As we approach the end of the first week of pro basketball, we can also enjoy that No.5 AP/No. 6 ESPN/USA Today North Carolina is 12-2 after destroying Elon 100 to 62, while their former players are doing well in the NBA. All of this means that it’s time to once again look at the daily post “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for 12/29/11 in a day where the National Basketball had six games in all, of which half had a touch of carolina blue, one being a head to head match up between squads that have former UNC players on them. So, without further ado, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for December 29, 2011…

The first game of the night is one between teams from the lone star state as the San Antonio Spurs (WC ~ Southwest) headed to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets (WC ~ Southwest). The divisional game, played in front of 18,267, is the first of four games between the squads from Texas. For the visiting squad it’s former Tar Heel Danny Green, who comes off the bench and plays 12 minutes, which is the most this season for the third year man. In that time frame the former UNC guard scored six points (3 for 7 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 0 for 0) to go with four rebounds and a steal while having a -6 pts differential. As far as the game went it was Houston (1-1, 1-0 at home) beating San Antonio (2-1, 0-1 on the road) by 20 points, with the final being 105 to 85.

The second game of the night is once again a Western Conference match up between the Dallas Mavericks (WC ~ Southwest) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (WC ~ Northwest). The game, first of four, was played in front of a crowd of 18,203 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. For the visiting team there are two former Heels on the squad, with Brendan Haywood getting the nod at the center spot. The eleventh year veteran gets 23 minutes of playing time, where he scores eight points (4 for 7 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 1) along with five rebounds, a steal, a block and a turnover while having a pts differential of +16. The other Tar Heel, shooting guard Vince Carter, comes off the bench in this one for the Mavs and plays a total of 16 minutes in all. In that time frame the 14th year pro scores eight points (3 for 8 ~ 2 for 3 ~ 0 for 2) to go with three rebounds, a steal and a TO while having a +3 points differential. As far as the game went it was Oklahoma (4-0, 2-0 at home) winning this one at the buzzer, defeating Dallas (0-3, 0-1 on the road) 104 to 102. Not a bad way to go for the Thunder who had their two stars argueing the night before.

In the final game of the night with a touch of carolina blue we have the Denver Nuggets (WC ~ Northwest) taking on the Portland Trail Blazers (WC ~ Northwest) in what was a duel of former UNC floor generals and division foes. The game, first of three, was played at the Rose Garden in front of an attendance of 20,531. For the visiting team it’s third year pro Ty Lawson, who plays 40 minutes, most on his team. For the speedster it’s a 25 points game, once again a team and game high, (10 for 16 ~ 2 for 3 ~ 3 for 4) to go with eight steals, four boards, three assists and a pair of turnovers while having a -10 pts differential. On the other side, Raymond Felton, who played 34 minutes in all. For the seventh year veteran it’s a team high 23 points performance (10 for 16 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 2 for 2) to go along with six assists, five boards and a whooping four TOs while getting a points differential of +7. In the end it was Portland (3-0, 3-0 at home) beating Denver (2-1, 1-1 on the road) 111 to 102.

Clipped from: scores.espn.go.com (share this clip)

Clipped from: scores.espn.go.com (share this clip)

One interesting tidbit, with the season less than one week old there are already six teams two or more games from the top, while eight are still winless. On the other hand only four teams are still undefeated, two of them in the same division. In a shorten season this seems to be a year with lots of interesting twists and turns, with more than sixty games to go for each team you have to believe there will be plenty more drama for all the teams, including where will Dwight Howard ends up.

And so, after a long lock out, the National Basketball Association is back, and that means that here on The Fifth Corner “Heels in the Pros” is back as well. Right now there is a dozen former North Carolina players on NBA rosters, but not many began the season yesterday, with only the Dallas Mavericks having a touch of carolina blue on their roster. However for the team from the lone star state it has three ex UNC players on the payroll. But do not worry, with a dozen games on tap tonight there will be plenty of Carolina action upcoming soon on this daily post. So, without further ado, let’s get ready for the first “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) of the season for the games on December 25, 2011…

In the only game for this post we have the world champions Dallas Mavericks take on the team that they beat last season to win it all, the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Center in front of a crowd of 20,421. For the Mavs two former Heels started, with seven footer Brendan Haywood, in his 11th year in the league, being the man in the middle, scoring no points (0 for 2 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0) to go with three rebounds and a couple of turnovers while having a -6 +/- differential in just 14 minutes of playing time, which was the least any starter got. The other starter for the team from the lone star state is 14th year veteran Vince Carter, taking the court at the shooting guard position and getting 21 minutes of action. For the guard it was a so-so game with five points (2 for 6 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 0 for 2) to go with three assists, two boards and a pair of TOs with a points differential of 0. Finally, off the bench, it’s power forward Brandan Wright, who comes in for 11 minutes in all, not scoring (0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0) to go with a board and a steal in the game while having a +9 points differential. As far as the game went it was the visiting team taking revenge for last season, as the Miami Heat won the game by 11, defeating the Dallas Mavericks by the final of 105 to 94, behind a double double by LBJ, as Jeff Sack says at Pro Hoops Central.

Clipped from: scores.espn.go.com (share this clip)

As the second round of the NBA Play-Offs continue there are still a couple of former Tar Heels in the running to win a title. As we will see in this edition of “Heels in the Pros”(NBA) both of them played last night, with very different results. What the Heel Nation that follows the UNC players that are now at the next level can take confort in is that if history is correct one of the two Carolina players will be headed to their conference finals. As far as the other Heel? Well, I will let you read the rest of this post and you can make up your own mind on it. So, without further interruptions, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for 05/06/11…

The first game of the night, played last night at 7:00 pm EST (televised on ESPN), was game three (of a best of seven) in the East between #1 seed Chicago Bulls and #5 seed Atlanta Hawks. The game has come back to Atlanta tied up at one, and it would be played at the Philips Arena in front of 19,521 fans. For the home squad we have small forward Marvin Williams, who starts for the Hawks and plays a total of 24 minutes in all. In that time frame the former National Champion scores 10 points (4 for 7 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 2 for 3) to go with one rebound, one assist and a turnover, while having a pts differential of -15. As far as the game went, the top seed in the East has taken back home court advantage in this series by winning the game by the score of 99 to 82. With the loss Atlanta is now down 2 games to 1 and will host the next game on Monday night, starting at 8:00 pm EST (televised on TNT).

Hoopinion (TrueHoop Network)
Peachtree Hoops (SB Nation)
Hawks Highlight (Bloguin)

Clipped from: espn.go.com (share this clip)

The late game of the night is from the Western Conference, where the Dallas Mavericks are hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in the third game (of a best of seven series). The game, televised on ESPN with a starting time of 9:30 pm EST, was played in front of 21,156 fans at the American Airlines Center. For the home squad from the lone star state we have Brendan Haywood, who comes off the bench for 14 minutes of playing time. In that time the former Heel didn’t score any points (0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0), but had seven rebounds (4 offensive) and a turnover, while composing a -2 pts differential on the night. In the end it was Dallas coming back with an enormous 4th quarter performance, to win this one by the final of 98 to 92. With the victory the Mavs are up 3-0 in the series, and no team has ever come back from a deficit like this in the NBA.

The Two Man Game (TrueHoop Network)
Mavs Moneyball (SB Nation)
The Smoking Cuban (FanSided)
Slam Dunk Central

Clipped from: espn.go.com (share this clip)

I am sure that the National Basketball Association didn’t do this for my pleasure, but it’s nice to have both of the teams with a touch of Carolina Blue playing on the same night, giving me time to keep up with the former Heels now at the next level, which I call “Heels in the Pros” (NBA). in this post we look at the games from 05/02. In all there are two former UNC players still in the playoffs, and both are the underdogs in the series. But, without giving any more away, let’s get going with this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for May 2, 2011…

The first game of the night, from the Eastern Conference, it’s the Atlanta Hawks headed to the windy city to take on the Chicago Bulls in the first of the seven game series. The game was played at the United Center in front of a crowd of 22,890. For the visiting team it’s small forward Marvin Williams, who starts but plays just 22 minutes in all. In that time frame the former national champion and one & done for head coach Roy Williams scores 5 points (2 for 6 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 1 for 1) to go with two rebounds, a block and a turnover, while having a pts differential of -4. As far as the game was concerned it was Atlanta upsetting Chicago, taking the game by the score of 103 to 95. Game 2 of this series will be played tonight at 8:00 pm EST.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Peachtree Hoops (SB Nation)
Soaring Down South (FanSided)
Hawks Highlight (Bloguin)
Slam Dunk Central

The other game with someone donning the Carolina Blue is in the Western Conference, where the Dallas Mavericks headed to Cali to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in their game one of the series. The game was played in front of 18,997 at the Staples Center. For the visiting squad from the lone star state it’s big man Brendan Haywood, who comes off the bench to play 13 minutes. In that time frame the center scores two points (1 for 1 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 0) to go with one block and a +6 pts differential. As far as the game went it was another upset, this one much closer, as Dallas took this one from LA by 2, with the score being 96-94. Game 2 of this series is tonight, starting at 10:30 pm EST.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Mavs MoneyBall (SB Nation)
The Smoking Cuban (FanSided)
Slam Dunk Central

Working ever so hard to make this a daily post that is also on time (which it isn’t right now), here is the next chapter of the Tar Heels now in the National Basketball Association, in what is called by me “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for April 19, 2011. In all there were three games on this night, two of them had Carolina Blue in them. So, without any more interruptions and delays, let’s get this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) for 04/19/11…

The first game of the night is the second one between the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic, played at the Amway Center in front of 19,160. For the visiting team it’s Marvin Williams, who comes off the bench for the Hawks and plays a total of 19 minutes in all. For the fifth year small forward it’s a four point game (1 for 6 ~ 0 for 3 ~ 2 for 2) to go with three rebounds, an assist and a TO, while having a -7 pts differential. Just like the Heel, Atlanta was not on its best game in this one, losing to Orlando by six points, 88 to 82. With the loss the series is now tied at one a piece and the next game will be in Atlanta on Friday April 22nd.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Peachtree Hoops(SB Nation)
Soaring Down South (FanSided)
Hawks Highlight (Bloguin)

The other game with a touch of Carolina Blue is in the West Conference where the Dallas Mavericks are hosting the Portland Trail Blazers for the second game of their seven game series. The match was played in front of 20,620 fans at the American Airlines Center. For the home team it’s ten year vet Brendan Haywood, who comes off the bench for the Mavs and plays a total of 20 minutes in this one. In that time frame the center scores just two points (1 for 1 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 4) to go with five rebounds (4 offensive), one assist and a TO. Haywood had a +9 pts differential in the game. As far as the game is concerned it was Dallas winning it by a dozen, with the final score being 101 to 89. With the W the Mavericks take a 2-0 lead in the series, with the third game being Thursday April 21 in Portland.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Mavs MoneyBall (SB Nation)
The Smoking Cuban (FanSided)

The National Basketball Association began its “second season” yesterday afternoon and I have to say it was pretty good to say the least. Three teams (Indiana ~ Atlanta ~ Dallas) with a former Tar Heel on their roster were in action today and we are going to check how they did in this edition of “Heels in the Pros” (NBA). On a side note: I love for that ESPN radio host to come out and say that he was wrong about what he kept saying about Tyler Hansbrough, but I know that won’t happen, so this was just a one sentence rant! Now, back to the things at hands and “Heels in the Pros” (NBA) of 04/16/11…

The first game of the day was a barn burner between the 8 seed Indiana Pacers and the top seed Chicago Bulls (televised on ESPN). It was played at the United Center in front of 22,986 fans. For the visiting squad it was power forward Tyler Hansbrough, who seemed to have come back to the times where UNC and Duke took to the hardwoods. The second year player started for the Pacers and played 36 minutes (could have been more if not for being hit in the face hard enough he had to be taken to the locker room). In that time frame the 6’9″ forward scored 22 points (10 for 19 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 2 for 3) to go with four rebounds, two assists, a steal and 2 TOs. It was a great job by the former NPOY and National Champion, but it was not enough as the Bulls (or better said Derrick Rose) took over in the last minutes and won by the final of 104 to 99, taking Game 1 of the seven game series. The two squads will face off next on Monday, April 18, 2011, coverage on TNT.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

8 Points, 9 Seconds (True Hoop Network)
Indy Cornrows (SB Nation)
Pacers Pulse (Bloguin)
Slam Dunk Central

The next game of the night that has a touch of Carolina Blue is the match up between the 5th seed Atlanta Hawks and the 4th seed Orland Magic, televised by the World Leader in Sports. The game was played at the Amway Center in front of an attendance of 19,108. For the visiting squad we have yet again another National Champ in forward Marvin Williams, who came off the bench for the Hawks and played a total of 16 minutes. The fifth year man score six points in this one (2 for 3 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 2 for 2) to go with one board, two steals and an assist. As far as the game went it was the Hawks taking this one by double digits, surprising the Magic by the score of 103 to 93. The series is 1-0 for Atlanta and the two franchise will go at it once again Tuesday, April 19, 2011, tv coverage by NBA TV.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

Peachtree Hoops (SB Nation)
Slam Dunk Central

And finally, the last game of the night with a former Heel in it, it’s the #3 seed Dallas Mavericks hosting the #6 Portland Trail Blazers, game shown on ESPN. The game was played at American Airlines Center in front of a crowd that numbered 20,541. For the home squad it’s big man Brendan Haywood, who came off the bench for 16 minutes of action. In that time the seven footer score just two points (1 for 2 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 0 for 2) along with six rebounds (4 offensive), a block and a TO. While the contribution by the ten year vet isn’t as what it used to be his squad still took game one of the series, defeating Portland 89 to 81. The Mavs lead the series 1-0 and will be playing game two of it on Tuesday, April 19, 2001, which will be televised on TNT.

NBA
ESPN
Sporting News
CBS

The Two Man Game (TrueHoop Network)
Mavs MoneyBall (SB Nation)
Slam Dunk Central

With today being the beginning of the NBA Playoffs I figured it is time to get the Heels in the Pros (NBA) have a come back on The Fifth Corner. Below is the complete listing of the National Basketball Association first round (with times and tv coverage) playoff schedule. Then of course, since this a North Carolina blog after all, I will add all that I can about any former Tar Heel in the eight series. A brief run down shows that five series have at least one UNC player playing in them, one has a couple of floor generals along with a head coach and finally another one has an executive that are all from Chapel Hill. Here is the complete run down of the first round and below the list the former Heels in each of them…

Western Conference

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Game 1 – Sun April 17 Memphis at San Antonio 12:00PM TNT
Game 2 – Wed April 20 Memphis at San Antonio 7:30PM NBA TV
Game 3 – Sat April 23 San Antonio at Memphis 6:30PM ESPN
Game 4 – Mon April 25 San Antonio at Memphis TBD TBD
Game 5 * Wed April 27 Memphis at San Antonio TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 San Antonio at Memphis TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 Memphis at San Antonio TBD TBD

For San Antonio we have Danny Green, who was picked up late in the season by the team and you can follow him on twitter under the nic @DGreen_14. Green played at UNC for four years and won a National Title in 2009 under head coach Roy Williams. On a side note I can not believe that NBA.com still has him in a Cleveland jersey.

(2) L.A. Lakers vs (7) New Orleans Hornets

Game 1 – Sun April 17 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers 12:30PM ABC/R
Game 2 – Wed April 20 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers 7:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Fri April 22 L.A. Lakers at New Orleans 8:30PM ESPN
Game 4 – Sun April 24 L.A. Lakers at New Orleans 8:30PM TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 L.A. Lakers at New Orleans TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 New Orleans at L.A. Lakers TBD TNT

In this one we have the General Manager of the Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, who played under head coach Dean Smith from 1972 to 1976.

(3) Dallas Mavericks vs (6) Portland Trail Blazers

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Portland at Dallas 8:30PM ESPN
Game 2 – Tue April 19 Portland at Dallas 8:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21 Dallas at Portland 7:30PM TNT
Game 4 – Sat April 23 Dallas at Portland 2:00PM TNT
Game 5 * Mon April 25 Portland at Dallas TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Dallas at Portland TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Portland at Dallas TBD TNT

For the third seed Dallas we have seven footer Brendan Haywood, who played in Chapel Hill from 1997 to 2001 where he recorded the first ever triple double in school’s history. You can check out Haywood’s pro career here.

(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (5) Denver Nuggets

Game 1 – Sun April 17 Denver at Oklahoma City 8:30PM TNT
Game 2 – Wed April 20 Denver at Oklahoma City 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 – Sat April 23 Oklahoma City at Denver 8:00PM ESPN/R
Game 4 – Mon April 25 Oklahoma City at Denver 8:30PM TNT
Game 5 * Wed April 27 Denver at Oklahoma City TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 Oklahoma City at Denver TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 Denver at Oklahoma City TBD TBD

This one is where have a boatload of former Heels. Two on the court and the head coach. First, George Karl, the coach of the Nuggets, who has been with the team since 2005. Then we have two point guards that are both National Champions, Raymond Felton for the 2005 squad and Ty Lawson for the `09 team. Felton is on his third NBA squad, second this season, having played for the Bobcats and Knicks before coming to Denver. Lawson has always been with the Nuggets and you can follow him on twitter.

Eastern Conference

(1) Chicago Bulls vs (8) Indiana Pacers

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Indiana at Chicago 12:00PM ESPN/ESPN3D
Game 2 – Mon April 18 Indiana at Chicago 8:30PM TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21 Chicago at Indiana 7:00PM NBA TV
Game 4 – Sat April 23 Chicago at Indiana 2:30PM TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26 Indiana at Chicago TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Chicago at Indiana TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Indiana at Chicago TBD TNT

In this one we have another National Champ from Chapel Hill, Tyler Hansbrough, who is getting better by the game with his stats and can be followed on twitter under @THANS50

(2) Miami Heat vs (7) Philadelphia 76ers

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Philadelphia at Miami 3:30PM ABC/R
Game 2 – Mon April 18 Philadelphia at Miami 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21 Miami at Philadelphia 8:00PM TNT
Game 4 – Sun April 24 Miami at Philadelphia 1:00PM ABC
Game 5 * Wed April 27 Philadelphia at Miami TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 Miami at Philadelphia TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 Philadelphia at Miami TBD TBD

None from North Carolina in this one, but if you want to root against someone, Philly has a Duke player to zeron in Miami (just a thought).

(3) Boston Celtics vs (6) New York Knicks

Game 1 – Sun April 17 New York at Boston 7:00PM TNT
Game 2 – Tue April 19 New York at Boston 7:00PM TNT
Game 3 – Fri April 22 Boston at New York 7:00PM ESPN
Game 4 – Sun April 24 Boston at New York 3:30PM ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue April 26 New York at Boston TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29 Boston at New York TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1 New York at Boston TBD TBD

No one from Chapel Hill in this one either and not easy who to go with, as the Knicks have a former player from that school 8.5 miles away from UNC and Boston have someone from UK. (Wishing in a double elimination here, but it’s not possible).

(4) Orlando Magic vs (5) Atlanta Hawks

Game 1 – Sat April 16 Atlanta at Orlando 7:00PM ESPN
Game 2 – Tue April 19 Atlanta at Orlando 7:30PM NBA TV
Game 3 – Fri April 22 Orlando at Atlanta 8:00PM ESPN2/ESPN3D
Game 4 – Sun April 24 Orlando at Atlanta 7:00PM TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26 Atlanta at Orlando TBD TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28 Orlando at Atlanta TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30 Atlanta at Orlando TBD TNT

Finally, a breath of fresh air as we once again have a Tar Heel in this series. For the Hawks it’s Marvin Williams, a fifth year veteran while being a one and done at UNC after winning a national title.

First game of the night does not just have one Heel in the game, but three. It is the one between visiting Charlotte Bobcats and the home squad Cleveland Cavaliers played at Quicken Loans Arena (or as the locals say “the Q”). For the home team it is Antawn Jamison, who played for Dean Smith from `96 to `96, is one of the key pieces for the Cavs, starts and plays for 21 minutes in this one. In that time the ex NPOY while at UNC scored just four points off a bad shooting night (1 for 9 ~ 0 for 2 ~ 2 for 2) to go with eight rebounds (2 offensive), two assists, a steal, a block and three turnovers. The next Heel, Jawad Williams (four year player at UNC under both Matt Doherty and Roy Williams), comes off the bench for a dozen minutes. In that time the ex 2005 national champ scores just a pair (1 for 4 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 0 for 0) to go with two points, an assist and two TOs. Finally we have Daniel Green (another four year player in Chapel Hill), who gets the most minutes of the three, with 23, while scoring the least, one point (0 for 5 ~ 0 for 1 ~ 1 for 2), to go with five boards, three steals, two blocks and a pair of turnovers. In what was definitely a low scoring game the Cavaliers would take it by double digits, defeating the Bobcats by the final tally of 87 to 72. With the W Cleveland is 1 and 0 in the pre-season, but I doubt they are going to forget the player that left anytime soon, wins or not!

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

CAVS: The Blog (TrueHoop Network) by John Kronik
Fear The Sword (SB Nation) by John Bena
Slam Dunk Central by Jeff Sack

Box Score — Play-By-Play

The next game on the night with a Carolina player being on the floor is the one pinning the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks, a game that was played at the American Airline Center. For the home team we have Heel big man Brandan Haywood, who was at Chapel Hill from 1997 to 2000 playing for both Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge. Now, in his tenth season in the pro’s the seven footer is the man in the middle for Mark Cuban’s squad. In this one he played just 19 minutes, scoring seven points (3 for 5 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 1 for 1). He also added three rebounds, one assist, one steal, a block and a pair of turnovers. In a tight game, in this one it was Washington taking it by three points, defeating Dallas by the score of 97 to 94. With the loss the Mavs go to 0 and 1 in the pre-season.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Two Man Game (True Hoop Network) by Rob Mahoney
Mavs Moneyball (SB Nation) by LJ Rotter

Box Score — Play-By-Play

And finally, in the third game of the night with a Tar Heel playing, it’s the Orlando Magic going to the lone star state to take on the Houston Rockets in a game that was played at the Toyota Center. For the visiting team of the sunshine state we have Vince Carter, who went to UNC for three years and played under Dean Smith in that time, who started for the Magic and getting 25 minutes (2nd on his team) and scoring 14 points (2nd on his squad) (5 for 11 ~ 1 for 3 ~ 3 for 3). Carter also added five rebounds, three assists, a trio of steals and three TOs while having a -6 in the pts differential category. In this one it was Orlando winning it, getting it done by nine points, as they defeated Houston by the final tally of 97 to 88. The Magic are 1 and 0 in the off-season, but it’s nice to see the Howard/Carter combo getting the most shots and the most points.

Main Stream Media:
ESPN ~ NBA.com ~ The Sporting News ~ CBS Sports

Blogs:

Magic Basketball (TrueHoop Network) by Eddy Rivera
Orlando Pinstriped Post (SB Nation) by Ben Q Rock
Howard the Dunk (FanSided) by Andrew Melnick

Box Score — Play-By-Play

Brendan Haywood

Yesterday I did a small post about Brendan Haywood’s new contract with the Dallas Mavericks (6 year, $ 55 million). Today, looking around a bit, I found this article on ESPN Dallas that talks about what the ex UNC center is looking to do now that he is going to be the starting big man for the Mavs. And that would be being a double-double guy for Mark Cuban’s club. While the numbers do seem fair enough the article by Jeff Caplan does point out that Haywood, who is 30 and in is entering his tenth year in the NBA, has never had a double digit rebounding season and just one double figure scoring one (and two more being in the 9+ PPG). The ex Heel is also looking to have close to three blocks per game next season with the lone star state team, which again would be a career high for him, with his best right now being 2.5 BPG.

I am not sure if these numbers will happen but I like the attitude the ex UNC player is showing right after signing a big time contract and knowing that he is going into training camp as the favorite to be starting in the middle for Dallas. Once again let me congratulate Haywood on his contract and wish him the best for the next seasons in the NBA.

NBA Playoffs

With the National Basketball Association’s regular season over it is now time to check out which ex Tar Heel is going to keep playing and which one is staying home. As we all know there were fifteen North Carolina players in the Pro’s at the beginning of the season, one of them, Brandan Wright, starting off the season with a major injury and never got to play in the `09-`10 season. Two ex players from Chapel Hill began the year as free agents, with Jerry Stackhouse finding a team and Rashad McCants not being able to. Two Heels moving to teams with high expectations, with Vince Carter “going home” to the Orlando Magic and Rasheed Wallace going east to the Boston Celtics. And of course with last year’s NCAA national champions now being rookies in the NBA…

Looking at the Eastern Conference there are six out of the eight teams in the post season with a touch of Carolina Blue, two of them being head to head match ups, with all the four top seed having at least one player that once played in Chapel Hill. This means that if the first round went chalk the Conference Finals would have two squads with ex Heels on it. The other two teams from the East with an Heel on it are ranked 6th and 7th.

#1 – Cleveland Cavaliers

Antawn Jamison: 66 Games (64 started) ~ 36.5 MinsPG ~ 18.7 PPG ~ 8.4 RPG

Jawad Williams: 54 Games (6 started) ~ 13.7 MinsPG ~ 4.1 PPG ~ 1.5 RPG

Danny Green: 20 Games (0 started) ~ 5.8 MinsPG ~ 2.0 PPG ~ 0.3 APG

#2 – Orlando Magic

Vince Carter: 75 Games (74 started) ~ 30.8 MinsPG ~ 16.6 PPG ~ 3.1 APG

#3 – Atlanta Hawks

Marvin Williams: 81 Games (81 started) ~ 30.5 MinsPG ~ 10.1 PPG ~ 5.1 RPG

#4 – Boston Celtics

Rasheed Wallace: 79 Games (13 started) ~ 22.5 MinsPG ~ 9.0 PPG ~ 4.1 RPG

#6 – Milwaukee Bucks

Jerry Stackhouse: 42 Games (0 started) ~ 20.4 MinsPG ~ 8.5 PPG ~ 1.7 APG

#7 – Charlotte Bobcats

Raymond Felton: 80 Games (80 started) ~ 33.0 MinsPG ~ 12.1 PPG ~ 5.6 APG

On the other side, in the Western Conference, the number of ex Tar Heels is a lot less. However they are all in the top seeds of the first round, and could easily see one of the teams in the conference final.

#2 – Dallas Mavericks

Brendan Haywood: 77 Games (67 started) ~ 30.6 MinsPG ~ 9.1 PPG ~ 9.3 RPG

#4 – Denver Nuggets

Ty Lawson: 65 Games (8 started) ~ 20.2 MinsPG ~ 8.3 PPG ~ 3.1 APG