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NBA playoffs kick off Saturday with 10 Blue Devils

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The NBA playoffs kicks off Saturday at 3:00 with the New York Knicks hosting the Boston Celtics. There will be a strong Duke presence in the playoffs this season, as 10 Blue Devils are employed by teams who made the post season. Here’s a rundown of who is still playing for the Larry O’Brien trophy:

Battier and the Heat are favorites to win the Larry O'Brien trophy for the second consecutive season

Battier and the Heat are favorites to win the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second consecutive season

Shane Battier, Miami Heat: Battier and the Heat are once again the favorites to win the NBA title. Battier isn’t the type to stuff a statsheet, but he will be a vital part of the Heat’s playoff rotation. The 6-foot-8 forward will be tasked with defending some of the game’s best scorers and will be counted on to be a marksman from beyond the arc, where he shot 43 percent this season.

Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls: Boozer proved to everyone this season that he is still a productive starting power forward, averaging 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. With Derrick Rose missing the entire season and Luol Deng, Richard Hamilton and Joakim Noah fighting injuries of their own, Boozer provided the Bulls with some much needed stability in the starting lineup. Chicago will need Boozer to continue being an offensive force if they hope to best the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls: Deng had been fighting a hip injury earlier this month but played close to a full compliment of minutes over the Bulls’ final five games of the regular season. One of two Chicago All-Stars this season, Deng led his team in scoring at 16.5 points per game, becoming the team’s No. 1 option in the absence of Derrick Rose. In addition to his offensive contributions, Deng will be asked to defend first Joe Johnson of the Nets, then LeBron James if the Bulls advance to the second round.

Chris Duhon, Los Angeles Lakers: Duhon played in just 46 games this season, averaging 2.9

Duhon's Lakers surprised the NBA world by earning the No. 7 seed in the West without Kobe Bryant.

Duhon’s Lakers surprised the NBA world by earning the No. 7 seed in the West without Kobe Bryant.

points and 2.9 assists per game. Even with starting point guard Steve Nash ailing and his former head coach Mike D’Antoni patrolling the sidelines, Duhon has appeared in just four games since the start of March. He doesn’t figure to see much playing time, if any, unless there is a slew of injuries in the Laker backcourt.

Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee Bucks: Dunleavy has been a key part of the Bucks’ bench this season, averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range. Dunleavy’s production had slipped after the All-Star break in mid-February, but he re-found his form in April, averaging 12.0 points per game for the month. He’ll join J.J. Redick as another scorer off the bench in his team’s first round matchup against the Miami Heat.

Grant Hill, Los Angeles Clippers: Age may have finally caught up to the 18-year NBA veteran. Hill played in just 29 games this season due to injury and has played in just two games in the month of April. Hill may not see too many minuts behind Caron Butler and Matt Barnes at the small forward, but will provide his team with needed veteran leadership as the Clippers try to prove they’re the team to watch in Los Angeles.

Dahntay Jones, Atlanta Hawks: Jones was acquired by the Hawks in a midseason trade with the Dallas Mavericks, but his role didn’t change too much when he made the move to Atlanta. It is hard to tell what sort of factor Jones will be in the playoffs considering the Hawks have been resting most of their regulars over the past few games. When Jones is on the court he’ll provide gritty defense, but won’t do much in the way of offense.

Plumlee will likely watch most of the playoffs from the bench his rookie season. Julia May/The Chronicle

Plumlee will likely watch most of the playoffs from the bench his rookie season. Julia May/The Chronicle

Miles Plumlee, Indiana Pacers: Plumlee appeared in just 14 games in his rookie season with the Pacers, spending much of his time honing his skills in the NBA Development League. Plumlee will not see significant minutes unless the Indiana frontcourt is completely decimated by injuries.

Shavlik Randolph, Boston Celtics: Randolph was in training camp with the Washington Wizards, but took his talents to China when he was released. Now, Randolph is back in the NBA and is making a surprisingly large contribution to the Celtics. Randolph is averaging 12.4 minutes per game over his first 16 in Boston, scoring 4.2 points and grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game. He will play scrappy defense when giving Kevin Garnett a breather.

