The NBA Development League will have a new participant in this years Eastern Conference Finals.
The second seeded Maine Red Claws, who were previously 0-6 in playoff games, defeated the Fort Wayne Mad Ants Wednesday night 124-119 at the Portland Expo to win the series 2-1, and advance to the conference finals to take on the top seed Raptors 905. The two wins in the series were the first ever playoff wins for Maine, and the series win was also a first. The Red Claws were first established as an NBA D-League team for the 2009-10 season.
The Red Claws have been led by former Notre Dame star Demetrius Jackson, Jordan Mickey, Jalen Jones, and the surgence of Guerschon Yubesele. Yubesele, from China, was the Celtics number one pick last June in the NBA draft (16th overall).
Yubesele, in just his fifth game ever in a Red Claws uniform due to injury, came off the bench to score 26 points, haul down nine rebounds, and block two shots in the decisive third game against Fort Wayne.
Game one of the Eastern Conference Finals (best of 3) will be played Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Portland Expo. Game two and then a decisive if necessary third game would be played at the Raptors 905 home court in Mississauga, Ontario.
NBA D-League Eastern Conference Finals Schedule/TV Maine vs Toronto
Sunday 4/16 Game 1 at Maine 5 p.m. ESPNU
Wednesday 4/19 Game 2 at Raptors 905 7 p.m. ESPNU
Thursday 4/20 (if necessary) Game 3 at Raptors 905 7 p.m. ESPNU
