Notre Dame doesn’t have a lot of NBA representation right now. The pending drafting of [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] in June will help that. That help is needed because the Irish’s lone former player and player-turned-head-coach currently in the NBA were embarrassed badly Sunday. One year after [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag]’s Milwaukee Bucks and [autotag]Monty Williams[/autotag]’ Phoenix Suns met in the NBA Finals, both of their teams were blown out in Game 7s of their respective conference semifinals.
The defending champion Bucks appeared headed back to the Eastern Conference finals after stealing Game 5 on the road, but the Boston Celtics rallied to win the next two games, including a 109-81 decision in the clincher. Connaughton had only two points in the final game on 1 of 6 shooting, including 0 of 5 from 3-point range. That gave him scoring averages of 10.3 for the series and 9.5 for the playoffs.
After Williams led the Suns to an NBA-leading and franchise-best 64 wins and was named Coach of the Year, it all meant nothing. The Dallas Mavericks came into Phoenix and romped their hosts, 123-90. Hopes were high that Williams could guide a roster led by Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to the Suns’ first championship. He’ll have to wait another season to try again.
It’s funny how much things can change in a year, but that’s how it goes in sports. Here’s to a better time for Notre Dame in the NBA in 2022-23.
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