J.J. Redick, Milwaukee Bucks: Redick was enjoying a career-year in Orlando before being shipped to the Bucks at the trade deadline. Despite seeing his points per game drop more than two points since the trade, Redick is still a feared shooter and a potent scorer off the bench to compliment talented starting guards Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. He is Milwaukee’s sixth man this postseason.

Kyrie Irving, Luol Deng named All-Stars

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Not one, but two former Blue Devils will be taking their talents to Houston next month to compete in the NBA All-Star game.

When the reserves for the big game were announced Thursday night on TNT, both Luol Deng and Kyrie Irving heard their names called.

Deng will be joining teammate Joakim Noah in representing the Chicago Bulls after averaging 17.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season, picking up the slack left by an injured Derrick Rose.

Irving is one of six first-time All-Stars, despite the Cleveland Cavaliers’ disappointing record. Irving has thrived this season, despite potential All-Star Anderson Varejao getting hurt and a couple of injuries to himself. The first overall pick in the 2011 draft is averaging 23.7 points and 5.7 assists this season. Much like another former first overall pick of the Cavaliers —LeBron James—Irving makes his first All-Star game in just his second year in the league.

Duke basketball 2012-2013 player preview: Alex Murphy

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In the week leading up to Duke basketball’s first game of the season Friday against Georgia State, The Blue Zone will preview all the expected contributors on this 2012-2013 squad, beginning with the freshman Monday and ending with the seniors Friday.

After redshirting his first year at Duke, it's time for Alex Murphy to show Duke fans that he can bring a much-needed presence on the wing. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Alex Murphy

  • Year: Redshirt Freshman
  • Height: 6-8
  • Position: Small Forward
  • Last Year’s Key Statistics: 21.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 4.0 APG at St. Marks (from 2010-2011 before redshirting)

Game Breakdown: Since Murphy stepped onto campus a year ago he began drawing comparisons to his jersey’s previous owner, Kyle Singler. Duke fans, however, never got to see if the comparisons held true as Murphy redshirted after enduring a head injury during practice, following the team’s trip to China. But with that year off he has bettered his strength and conditioning and acclimated to Duke basketball’s style of play.

With a 6-foot-8 frame and the ability to hit shots from 3-point range, Murphy may be the versatile swing-player the Blue Devils need. With his size, the No. 41 recruit in the Class of 2011 according to ESPN has the ability to effectively defend the paint and the wings, but his long range will also allow the team to spread the floor—a key for the offense as he and fellow forward Ryan Kelly can stretch defenses and score from anywhere on the court.

Murphy is also an intelligent player and possesses the skills to employ them in a game situation. As he develops confidence in his game and aggressiveness with the ball he should improve his point and rebound production as well as his ability to defend the top wing players in the conference.

Role on the Team: Murphy started the team’s two exhibitions games but played fewer than 20 minutes in each of them. And with the early-season success of Rasheed Sulaimon, the pressure is on for the redshirt freshman. Regardless of whether or not he is in the starting five every game, he will have to earn his minutes and compete against both Amile Jefferson and a fearless Josh Hairston.

Player Comparison: It’s easy because of the blond hair to compare Murphy to Singler, but if Murphy stays healthy and plays up to his potential, he could end up being like Duke’s former standout Luol Deng. Although only at Duke for one year, Deng contributed from 3-point range as well as in the paint, helping lead Duke to a Final Four in 2004. Deng was recently named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team last season and will once again start for the Chicago Bulls. Murphy too has the potential to make an impact on the floor during the course of the next few years.

Projected Stat Line: 8.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 2.0 APG

Check back later today for Marshall Plumlee

Who we’ve already previewed: Amile Jefferson, Rasheed Sulaimon.

Deng and Pocius finish Olympics among top scorers

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Former Blue Devil Martynas Pocius with his former coach, Mike Krzyzewski, after the USA-Lithuania game. Pocius tweeted the Instagram photo from his Twitter account @LTUmarty.

Although Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistants Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski are leading the USA men’s basketball team in the 2012 Olympics in London, the only Blue Devils playing basketball were not playing for the red, white and blue.

