The NBA Playoff are all set and teams have begun playing against their first round matchups.
On both the Eastern and Western Conference sides of the bracket, there will be plenty of representation whether it be on the NBA playoff courts or on their bench wit.
The Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks made it to Play-In Tournament but fell short.
This season, the Bulls have had many Illinois locals including Matas Buzelis (Hinsdale Central), Jevon Carter (Proviso East), Ayo Dosunmu (Morgan Park), E.J. Liddell (Belleville), and Talen Horton-Tucker (Simeon).
Dallas began the season with just Oliver-Maxence Prosper (Lake Forest) before getting Max Christie (Rolling Meadows) and Anthony Davis (Perspectives) in the Luka Doncic Trade.
Below are the matchups and the players with ties to Illinois.
Eastern Conference
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Miami Heat
Max Strus (Stagg) played in 50 games (37 starts) after missing out on the first 27 games of the Cleveland Cavaliers season with an ankle injury. He averaged 9.4 points on 44.2 percent with 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.5 steals in 25.5 minutes per game. He also shot 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks
Drew Peterson (Libertyville) played in 25 games including one start for the Boston Celtics this season. He averaged 2.2 points on 41.5 percent shooting with 1.6 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game. He also shot 39.4 percent on 1.3 3-point attempts.
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Detroit pistons
Jalen Brunson (Stevenson) missed some time late in the season with a right ankle sprain but still started 65 games for the New York Knicks. Brunson averaged 26 points on shooting splits of .488/.383/.821 with 2.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 0.9 steals in 35.4 minutes per game.
(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks
RayJ Dennis (Oswego East) is not on the Indiana Pacers playoff roster but did contribute in the 50th and final win of the season. He also earned All-NBA G League honors after such a successful season with the Indiana Mad Ants and (San Diego Clippers). He averaged 2.7 points with 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals in 6.4 minutes per game. Dennis scored in double figures in the final two Pacers games.
Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
John Konchar (West Chicago) played in 46 games including four starts for Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 2.4 points on shooting splits of .451/.371/.875 with 3.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.7 steals in 12.1 minutes per game.
(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Golden State Warriors
Fred VanVleet (Auburn) missed some time with a right ankle injury but managed to start 60 games for the Houston Rockets. He averaged 14.1 points on splits of .378/.345/.810 with 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 35.2 minutes per game.
(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
Jordan Goodwin (Althoff Catholic) split time with the South Bay Lakers and the Los Angeles Lakers this season. He would later earn his way from a two-way contract to a standard contract. Now he’s headed to the playoffs. He was a vital piece off the bench as well as filled in as starter when LeBron James was out for a bit. He played in 29 games including five starts for Los Angeles. Goodwin had 5.6 points on splits of .438/.382/.818 with 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals in 18.7 minutes per game.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Lincoln Park) split his rookie season with the Iowa Wolves and Minnesota Timberwolves. During his time in the NBA, he played in 32 games including one start. He averaged 4.3 points on shooting splits of .482/.355/.810 with 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 10.6 minutes per game.
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
Cam Christie (Rolling Meadows) spent most of his season with the San Diego Clippers but did appear in 11 games for the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 1.4 points in just 4.5 minutes per game.
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