Tag: longhorns in the nba

Every former Longhorn in the 2023 NBA playoffs

Texas is well-represented in the NBA playoffs.

The University of Texas is well-represented in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Seven former Longhorns are set to participate in postseason play.

The NBA play-in tournament takes place from April 11-14, while the rest of the playoff bracket begins on April 15.

The playoffs consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first round matches the top seed against the eighth seed, the second seed against the seventh seed, the third seed against the sixth seed, and the fourth seed against the fifth seed. The winners of each first-round series advance to the second round, until the two conference champions meet in the NBA Finals.

At least one former Longhorn has played in the NBA finals in 11 out of the last 12 seasons. PJ Tucker most recently earned his first championship as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

13-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant is eyeing his third career NBA title, this time as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Here is a complete look at all seven former Texas Longhorns gearing up to compete in the NBA playoffs.

Mo Bamba, Kevin Durant headline Longhorns traded before NBA deadline

Mo Bamba and Kevin Durant will look to bring new teams on playoff runs.

Two big name Longhorns will play for new teams moving forward. Kevin Durant and Mo Bamba were included in significant moves for each player’s new respective franchise.

After high profile teammate and close friend Kyrie Irving was moved to Dallas, Durant became the biggest move of the trading period. He joins Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton in what could now be the best team in the Western Conference.

The blockbuster move cost the Suns Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first round draft picks. In adding Durant, the Phoenix signals it is committed to winning it all this season.

Mo Bamba became another huge trade acquisition joining LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers. In exchange for Bamba, the Orlando Magic receive defensive ace Patrick Beverly.

Bamba hasn’t yet lived up to his lottery pick billing in Orlando, though he had a strong 2021 season. That year he put up a respectable 10.6 points per game to go with 8.1 rebounds.

Bamba will look to capitalize on a change of scenery, while Durant will push to make another NBA Finals run.

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Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets are swept in the first round of NBA playoffs

Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets went from title favorites to first round exit.

In one of the more disappointing showings in NBA history, former Longhorn Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets were knocked out of the NBA playoffs on Monday by the Boston Celtics.

After starting the season as the perennial title favorites, the Nets were plagued by injuries, vaccine mandates, and unhappy stars that eventually would lead to the core of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant being split up.

Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for their disgruntled star, Ben Simmons, who we have not seen play in an NBA game since last season. The Nets were hopeful that Simmons would be able to provide a defensive presence that they simply lacked being one of the worst defense teams in the league, but due to a nagging back injury and mental health issues Simmons was unavailable when the team needed him most.

It didn’t help that Durant had his worst overall playoff performance since the 2009-10 season, as he was held to 26 points per game on 38% shooting, while averaging a playoff career-high five turnovers per game.

Durant was stifled by Boston’s Jason Tatum all series who is making a case for the best two-way wing defender in the league. Tatum and the rest of the Celtics were able to force Durant to take contested shots and forced a lot of misses and errant passes.

The first round exit for Durant and the Nets makes them the only team to not win a game in the playoffs this season, and has many people such as TNT analyst Charles Barkley now questioning Durant’s mindset and legacy moving forward.

The first round exit also marks just the second time since the 2009-10 season that Durant has not advanced in the playoffs.

While it isn’t entirely his fault, as the roster construction consisted of Durant, Irving, a few shooters, and a slew of players three years past the end of their prime, Durant is widely being viewed as the reason for the exit.

After almost single-handedly taking out the would be champions Milwaukee Bucks last season, many expected that Durant would be able to take the Nets to the promised land, but running into the hottest team in the NBA in round one wasn’t ideal and now Brooklyn will join the rest of us and watch the playoffs from home.

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Bucks tie series 2-2 and it’s now Kevin Durant vs. the world

Breaking down the former Longhorns struggles in the NBA playoffs.

The Brooklyn Nets “big three” is now just a lone star.

James Harden injured his hamstring in game one, and in last night’s game four loss, Kyrie Irving went down with an ankle injury that will withhold him from the lineup for game five.

If you ask former Celtic Glenn Davis, he felt it was “karma” for Irving’s shoe drag across the Celtic’s logo during the last series.

Whether or not it is karma is for you to decide, but the main takeaway from game four is that Kevin Durant needs to carry the Nets by himself until reinforcements return.

With Irving in the lineup, the Milwaukee Bucks defense was not able to key in on Durant, and the Nets actually led by 11 at one point. After Irving left, the Nets collapsed. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo thrived scoring 34, and the Nets seemingly lost all ability to score and are no longer a lock to make it to the NBA Finals.

Durant managed to score 28 points, but had a horrible night efficiency wise. He shot 36% from the field and 12.5% from three. This was largely in part due to former Longhorn, P.J. Tucker, who was an absolute menace to Durant all game holding him to nine points when he guarded him.

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Tucker also added 13 points in game four, which is more than he scored in the first few games as he had only totaled up nine points in the first three games of the series.

In the series against the Celtics, Durant, Harden and Irving averaged 85.2 points, 21.0 rebounds and 16.4 assists. Subtracting his fellow two stars means the Durant and the Nets need to make up for losing 46 points, something that has been proving to be extremely difficult. Durant is averaging 31 points per game, and now after the injuries, Joe Harris is the second leading scorer averaging 12 points per game.

The Bucks had no issue clamping Durant and the rest of the team as, besides Irving who left the game early, not a single other player scored in double digits for the Nets.

Offense was supposed to be the strength of the Nets, to make up for the putrid defense, but now they lost their identity. Durant is not a slouch by any means, and is one of the top five players in the world, but he will certainly need to turn his performance around in order to survive this series.

How to watch Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs

The Brooklyn Nets are seen as the most intriguing team in the East. Here is how you can watch their series against the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Durant is back in the NBA playoffs with hopes of securing his third ring since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder. After missing last season’s playoffs in the bubble, Durant is finally healthy and ready to go with the Brooklyn Nets.

Until recently, Durant has been dealing with COVID-19 issues and injuries all season, only playing in 35 games. As usual, he was a dominant scorer, averaging 26.9 points per game. Add in 7.6 rebounds, and 5.6 points per game, and Durant bounced back nicely from his Achilles injury.

The Nets are seen as the most intriguing team in East thanks to their newly formed Big Three. James Harden and Kyrie Irving have been putting up monster numbers as well. Brooklyn earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face off against the Boston Celtics.

You can see the game dates and times (all EST) below:

Game 1 and Game 3 will take place on ABC, while Game 2 and Game 4 will be broadcasted on TNT. If the next three games are necessary, TV information will be determined later.

If the Nets are able to progress, a possible matchup against former Longhorn P.J. Tucker and the Milwaukee Bucks could be in store.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Texas basketball could have the most players selected in the 2021 NBA draft in school history

The Texas Longhorns basketball program could have the most draft picks in program history during the 2021 NBA draft.

With the recent news surrounding Texas forward Greg Brown choosing to declare for the 2021 NBA draft, it brought the total number of Longhorn draft prospects to three. Brown will join teammates Kai Jones and Matt Coleman III who have each announced their decision to turn pro.

The only remaining player that Texas is waiting to hear from is Jericho Sims, who must make a decision by midnight on May 31 as it’s the deadline to declare for the NBA draft. If he does in fact declare, it would bring the total Longhorns in the draft to four players.

If each of these four players were to be selected in either the first or second round of the draft, it would set a program record for the number of Texas players selected in a single NBA Draft.

Texas’ program has had as many as three players selected in a single draft. Coincidentally enough, this happened only three times in 2006, 2010 and 2011.

Brown has been considered a lottery pick going back to the start of the 2020-21 season, but has since been projected as a mid-to-late first round pick. Jones has been considered a first-round pick after a strong season, with the potential to go in the top-10.

Coleman hasn’t been considered a first round player, but he has potential second-round talent due to his ability to score from the field, three-point line and from the free-throw line. He lacks ideal size and has struggled in man defense.

Sims is in the same projected draft range as Coleman, to become a second-round talent for his ability to be a strong scorer and defender in the paint, but lacks the ability to shoot outside or from the free-throw line.

Texas’ program under head coach Chris Beard seems to be turning the page as a premiere basketball school. Having four players drafted in a 60-pick draft (6.7% of the draft) would be another stepping stone to how the Longhorns will be viewed in the future landscape of college basketball.

Texas Basketball: Forward Greg Brown declares for 2021 NBA draft

After one season on the Forty Acres, Texas forward Greg Brown has declared for the 2021 NBA draft.

The Texas basketball program has seen the likes of Matt Coleman III and Kai Jones declare for the upcoming 2021 NBA draft. While a few others chose to return for another season under first-year head coach Chris Beard, the Longhorns have been anxiously awaiting the decisions of Jericho Sims and Greg Brown.

On Thursday, we officially received word on one of those names. After one season on the Forty Acres, Texas forward Greg Brown declared for the 2021 NFL draft.

Brown helped lead the Longhorns to their first Big 12 tournament championship last season and averaged 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in 24 starts.

He was an expected lottery pick at the start of the season after being ranked the No. 1 recruit in Texas and ninth nationally according to 247Sports. Brown now joins Ramey and Jones as the third Longhorn to declare for the upcoming draft.

Texas is now only awaiting the decision of Jericho Sims. The May 31 deadline to declare for the draft is only a few weeks away.

A look at Kevin Durant performances on Christmas in the NBA

Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are set to take the floor on Christmas against the Boston Celtics. A look at his Xmas performances.

Christmas Day is a huge day in the NBA and former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant is no stranger to playing on this day. When the Brooklyn Nets take the floor against the Boston Celtics, it will mark Durant’s 10th appearance on Christmas Day.

Dating back to when Durant came into the league back in 2007, he has only been inactive once on Christmas. That came during the 2014-15 season when he played for Oklahoma City. Now on his third team in his career, Durant will finally make appearance number 10.

Another former Texas Longhorn will be on the court as well with Tristan Thompson suiting up for the Boston Celtics.

A look through the years of Kevin Durant’s performances on Christmas.

Four former Longhorns to compete in the NBA’s bubble playoffs

The NBA season will now turn to the playoffs down in Orlando. Four former Horns will be in action across the Eastern and Western Conference.

After eight games in the NBA bubble, their season will now turn to the playoffs down in Orlando, FL. Four former Longhorns will be in action across both the Eastern and Western Conference.

Starting in the East, Jarett Allen of the Brooklyn Nets, D.J. Augustin of the Orlando Magic, and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers will be vying for their first NBA championships.

Turner has become a star for the Pacers, averaging 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. However, he did miss Indiana’s finale against Miami, dealing with a wrist injury and being listed as day-to-day.

Brooklyn was supposed to feature two former Longhorns in Allen and Kevin Durant. An Achilles injury has sidelined Durant for the entire year and the duo will have to wait another year.

In the meantime, Allen has been averaging nearly a double-double, with 11.1 points and 9.6 points per game. He is the Nets’ second-leading rebounder, only behind DeAndre Jordan, who has 10.0 per game.

Finally in the East, Augustin has a tough mountain the climb against the one-seed Milwaukee Bucks. The point guard finished the regular season second on the Magic in assists, having 4.6 per game and adding 10.5 points per game.

Moving over to the West and Houston Rockets’ star P.J. Tucker. The 6-5 forward is shooting 35% from three this year, averaging 6.9 points per game. He has been a consistent player for head coach Mike Dantoni, playing 34.3 minutes per game. Houston will be playing the Oklahoma City Thunder.

All NBA playoff games can be found either on ABC, ESPN, NBATV, or TNT.

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