LEXINGTON, Ky. _ A former University of Kentucky star hasn't won an NBA championship as a player since Rajon Rondo was part of the Boston Celtics' title team in 2008. Odds are that will change this season.
The Golden State Warriors, with DeMarcus Cousins, are the favorite to win their third championship in a row and fourth in the last five seasons. Golden State finished atop the Western Conference standings with a 57-25 record, and odds opened with them the favorite at 1-2 to win it all again this year..
It's Cousins' first trip to the playoffs in nine seasons after missing the Pelicans' trip last year with a torn left Achilles tendon.
The Milwaukee Bucks, with Eric Bledsoe in the starting lineup, also have a strong shot to break former UK players' 10-year skid. They are the Eastern Conference's top seed after ending the regular season with the NBA's best record at 60-22, and they opened as Vegas' second choice to win it all at 6-1.
Bledsoe is having a strong season on offense, but it's his defense that he says he takes much pride in.
"It's going out there, giving my best on that end of the floor, because I'm really good at it," Bledsoe told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Because I really don't like people scoring on me for one, for one. Two is I'm just real competitive."
And the Denver Nuggets, who finished second in the West at 54-28, could be a player in the postseason with ex-Cats Jamal Murray, Trey Lyles and Jarred Vanderbilt on the roster.
Also of note, here are some of the marquee former UK stars who'll join you in watching the playoffs from home: the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis, the Washington Wizards' John Wall (who has been sidelined for the season by an Achilles injury), the Minnesota Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns, the Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker and the Sacramento Kings' De'Aaron Fox.
Here's a look at each upcoming playoffs series and which former Kentucky stars are on the rosters:
