference Golden State Warriors, with one Wildcat on the roster and three coaches on the bench. If you miss Stanley Johnson since it’s only been one year since you saw him walking around campus, then you could choose the Detroit Pistons.
Or how about the No. 8 seed in the West, the Houston Rockets. It’s hard for Lakers fans to do, but Jason Terry fans shouldn’t have a problem cheering for The Jet.
The NBA team with two Wildcats on their roster is the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference Indiana Pacers. And your last option, the No. 1 Seed also in the East and still one of the most talked about but not necessarily revered by all, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here is the Playoff Picture care of the NBA:
West Coast Cats who want to cheer on their Alumni on both teams in a first round series, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will repeat last year’s playoff matchup. Last season, if you remember, former Wildcat Nick Johnson was playing for the Houston Rockets, and
was coaching him.
This season, Nick is playing a ton more minutes and is currently in the hunt for a Western Conference final trophy in the D-League. He plays for the Austin Spurs, and they play a similar, and fast-paced passing game like their NBA team, the San Antonio Spurs. Game 2 is this Sunday, April 17th in Austin.
Matt is the head coach of the Rio Grande Vipers; his assistant coach Joseph Blair is also a former Wildcat. They took their team to the D-League playoffs but lost to the Austin Spurs 2-1 in the first round. Take into account only eight of the 19 team make it to the playoffs, and there are only two rounds and a championship series in the D-League. Also, a team only needs to win two games to move on to the next round.
Let’s review the slate of teams and former Wildcats in the NBA.
Players IN:
Detroit Pistons: Stanley Johnson
Indiana Pacers: Solomon Hill, Jordan Hill
Cleveland Cavaliers: Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye
Houston Rockets: Jason Terry
Coaches IN:
Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr (Head Coach), Luke Walton (Assistant Coach), Bruce Fraser (Development Coach)
Cleveland Cavaliers: Bret Brielmaier (Assistant Coach)
Players OUT:
Philadelphia 76ers: T.J. McConnell
Brooklyn Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Orlando Magic: Aaron Gordon
Milwaukee Bucks: Jerryd Bayless
New York Knicks: Derrick Williams
Phoenix Suns: Chase Budinger,
Coaches OUT:
Philadelphia 76ers: Sean Rooks (Development Coach)
Next: Arizona Basketball: Steve Kerr’s Warriors Make History
There you have it; there are plenty of options over the next few months when a repeat (GSW) or new NBA Championship team is crowned. There is one last option, cheer for all of them! The ZonaZealots staff chose this option, and we all will be supporting all of our Wildcats alumni. We wish them all luck! ZZ will be keeping up with the playoffs and bringing fans the latest news and results. Beardown Alumni!