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2012 NBA Playoff Preview!

This is just a sticky post so you can keep track of the madness here at The No-Look Pass.

Check out team-by-team previews with some of the best NBA bloggers on the internet.

EAST
1. Chicago Bulls - Exit
2. Miami Heat - 2nd Round
3. Indiana Pacers - 2nd Round
4. Boston Celtics - 2nd Round
5. Atlanta Hawks - Exit
6. Orlando Magic - Exit
7. New York Knicks - Exit
8. Philadelphia 76ers - 2nd Round

WEST
1. San Antonio Spurs - 2nd Round
2. Oklahoma City Thunder - 2nd Round
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Dallas Mavericks - Exit
8. Utah Jazz - Exit

And, of course...

First Round Picks!
Conference Semifinal Picks!

2012 Playoff Recap (Day 14)

#4 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 90 @ #5 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 88
WEST 1st Round * Game 6 * Series tied, 3-3

The series had been close throughout and this game was no exception. But you could tell Blake Griffin and Chris Paul weren't 100 percent. Blake's explosiveness wasn't quite there and Paul's usual burst wasn't present.

But they still went toe to toe with the polar bears. The Clippers came back from 9 down and traded blows with Memphis with solid contributions from the bench. The Clips then went up by eight, 76-68, and it looked like they were ready to put away the Grizzlies once and for all.

Memphis persevered. Rudy Gay, who didn't shoot well, scored 5 points on a Grizz 10-0 run. Hamed Haddadi played spot minutes but contributed to that run as well. Later, Zach Randolph (we joked he couldn't jump over an ant) had a dunk that put the Grizzlies up, 87-82. We all waited for CP3 to take over but he just couldn't do it. Yes, he was slowed but we still expected some sort of playmaking. He even missed a foul shot that would've cut the lead down to three. Eventually, it was just a foul shooting contest (and a terrible unforced turnover with Randy Foye stepping out of bounds after a missed Memphis freethrow)... and Memphis is going back to the grindhouse for a Game 7.

Marc Gasol (unlike his brother) came up big and was slicing the Clippers defense nearly the entire game. He led the Grizzlies in scoring with 23 points. Blake had 17 points to lead the Clips but, again, he didn't look as explosive in that game. Vinny Del Negro held him and Paul off as long as possible and, while they were hurt, that might have cost them.

Both L.A. teams are going to a Game 7. In the meantime, an Eastern Conference semifinal series starts tomorrow.

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images (edited by Payton Wales).

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2012 2nd Round Playoff Preview (Indiana Pacers)

We continue with our conference semifinal team previews!

Beat Orlando in the first round, 4-1.
Seed: #3 (East)
Record: 42-24
Stat Leaders: Danny Granger (18.7 PPG), Roy Hibbert (8.8 RPG, 2.0 BPG), Darren Collison (4.8 APG), Paul George (1.6 SPG).
Opponent: #2 Miami Heat, 46-20.
Record Against Them This Season: 1-3
Writer: Jared Wade (@Jared_Wade)
Web Site: 8 Points, 9 Seconds

The Pacers waxed the Magic in 5 games. Now that they got past the first round, you wonder if we'll see Lesson Two here. Indiana faces the reigning Eastern Conference champs, the Miami Heat. So is Indiana for real? I talk to Jared Wade of 8 Points, 9 Seconds and Both Teams Played Hard about what went right against Orlando and what we could see against Miami.

Indiana in 5, indeed. The loss at Game 1 didn't surprise you too much, did it?

Not really. The Pacers have had a tendency to play to their competition all year. This means beating Oklahoma City, Miami, Boston and the Lakers, but it also means losing to New Jersey, Cleveland and Sacramento. All teams have their ups and downs, but they really do seem to just coast along and stay within five or so points of their competition no matter who it is. So seeing them go into an offensive funk for the final four minutes of Game 1 and coughing up home-court advantage, while unexpected, was certainly not shocking.

There seems to be a more concerted effort to get David West more shots. Was that by design?

