Duke Versus UNC, the NBA Playoff Edition

The NCAA Tourney is over.  The UNC Tar Heels have been crowned champs.  People are already talking about next season and if the Heels will rebound after losing several players to the NBA.  In Durham, the fans are still cheering for more than just the UNC players to leave. They are also rooting for their former players in the NBA.

At the start of this season, Duke led every Division 1 school with the most players on an NBA roster.  If that isn't surprising to you, how about the number seven, the number of former Duke players that were on an NBA playoff team this year.

The overall favorites to win the title this season are the Lakers and Cavaliers. Although they do not have a former Duke player, they will see their fair share during these playoffs.  In Game One of the Lakers and Rockets series, Shane Battier had his hand in the face of Kobe Bryant all night long, even after taking a nasty shot to the head. 

Battier is as important to the Rockets as any other player that will take the court, including Yao Ming. 

In Game One of the Magic-Celtics series, former Duke great J.J. Redick actually outscored Boston sharpshooter Ray Allen, arguably the best shooter since Reggie Miller. Redick's game is slowly starting to translate into the faster, more athletic pro game.

The hottest team in the NBA postseason to this point has been the Denver Nuggets.  A key part of their team is former Duke transfer Dahntay Jones. At this point, his team could have one of the best shots to go deep in the playoffs.  The addition of their postseason-ready point guard Chauncey Billups has this team ready to make a huge upset!

The other former players from Duke that are playing in the playoffs are Carlos Booozer, Shavlik Randolph, Luol Deng, DeMarcus Nelson, and Elton Brand.  The haters among the light blue crowd are going to continue to hate and ride out on this championship for awhile.

However, they have three players that made it to the NBA postseason.  That means that Duke, the same Duke that has been known not to develop pro talent, has twice the amount of players still playing in the league.

Keep talking about how bad the Duke players do in the pros, their team first attitude and Coach K style will lead them to the front. They may not score 30 points per game, but they know how to win! That is what they do. Don't be surprised if you see a familiar Dukie holding NBA gold very soon.