A team's season started with an arrested coach. It ends in the NBA playoffs.

NBAA team's season started with an arrested coach. It ends in the NBA playoffs.FBI investigations ensnared Portland's coach in October. But a young roster and an interim coach have landed the Trail Blazers in the playoffs for the first time since 2021.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Deni Avdija, whose game-winning layup earned Portland its first playoff berth since 2021, said the team's trying season "wasn't easy for anybody."Barry Gossage / NBAE via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 15, 2026, 5:32 PM EDTBy Andrew GreifAll that remained this week between the Portland Trail Blazers and their first appearance in the NBA playoffs since 2021 was one, final hurdle. It was true that their head coach had never coached in a playoff game before, and many of his players had never experienced a postseason atmosphere, either. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Still, the coach expressed confidence that the team was prepared to face anything.“I think we went through everything that you can imagine, right?” Tiago Splitter said Sunday.Like every would-be playoff team, Portland had endured deflating losses and confidence-boosting victories. But its playoff résumé also diverged sharply, in a way that was unprecedented. Before dawn on Oct. 23, only hours after the team played its season opener, federal agents arrested their coach, Chauncey Billups, as part of the FBI's sprawling gambling investigations.Add NBC News to GoogleDozens arrested in Mafia-linked gambling and sports-betting probe02:35A Hall of Fame guard and a well-liked figure inside the NBA, Billups was one of 31 people indicted in a pair of federal investigations into illegal sports gambling and rigged poker games. The former led to the arrest of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, among others. Billups was indicted in the latter probe, with prosecutors alleging he had worked with scammers to attract un...