Yeah. David West had pedestrian stats all season long. Part of this was coming back from offseason ACL surgery, part was him just trying to fit in and part was the fact that his role in the offense is more of a facilitator than a finisher. But he ramped his scoring up to 15 ppg on 54.6% in his final 15 games and had a bunch of nights where he was clearly taking over. His back-to-back games of 21/14/7 and 32/12 were the best examples.

Head coach Frank Vogel recognized, embraced and is now trying to harness this new-found aggressiveness. After West's big Game 4 against the Magic, Vogel said that he wants the team running upwards of 40% of the offense through David, which is a big jump considering that the team strategy throughout the regular season was closer to 20% usage goal for everyone.

Outside of West, anyone from the Pacers impressed you in the Orlando series?

Darren Collison has been great. His numbers aren't standing out because he isn't getting 30 minutes but his defense on Jameer Nelson was Muggsy-Bogues-like. And in the close-out Game 5, he was unreal in the fourth quarter. Easily the best quarter any Pacer had in the first round. And his second quarter in Game 4 wasn't far off that level of play.

The Pacers now draw the Heat. Keys for the Pacers for an upset win!

Say their prayers and eat their vitamins.

Really, it is possible. Miami has some definite roster flaws and occasional mental breakdowns. The Pacers, meanwhile, are a very solid team with a decent, if not superb, back-up at every position. Indiana will need its top nine to all have an above-average series and they will have to make an abnormally high number of their three-point looks. The Heat's defense can be lethal and the Pacers need to be methodical if they want to score with consistency. More than anything, this means not freaking out as space-age athletes run at and crowd them, instead making the simple passes to the open men, who must make their shots.

Prediction for this series?

Miami wins in 6. Could be 5 or 7 depending on how the ball bounces late in a few games, but it won't be 4. Indiana is too solid to get swept by any team. They'll probably get demolished once, win comfortably once and squeak out a second victory. Then they'll lose three other games that are close but ultimately won by the team with more talent.

PHOTO CREDITS: 1) Ron Hoskins/Getty Images. 2) Gregory Shamus/Getty Images. 3) Issac Baldizon/Getty Images.

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2012 2nd Round Playoff Preview (Boston Celtics)

We continue with our conference semifinal team previews!

Beat Atlanta in the first round, 4-2.
Seed: #4 (East)
Record: 39-27
Stat Leaders: Paul Pierce (19.4 PPG), Kevin Garnett (8.2 RPG), Rajon Rondo (11.7 APG, 1.8 SPG), Greg Stiemsma (1.6 BPG).
Opponent: #8 Philadelphia 76ers, 35-31
Record Against Them This Season: 1-2
Writer: John Karalis (@RedsArmy_John)
Web Site: Red's Army

Here we go again! These Boston Celtics will not go away that easily. This time around, they got rid of the Atlanta Hawks in six games as they made the conference semifinals for the fifth straight year. John Karalis of Red's Army will be happy to tell me that over and over. Here are his thoughts of what went down... and what to look forward to against their second round opponents, the Philadelphia 76ers.

It was Celtics in 6 instead of 5. But, still, you're not too disappointed with the Celtics' performance, right?

Not TOO disappointed, but I am disappointed in some of it, especially Game 5. That was a prime opportunity to put this series away and it seemed that the guys didn't go as hard they could have, especially Rondo. There were so many opportunities to win that game, but they blew it and instead of resting for a few days, they played last night and put more stress on Ray Allen's injured ankle and Paul Pierce's strained knee.

But give credit to the Hawks too. They forced some of that play from the Celtics. But the Celtics won the series, so you wipe the slate clean and move on.

How many performances like the last game are we going to get out of Kevin Garnett?

Hopefully 12 more games worth. That was just an epic performance out of him. He could have done that the entire series.

The thing about KG is Doc managed the minutes pretty much perfectly in the regular season, allowing him to push a little more now. I think people tend to forget, a little, about how great KG has been in his career. I think they see the past few years in Boston where he has shared a bit of the spotlight and figured he didn't have these games in him anymore. But he's still Kevin-freakin'-Garnett and he's still capable of pulling these nights off occasionally.

Is Paul Pierce and Ray Allen's health a concern?

Yeah. Pierce's mobility is a big concern. The Sixers are athletic and if the Celtics can't consistently defend, then they'll have problems. Ray Allen is one of those guys that can cut a double digit lead, or give you one, in a hurry. That's a huge weapon to be pulled from your arsenal. I'm much more concerned about Ray. Pierce will find a way to play. Ray might miss time.

You draw the Sixers! Surprisingly! Give me keys to take them out.

This is going to sound ridiculously obvious but it's simply rebound and defend. They want to get out and get up and down the floor. Hold them to a 1-and-done and you'll be in very good shape. They want to get up and down the floor because in the half-court, they're a really disjointed offensive team. The're not going to be carried by the same guy every night. I know Andre Iguodala is their biggest threat, but he's not a "takeover" guy.

So it's simple. Clamp down on D and give them nothing easy. Keep them off the boards and don't let them run. Do those things and things should work out fine.

Series prediction?

I'm going Celtics in 6. I want to say it's a sweep because the Celtics, collectively, are a much better team with much better chemistry and guys who play their roles quite well. But this Celtics team always make life harder on itself. They'll drop at least one in Philly and probably one at home by goofing around in another 3-1 closeout game. They've got the ability to sweep this thing though. (see what I did there? I think I just made 3 predictions in 1).

Anything else you want to say, Mr. Lord of Red's Army.

Philadelphia freedom shine on me, I love you
Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light, shine a light
Shine a light won't you shine a light
Cuz the C's will head to Miami, when they're through with you

PHOTO CREDITS: 1) Elsa/Getty Images. 2, 3) Brian Babineau/Getty Images.

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2012 2nd Round Playoff Preview (Philadelphia 76ers)

Time for some conference semifinal team previews! We start with the unlikeliest of the semifinalists!

Beat Chicago in the first round, 4-2
Seed: #8 (East)
Record: 35-31
Stat Leaders: Lou Williams (14.9 PPG), Elton Brand (7.2 RPG, 1.7 BPG), Andre Iguodala (5.5 APG, 1.7 SPG).
Opponent: #4 Boston Celtics, 39-27
Record Against Them This Season: 2-1
Writer: Jordan Sams (@Philly76ersBlog)
Web Site: Liberty Ballers

Chicago had a multitude of injuries that they couldn't overcome and the Sixers took advantage. It's Philly's first time in the second round since 2003 and Jordan Sams from Liberty Ballers couldn't be happier. Probably. Anyway, I talk to him about that series and the Sixers' upcoming battle with the Celtics.

Suddenly, Chicago got a ton of bad luck, and the Sixers are in the second round. How do you feel?!

Winning a series felt great, I'm not going to lie. I went into the Playoffs thinking nothing positive could come out of this season, but the play of Jrue Holiday, and to an extent, Evan Turner, will be an encouraging note to end the season on, regardless of what happens against Boston.

For whatever reason, Jrue morphs into a different, swagtastic, player in the Playoffs -- something Sixers fans really needed to see after a horrible year of non-development from The Jruth.

Spencer Hawes stepped up in this series. Surprised?

Um. He's had one or two good stretches of basketball, but he's an overall bad player. He does a lot of really bad things that don't show up on the stat sheet -- missed layups, poor boxing out, pushed around in the paint, on both ends, and when he "steps up" it's mostly one long two point attempts.

My only hope is that someone else signs him this off-season, because I don't want to see him in Sixer red, white and blue again.

And while Andre Iguodala is probably the main trading piece by the Sixers, you've gotta feel happy for him making the series-winning foul shots, right?

Absolutely. It was a great moment for Iguodala. He's been unfairly criticized his whole career and he's not overpaid, for the record. He'a not even the highest paid player on the team. He's arguably the best perimeter defender in the league, the second-best passing and rebounding small forward in basketball, a terror in transition, an underrated catch-and-shoot shooter, and an efficient scorer. It's not his fault we live in a world where you're dubbed a superstar if you score 20+ PPG and do nothing else. *cough* Monta Ellis *cough*

All that said, I hope he's traded and have for a long time - not because I dislike the guy, or have any negative thoughts toward him - but it's best for both him and the team.

The Sixers draw the Celtics. Tell me some keys on how the Sixers can pull off another upset win.

