Florida Gators in the NBA: Gator Guaranteed to Win Championship

For the fourth straight year, a Florida Gator in the NBA will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy as NBA Champion. With the advancement of the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, playing in their second consecutive NBA Finals, either Matt Bonner or Udonis Haslem will get their second or fourth ring, respectively. Here’s how the Gators in the NBA fared during the Conference Finals:

Bradley Beal (2011-2012), Washington Wizards
Beal capped off an incredible first playoff experience by scoring at least 16 points in each of the 11 postseason games he played in. Beal wasn’t able to help the Wizards advance to the Eastern Conference Finals as the lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. He became the second player in NBA playoffs history to score 25 three times before he turned 21, joining Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. For the entire playoffs, he turned in 19.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1 spg, and shot 41.5% from three-point range.

Matt Bonner (1999-2003), San Antonio Spurs
Bonner saw some good minutes in the last three games of the Spurs 4-2 series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. He started games five and six, playing at least 14 minutes in the final three games. Bonner scored eight points with two rebounds and two assists in game four and six points and three rebounds in game six. He played in every single game of the series, but notched only four rebounds, three assists, and one block in any of the other games. Bonner heads to the NBA Finals for the third time, looking for his second title.

Corey Brewer (2004-2007), Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves did not qualify for the playoffs.

Nick Calathes (2007-2009), Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs.

Mike Miller (1998-2000), Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs.

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Haslem had a productive series in the six game series win against the Indiana Pacers. He played in all of the games, including two starts in games two and three. He scored in every game except the first, with his best game being the second with seven points, three rebounds, and one assist. He averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds with two assists in 13.2 minutes throughout the entire series. But his best moment came after

‘s shenanigans came to a boiling point:

I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to mess with Haslem. With the Heat advancing to the NBA Finals, Haslem’s looking for his third straight title and fourth overall.

Al Horford (2004-2007), Atlanta Hawks
Horford missed the Hawks First Round series after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair his right pectoral muscle. The Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks in seven games to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

David Lee (2001-2005), Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs.

Marreese Speights (2006-2008), Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs.

Erik Murphy (2009-2013), Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz missed the playoffs with the NBA’s fourth-worst record.

Joakim Noah (2004-2007), Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls lost to the Washington Wizards in five games in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs

Chandler Parsons (2007-2011), Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets couldn’t manage to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers as they lost the First Round Series 3-2.

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