Former Duke basketball players Luol Deng and Martynas Pocius suited up for England and Lithuania, respectively, and ranked among the top scorers in the tournament, although both of their teams have been eliminated from play as the games have reached the semifinals.

Deng, a South Sudan native who played for the Blue Devils for one season in 2003-2004 before being selected seventh overall in the NBA Draft, averaged 15.8 points per game during his five Olympic games. That rate ranked ninth in the games entering play Friday. He registered two 26-point games against Spain and Russia, two of the top teams, but struggled with single digit performances down the stretch against Australia and China, going just 5-of-15 from the field in those games.

In his lone season at Duke he scored 15.1 points per game, while leading conference freshmen in scoring, rebounds (6.9) and field goal percentage (47.5%).

Pocius, unlike Deng, had the chance to play the United States during the games–although the United States played an exhibition against Great Britain. Pocius, whose Lithuania squad was eliminated by Russia in the quarterfinals, finished ranked 57th overall in points with 7.2 per game. He had his best game of the Olympics against Team USA and his former coach, playing 30 minutes and going 5-of-9 from the field for 14 points, also tallying six assists and seven rebounds. During the year, Pocius plays for the Spanish team Real Madrid.

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Blue Devil schedules at the London Olympics

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Duke will have a strong presence at the upcoming London Olympics. The games will have Blue Devils representing five different countries in four different sports, and of course, Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski at the helm of the United States Men’s Basketball Team.

There will be two former Duke basketball players in London. The first is NBA All-Star and Chicago Bull Luol Deng, playing for the hosting Great Britain team. In his freshman, and only, year at Duke, Deng scored 15.1 points per game, grabbed 6.9 rebounds, and added 1.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. The other Blue Devil is Lithuanian guard Martynas Pocius. Pocius played four seasons at Duke, but missed most of his junior season after a left ankle injury. All the basketball games will be broadcasted live by the NBC family of networks.

The USA diving team features two Duke divers. Abby Johnston, who will be competing in the three meter synchronized diving event, and Nick McCrory, competing in the 10 meter synchronized diving, and 10 meter platform diving events. The diving events will be televised on a delay. Johnston’s dive will air on July 29 from 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m., McCrory’s dives will be televised July 30, August 10, and August 11 between 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.

Women’s soccer will feature former Blue Devil Rebecca Smith, who will be competing in her second Olympics for New Zealand, after competing in the 2008 games in China. The defender was the captain of the 2011 New Zealand World Cup team. Smith and New Zealand will play the preliminary rounds on July 28 and July 31 in an attempt to qualify for the Olympic Quarterfinals.

Finally, track and field will feature two more Duke alumni. Jillian Schwartz will be competing for Israel and Shannon Rowbury will compete for the United States. Schwartz will be competing in the pole vault qualifiers August 4, and, if she qualifies, the finals August 6. The events will be aired from 11:15-11:45 a.m. and 4:30-5:00 p.m., respectively on NBC. Rowbury is participating in the 1500 meter race. The quarterfinals are August 6 from 10:00-10:30 a.m. and 4:30-5:00 p.m., the semifinals will be August 8 from 4:30-5:00 p.m. or 8:00-11:00 p.m., and the finals will take place August 10, from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Battier lone Blue Devil in NBA Finals

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Of the 16 Blue Devils in the NBA, eight made the playoffs. Of the eight in the playoffs, just Shane Battier remains.

Battier and the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics in game seven of the Eastern Conference finals last night, advancing to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals.

In the seventh game, Battier went 4-of-9 from three point range for 12 points. In the series, he averaged more than 38 minutes per game, tallying 7.1 points per contest 36-percent shooting from the field.

Battier was one of four members of the 2001 national championship winning squad to make the playoffs with Carlos Boozer of the Bulls, Chris Duhon of the Magic and Dahntay Jones of the Pacers all in the field. J.J. Redick, Elton Brand, Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts all also made the playoffs with the Magic, 76ers, Bulls and Lakers, respectively.

The NBA Finals begin Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Oklahoma City.