It won't be easy, but they'll have to dominate the glass, against a surprisingly weak rebounding Celtics team, and shoot under their average of 24.5 long twos per game. Attack the basket, get to the free throw line. I actually think Philly matches up decent with Boston. Turner has matched up well with Rondo in the past, Iguodala is good on Pierce. Garnett will be the X-Factor, cause the Sixers have NO ONE to contain him.

Series prediction?

Man, I'm more confident about this than the first series, but I still see Celtics winning in 5. I think most games will be close, but Boston's a good closer.

Anything else you wanna say?

You promised me a better Blake Lively pic if the Sixers won.

Oh, whoops. Enjoy.

PHOTO CREDITS: 1, 3) Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images. 2) Drew Hallowell/Getty Images. And I have no idea where I got those Blake Lively pictures.

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2012 Playoff Exit Talk (Atlanta Hawks)

It was another early exit for the Atlanta Hawks. They fell to the Boston Celtics in six games. At what point do they go in a different direction? I bring in William Sevidal (@WilliamSevidal) of Peachtree Hoops to talk about that and the series against Boston.

Well, that was a bizarre ending to Game 6. The Josh Smith jumper. No freethrows for Al Horford after the foul before the inbounds. What do you make out of all of this?

Nothing much to say really. It was a bizarre way to end the game and the series, but honestly, I can't blame the refs or any single player or individual. Do I think the refs missed a call with Marquis Daniels fouling Al Horford before the ball was inbounded? Yeah, but even though they did, it doesn't erase the fact that the Hawks couldn't execute down the stretch and that Al Horford missed a crucial free throw. It's not a good way to end the series/season, but it happened already and the outcome can't be changed, so everyone (players, fans, coaches, bloggers) just has to move on.

What did Al Horford provide that was missing earlier in the series?

A legit player in the Center position. The Hawks were playing Erick Dampier, Jason Collins, and Ivan Johnson before Horford came back, and not any of them provided anything close to what Al Horford provided. Jason Collins played decent in Game 1, but was pretty useless for the rest of the series. Ivan Johnson was so small compared to Garnett that he got killed from the very start, which made Larry Drew actually cut him from the rotation. Erick Dampier was the best out of the 3, but even he couldn't provide anything close to what Horford provided. Dampier had his shining moments but he also had a lot of low moments that actually made Jason Collins look like an option Larry Drew should consider.

With Horford, the Hawks actually had a player that the Celtics needed to game plan for. He was a force on the defensive end and he wasn't a liability on offense. None of the three players mentioned above played good defense consistently, and also none of them provided much offense. Would the outcome of the series have been different if he was available earlier in the series? Maybe, but I hate doing the "what if" game.

What is next for the Hawks? At some point, they're going to have to make big moves, right?

Yup. This team needs changes and they have to address a lot of things in the off-season like....

  • Should they trade Josh Smith already before he becomes a free agent after next season?
  • Is Larry Drew the right coach for this team?
  • Is Jeff Teague a championship caliber point guard?
  • Should they make a move to sign Steve Nash?
  • Is it time to amnesty either Joe Johnson (doubtful) or Marvin Williams?
  • Should they re-sign Rick Sund as the GM again?
  • What happens to Kirk Hinrich? Tracy McGrady? Willie Green? Jannero Pargo? Ivan Johnson? Jason Collins (please let him go)?
  • Should there be a fire sale like what Portland did this season?
  • Honestly, there's a lot more for the organization to think about, I'm just saving myself (and all TNLP readers) from feeling depressed for this Hawks team. This team has a lot of holes and a lot of problems. The Hawks have to make changes. Everyone is tired of seeing the make-up of this Hawks team.

    PHOTO CREDIT: NBA.Com screencap.

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    2012 Playoff Exit Talk (Chicago Bulls)

    Derrick Rose went down with an ACL tear in the first game. If that wasn't enough, Joakim Noah was knocked out for the series in Game 3 with a sprained ankle. Philadelphia capitalized and beat the #1 Bulls in six games. I talked to Bryan Crawford (@_BryanCrawford), who writes the blog, On The Go, for SLAM. Bryan also does work for NBC Chicago.

