The NBA conference finals that few saw coming will pit the top-seeded Boston Celtics against the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the East while the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves prepare to take on the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the West.
The last month has seen Anthony Edwards emerge as a superstar while Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic are looking to cement their place among the NBA's creme de la creme.
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With a college spin in mind, we consulted historical 247Sports basketball player rankings (citing the 247Sports Composite when occurring pre-2010) to break down each roster with a recruiting angle. For fun, we also sorted the four teams by "total recruiting stars," which is simple math.
Recruiting Breakdown of Teams in NBA Conference Finals
| Total Recruiting Stars: 62 | |
| 5-stars (6): Kyle Anderson, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Karl-Anthony Towns, TJ Warren 4-stars (8): Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Mike Conley Jr., Luka Garza, Jordan McLaughlin, Leonard Miller, Josh Minott, Wendell Moore, Monte Morris International: Rudy Gobert | |
| Total Recruiting Stars: 52 | |
| 5-stars (5): Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Jaden Springer, Jayson Tatum, Jordan Walsh 4-stars (6): Oshae Brissett, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, Svi Mykhailiuk, Payton Pritchard, Xavier Tillman 3-stars (1): Luke Kornet NR (1): Derrick White International (2): Kristaps Porzingis, Neemias Queta | |
| Total Recruiting Stars: 48 | |
| 5-stars (5): Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington 4-stars (5): Daniel Gafford, Derrick Jones, AJ Lawson, Dwight Powell, Olivier-Maxence Prosper 3-stars (1): Tim Hardaway Jr. International (3): Luka Doncic, Dante Exum, Maxi Kleber | |
| Total Recruiting Stars: 46 | |
| 5-stars (5): Kendall Brown, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Smith, Myles Turner, Jarace Walker 4-stars (3): Isaiah Jackson, James Johnson, Aaron Nesmith 3-stars (3): Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, Doug McDermott NR (3): Ben Sheppard, Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin | |