Three Duke alums remain in NBA Conference Finals
Following the completion of the second round of the NBA playoffs, three former Blue Devils remain in contention for an NBA title.
The NBA Conference Finals begin Monday evening with the Oklahoma City Thunder squaring off against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference will commence Tuesday, with the Cleveland Cavaliers having defeated the Detroit Pistons in a Game 7 Sunday to advance and face the New York Knicks . With four teams remaining, there are three Duke alumni left with a chance of a title.
Beginning with the West, the only Blue Devil on the Spurs is 13-year NBA veteran and four-year Duke center Mason Plumlee. On the Thunder, Jared McCain is the most notable Duke player remaining in the NBA playoffs, putting together impressive shooting performances in the previous series against the Los Angeles Lakers . Lastly, rookie guard Tyrese Proctor is representing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East but has played less than five minutes thus far.
If either of these three players were to win a championship, they'd become the first Duke alum to do so since Jayson Tatum with the Boston Celtics after the 2023-24 season. The only way a former Blue Devil will not lift the Larry O'Brien trophy this year is if the Knicks are named NBA champions. This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Three Duke players remaining in NBA title contention after Round 2