    Have you ever seen a team have this many injuries in the playoffs before? It's quite amazing...

    It's really the damnedest thing I've ever seen in all my years of watching the NBA. Obviously, the Bulls got hit the hardest of any playoff team, but guys have been dropping left and right all over the league. And it's not minor injuries, but serious ones. It's crazy.

    When Rose went down, did you still think the team could do something magical and make a deep playoff run?

    Nope. I knew it was over. I figured they'd get by Philly with no problem and then get put out in the second round. But after seeing where they were mentally after Derrick was injured, you could tell that a first round exit was much more likely.

    So what's next for the Bulls? The roster, when healthy, still seems primed for a title run.

    The 2012-2013 Chicago Bulls team will look much different from this one. A lot of the faces you saw this year won't be back next season. Changes will be made. But as long as the core remains intact and once Derrick Rose is healthy, the Bulls will still be contenders.

    PHOTO CREDIT: Gary Dineen/Getty Images.

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    2012 Playoff Recap (Day 13)

    Who's going home tonight?

    #1 CHICAGO BULLS 78 @ #8 PHILADELPHIA 76ers 79
    EAST 1st Round * Game 6 * Sixers WIN series, 4-2

    The Sixers went up, 59-47, and looked on their way to blowing the Bulls out. But the Bulls stormed back to tie them at the end of the third. A perfect C.J. Watson/Omer Asik pick-and-roll put the Bulls up, 78-75 with 25 seconds left. After a Thad Young lay-up, the Bulls raced up the court to avoid the foul and try to score. Watson, an 81 percent FT shooter, thought he could give it to Asik for a dunk but Asik (a 46 percent FT shooter) was fouled with 7 seconds left. Predictably, Asik missed both and the Sixers raced up the court. Andre Iguodala was fouled. Iguodala, a 62 percent freethrow shooter, made both foul shots to take the 79-78 lead. With no timeouts and 2 seconds left, a desperation heave by Watson from halfcourt got close... but it wasn't nearly enough to avoid elimination. The Sixers, an 8th seed, beat the #1 Bulls and advance to the conference semis. For the second straight season, the 8th seed has beaten the #1 seed.

    Iguodala, who had his Teen Wolf moment, led the Sixers with 20 points and 7 assists. Luol Deng's effort of 19 points and 17 rebounds wasn't good enough. Rip Hamilton also had 19 points. The what ifs now start pouring in for the Bulls, who were supposed to challenge for the title this season.

    #5 ATLANTA HAWKS 80 @ #4 BOSTON CELTICS 83
    EAST 1st Round * Game 6 * Celtics WIN series, 4-2

    Boston was up for the most part until the Hawks made a furious rally in the 4th. Al Horford played ALL but two minutes in this game and his lay-up made it 79-76 for the Hawks. A Paul Pierce lay-up and a Kevin Garnett jumper (who was VINTAGE in this contest) gave the lead back to the Celtics (that's what they get for depending on a Josh Smith jumper). One Ray Allen freethrow later made it 81-79, Celtics.

    Then a bizarre play happened. Marquis Daniels fouled Horford seemingly before it was inbounded. Normally, that's foul shots for the Hawks but, for some reason, the ball was given back for another inbounds pass. Anyway, Daniels fouled Horford again when Horford seemingly had a gimme basket. With a chance to tie with two seconds left, Horford missed the first foul shot. He made the second (I don't know why; they had no timeouts left) to cut the lead down to 1. After two Pierce freethrows, the Hawks couldn't even get off a good heave from halfcourt. The Celtics advance to the second round to face... the Sixers. Yes. The Sixers.

    Garnett's vintage performance consisted of 28 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, and 5 blocks.

    #3 LOS ANGELES LAKERS 96 @ #6 DENVER NUGGETS 113
    WEST 1st Round * Game 6 * Series tied, 3-3

    Kobe Bryant was found to have a stomach ailment. Yet it seemed like it was the rest of the Lakers that had the virus. The Nuggets pounded the Lakers into oblivion at a loud Pepsi Center. The effort by the Lakers was similar to the effort of watching paint dry. It was embarrassing and the funny part was that only the sick Kobe brought the pain. Literally.

    Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 32 points while Kobe somehow scored 31 points. Pau Gasol only scored three points more than me in quite possibly his worst performance as an NBA player. Now they're going to a Game 7 at Staples Center. Yikes.

    Tomorrow, the other L.A. team gets a chance to do what the Lakers couldn't: close out a series.

    PHOTO CREDIT: 1) Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images. 2) Charles Krupa/AP. 3) Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images. All edited by Payton Wales

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    James Harden Wins 6th Man Of The Year

    James Harden has won the Sixth Man Of The Year award, to EVERYBODY'S (nobody's) surprise.

    Harden came off the bench 60 times out of the 62 games he played this season and averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. It really was no contest. Harden received 115 out of 119 first-place votes. Lou Williams got three first-place votes (he led the Sixers in scoring with 14.9 PPG) while Taj Gibson got the other first-place vote (averaging a pretty good 7.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG). But no one came close to Harden's production off the bench.

    James Harden succeeds Lamar Odom in the award. Consecutive left-handers have won the honor. If you wanna go back a bit further, that's the third left-hander in the last five years to win the award (Manu Ginobili).

    Congrats to Harden and his beard. By the way, nice jacket. And when are they going to start giving away/selling James Harden detachable beards?!

    PHOTO CREDITS: Darnell Mayberry/The Oklahoman.

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    2012 Playoff Exit Talk (New York Knicks)

    The New York Knicks were worked over pretty quickly by the Miami Heat in the first round... but you can't say there was another squad that had a more up and down season than the Knicks. With the Knicks out of the postseason, I talk to Seth Rosenthal (@seth_rosenthal) of Posting And Toasting to get his reaction from the Knicks' brief postseason run.

    I know you predicted a sweep for the Knicks and all... but, seriously, was a 5-game series what you really expected out of this series?

    No, but I also didn't expect Tyson Chandler to be dehydrated and delirious for a game or two, Iman Shumpert to suffer the most upsetting Knick injury of the last decade or so, and Baron Davis to shred his knee in half. Obviously, it wasn't just injuries-- Mike Woodson got out-coached at times and the team's effort often lagged-- but it did feel like the Knicks were lucky to even take a game.

    Anyone in this team particularly impress you in this series?

    ...

    ...

    Can I say no? Mike Bibby? Mike Bibby really stepped up when called upon. Good job, Mike!

    What's next for the Knicks?

    Welp, they've gotta get healthy, they've gotta figure out which of their many free agents they want to keep around, and they've gotta figure out who they want to be their long-term coach. They'll probably do those things in the reverse order of how I just presented them, but I already did all that typing and don't feel like deleting it.

    PHOTO CREDIT: Issac Baldizon/Getty Images.

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    We Like Obscure NBA Players: Dennis Hopson

    Around basketball circles, his name is not that obscure. But Dennis Hopson didn't leave much of a mark in the NBA. Most of us assumed he would. After all, he was drafted by the New Jersey Nets third overall (after a stellar senior season in Ohio State), ahead of such names like Scottie Pippen, Kenny Smith, Kevin Johnson, Horace Grant, and Reggie Miller. Hopson was supposed to revitalize the Nets backcourt.

    His numbers weren't bad... but it fell quite short of expectations for the Nets. He did lead the Nets in scoring in the 1989-90 campaign with 15.8 points per game. The Nets decided to go another direction, though, as they traded him to the Chicago Bulls for draft picks the next season. He didn't get to play much in the postseason but he did win a ring with Chicago that season. Then early in the 1991-92 season, Hopson was shipped to Sacramento for Bobby Hansen. That would be his NBA final season. He played overseas until 2000, including stops in Spain, France, Turkey, Israel, and the Philippines.

    What is he doing now? He is the assistant coach in Bowling Green University.

    It is good to see him still be involved in the game. In fact, he is on Twitter (@DennisHopson) so he's not very hard to find compared to the obscure players we have featured in the past.

    Shoutout to Mr. Hopson. Hopefully, he can carve out a great coaching career.

    PHOTO CREDIT: 1) Ohio Cards Blog. 2) The Buckeye Battle Cry.

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