Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.

Tar Heels are showing up in surprising ways in the NBA playoffs.

Carolina and Duke have battled in recent years over which blueblood program has the most alumni playing in the NBA. Over the course of a season, it is generally around two dozen each, but some of those players have two-way contracts where they split their games between their big team and its G-League affiliate.

Currently, five former Tar Heels are still alive in the NBA playoffs, with mixed results. The biggest surprise, perhaps, is Harrison Barnes, who left UNC after the 2012 Elite 8 season and was the No. 7 pick by Golden State, winning an NBA ring in 2015. He was a regular starter for the Warriors where he averaged around 10 points per season.

In 2016, Barnes was traded to Dallas through the strange 2019 season when he played for four different teams and wound up with Sacramento, where he sort of disappeared with the perpetually losing franchise. Most casual pro basketball fans could not keep track of him.

That ended this season, when Barnes started all 82 regular-season games and scored 13 points, including a crucial 3-pointer, as the No. 3 seeded and rebuilt Kings earned their first playoff win in 17 years, edging his former Warriors in Game 1 Saturday. Game 2 is tonight at 10 if you want to watch live. “There were lots of long days here,” said Barnes, who played in 64 playoff games, all with the Dubs. “To run out tonight and see all the fans and how loud they were made me very happy for them.”

Other Heels shining in this postseason so far include Cameron Johnson, Puff’s big brother, who had his best playoff game, but could not get his sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets over the hump against No. 3 Philadelphia in the opener of their best-of-seven series. He had 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in the 121-101 loss for a team that once had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Game 2 is also tonight in Philly at 7:30. Also, second-year man Day’Ron Sharpe, who saw only 22 seconds of playoff action during his rookie season, continued to blossom, contributing six points and six rebounds for the Nets.

UNC hero Danny Green began with Cleveland in 2010 before winning three NBA titles with different teams – San Antonio, Toronto and the Lakers. In his 170th career playoff game, Green sat out as the Cavaliers were upset at home by the Knicks. Maybe they will wise up and play the 14-year veteran with championship chops in Game 2 Tuesday.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/David Zabulowski

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