What Tar Heel had the best weekend in the NBA playoffs?

On Saturday we gave a quick rundown of Tar Heels who have roster spots in the NBA playoffs. Akil also provided a fun guide to help you pick out the correct teams to root for (or not), using one’s specific allegiance to UNC. After two days of competition and every series set at a 1-0 advantage or 0-1 deficit, depending on your perspective, let’s check in on how Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Raymond Felton, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ed Davis fared.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Ty Lawson
Washington Wizards (lost at Toronto, 106-114)

The Wizards hung around on Saturday night, and even had the lead in the fourth quarter against the East’s top team. They eventually fell off the pace, as the Raptors pulled away. Don’t blame Ty, though. As an end of season signing and brand new to the team, he did not play. Maybe he will get his chance on Tuesday night when the Wizards take another swing at Toronto.

John Henson and Tyler Zeller
Milwaukee Bucks (lost at Boston, 107-113)

Zeller continued to be a contributor off the bench as he has done for the Bucks since arriving in the middle of the season. He saw a reduced role however, scoring two points and recording one steal in just four minutes.

However, Henson certainly made his presence felt with 6 blocks to go along with 7 points and 6 rebounds. If you tuned in, UNC fans likely smiled as they reminisced about Henson’s days protecting the rims in the Smith center. If you missed his performance, it looked something like this:

Unfortunately, after both teams traded ridiculous three-pointers in the final seconds, the Celtics prevailed in OT. Henson and Zeller will also see action again on Tuesday night.

Wayne Ellington
Miami Heat (lost at Philadelphia, 103-130)

Ellington contributed 6 points (on 2-5 shooting from three) and 2 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. But, when the opposing team scores 130 points and wins by 27, well, there isn’t much need for a sharpshooter. This isn’t like the old MTV Rock N’ Jock days with the 50 point basket. (Youngsters, educate yourselves).

Ellington and the Heat will continue the series in Philadelphia on Monday night.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Danny Green
San Antonio (lost at Golden State, 92-113)

Green replicated Ellington’s output, with 6 points and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. Similar to Ellington, those points were courtesy of 2-5 shooting (2-4 from three). And, in another similarity to Ellington, Green’s team lost by double digits. Of course, the Warriors are the defending champions. So, there’s that.

Green and the Spurs will take the court again on Monday night.

Ed Davis
Portland (lost vs New Orleans, 95-97)

Keeping with the losing theme, the Trail Blazers lost a close on at home. Ed Davis led Portland with 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. Not a bad outing at all for the back-up big man. Only Anthony Davis of the Pelicans had more rebounds in the game and it took him 41 minutes to grab 14. Davis also dropped 6 points on 3-6 shooting. Unfortunately, the other Davis’ 35 points was just too much for the Blazers to overcome.

Davis and Portland resume their series on Tuesday night.

Raymond Felton
Oklahoma City (won vs Utah, 116-108)

Hey! A Tar Heel got a win this weekend! Felton was the lone ex-UNC player to get a W. Felton only saw 12 minutes and tallied 2 points with 1 rebound. When the starting point guard is Russell Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double for the season, minutes are going to be limited. I’m sure Felton will take the win, and will look to make his next contribution on Wednesday night.

There you have it. There are two main takeaway from this weekend. One good and one bad.

First, the bad news. The Heels’ teams were a combined 1-5 over the weekend. Hopefully that trend begins to reverse itself on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

The good news? With the way the NBA schedules the playoffs to maximize TV ratings, the first round should be complete in approximately six weeks. That’s plenty of time for teams to make the necessary adjustments.

Go to hell Duke.

Go Heels.