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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With both the regular season and the NBA Play-In Tournament now in the rear view mirror, the 2025 iteration of the NBA Playoffs have finally arrived. The quest for the sacred Larry O'Brien Trophy begins Saturday, Apr.
19, and two former Louisville Cardinals have a shot at it. Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier will both be leading their respective teams through the playoffs for a shot at an NBA title. However, only one will advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as Mitchell's Cavaliers and Rozier's Heat will be squaring off in the opening round of the playoffs.
Currently in his eighth year in the NBA and third with Cleveland, Mitchell has put together his sixth-straight NBA All-Star season. Playing and starting in 71 games during the regular season, he averaged 24.0 points, 5.
0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, while putting up a 44.3/36.
8/82.3 shooting split. With the help of fellow All-Stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers went 64-18 during the regular season, marking their second-best record and franchise history.
Cleveland secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and have the second-best record in the NBA, behind only the 68-14 mark held by the Oklahoma City Thunder. As for Rozier, he is in his first full season with the Heat - and 10th in the NBA overall - after getting traded from the Hornets midway through last season.
While he was productive in his 63 regular season games and 23 starts, his 10.7 points per game was the lowest since the 2018-19 season, while his 3.7 rebounds and 2.
6 assists per game were the lowest since the 2016-17 season - his second in the NBA. While Miami went just 37-45 during the regular season, it was still enough for them to finish ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, thus earning a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. They took down the Chicago Bulls 109-90, then the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 to earn the conference's eighth and final seed.
The best-of-seven series will get started on Sunday, Apr. 20 in Cleveland, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.
EST. (Photo of Donovan Mitchell: Rick Osentoski - Imagn Images) You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram: Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI Instagram - @louisvilleonsi You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.
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