7secondsorless
04-22-2015, 08:47 AM
Ahhh, the Playoffs.
The path to stardom is forged in the crucible of high-pressure games. We get to see who's for real and who's getting exposed. Every year, the Playoffs are an opportunity for certain players to really raise their stocks and make the collective basketball community think "Hmmm, this guy really took a step forward this year." Conversely, certain players also make us think "Damn, he's not as good as we thought he was."
It's still early, but let's list our winners and losers, and we can update/revise them as we get deeper into the home stretch of the 2014-2015 NBA season.
For me, so far--with most teams having only played a couple of games at most:
Winners:
1. John Wall--The Wizards are improbably 2-0, with both wins coming on the road against the higher seed. He's rolling on all cylinders, despite some spectacularly sub-par coaching (insert Wittman Vine), and is crushing the matchup against his All-Star counterpart, Kyle Lowry.
2. Jimmy Butler--Once the shoo-in candidate for Most Improved Player, he fell off the national radar quite a bit during the 2nd half of the season. He missed a few games due to an elbow injury, and with so many intriguing storylines to close out the regular season, he fell through the cracks of the national conciousness. Well, he just set his Playoffs scoring highs two games in a row, including a single-handed scoring barrage during the 2nd half of game 2 to break the game open, all while leading the Bulls to victories against the surprisingly gritty Bucks.
3. Kyrie Irving--In the opening act of Uncle Drew in the Playoffs, Kyrie has been nothing sort of sensational. After scoring 30 in his postseason debut, he followed it up with 26 more points in game 2. In the process, he displayed his penchant for making difficult contested jumpers, spectacular finishes around the basket, and an incredible chemistry with Lebron--the duo were the only Cavs to score in the 4th quarter during game 2 when they sealed the game in favor of Cleveland. Playing on possibly the most nationally scrutinized team in this year's Playoffs, Irving has emphatically demonstrated that he has no plans of shrinking under the spotlight.
4. Anthony Davis--Although, I was one of the folks that argued AD isn't in the Top 5 yet, he is certainly working to change that opinion with his postseason play. He is NOR's entire game plan. The Brow has taken a team--that honestly has no business even being within 20 points of GSW's score by halftime--and almost single-handedly kept the contests competitive. Heck, NOR actually led the Warriors a bunch of times in game 2, even if coming up short in end. With no Jrue Holiday, Tyreke on 1 leg, Ryan Anderson on the side of a milk carton, and butterfingers Asik, Anthony Davis is playing arguably the most talented team in the postseason with the least amount of help...and he's doing a pretty good job making us forget that.
Losers:
1. Kyle Lowry--His cumulative stats for the series so far: 13 pts, 8 assists, 10 fouls. Shooting 25% from the field. Dude...wtf? To make matters worse, Wizards & Wall Co. are having a coming out party on his home court. Raptors are 0-2 and he's arguably the biggest reason why.
2. Damian Lillard--You know it's getting ugly when Beno Udrih is putting up 20-7-7 on you, shooting 64% from the field...in under 25 minutes. Elevated to basketball darling after his incredible shot to send Houston packing from the postseason last year, Video Game Dame has regressed considerably towards the end of this season, and he's carrying it over to the Playoffs. Although he was never one noted for his defensive prowess, this aspect of his game is now almost painful to watch. To compound the disaster, he is ice-cold from the field (24% on 21 attempts in game 1) and surprisingly, from the line (57% on 7 attempts). His playmaking abilities to get easy looks for his teammates have been nonexistent. Currently, he can be best labeled as a low-percentage chucker, who brings very little else to the table. Nevertheless, he still has a lot of time to turn this narrative around, and for Portland's sake, let's hope he does.
3. Rondo--Well that experiment looks like a disaster. He's the former NBA champion and assist-God whose performances during big moments garnered nicknames such as "PrimeTime Rondo" and "Playoffs Rondo". It never seemed to quite click with his new Dallas teammates and head coach, culminating in his 10-minute cameo in game 2 riddled with defensive lapses, fouls, turnovers, and a technical foul for good measure. The nail in the coffin? Raymond Felton jumping him in the rotation. Now THAT alone is deserving of a spot on the "Losers" list.
The path to stardom is forged in the crucible of high-pressure games. We get to see who's for real and who's getting exposed. Every year, the Playoffs are an opportunity for certain players to really raise their stocks and make the collective basketball community think "Hmmm, this guy really took a step forward this year." Conversely, certain players also make us think "Damn, he's not as good as we thought he was."
It's still early, but let's list our winners and losers, and we can update/revise them as we get deeper into the home stretch of the 2014-2015 NBA season.
For me, so far--with most teams having only played a couple of games at most:
Winners:
1. John Wall--The Wizards are improbably 2-0, with both wins coming on the road against the higher seed. He's rolling on all cylinders, despite some spectacularly sub-par coaching (insert Wittman Vine), and is crushing the matchup against his All-Star counterpart, Kyle Lowry.
2. Jimmy Butler--Once the shoo-in candidate for Most Improved Player, he fell off the national radar quite a bit during the 2nd half of the season. He missed a few games due to an elbow injury, and with so many intriguing storylines to close out the regular season, he fell through the cracks of the national conciousness. Well, he just set his Playoffs scoring highs two games in a row, including a single-handed scoring barrage during the 2nd half of game 2 to break the game open, all while leading the Bulls to victories against the surprisingly gritty Bucks.
3. Kyrie Irving--In the opening act of Uncle Drew in the Playoffs, Kyrie has been nothing sort of sensational. After scoring 30 in his postseason debut, he followed it up with 26 more points in game 2. In the process, he displayed his penchant for making difficult contested jumpers, spectacular finishes around the basket, and an incredible chemistry with Lebron--the duo were the only Cavs to score in the 4th quarter during game 2 when they sealed the game in favor of Cleveland. Playing on possibly the most nationally scrutinized team in this year's Playoffs, Irving has emphatically demonstrated that he has no plans of shrinking under the spotlight.
4. Anthony Davis--Although, I was one of the folks that argued AD isn't in the Top 5 yet, he is certainly working to change that opinion with his postseason play. He is NOR's entire game plan. The Brow has taken a team--that honestly has no business even being within 20 points of GSW's score by halftime--and almost single-handedly kept the contests competitive. Heck, NOR actually led the Warriors a bunch of times in game 2, even if coming up short in end. With no Jrue Holiday, Tyreke on 1 leg, Ryan Anderson on the side of a milk carton, and butterfingers Asik, Anthony Davis is playing arguably the most talented team in the postseason with the least amount of help...and he's doing a pretty good job making us forget that.
Losers:
1. Kyle Lowry--His cumulative stats for the series so far: 13 pts, 8 assists, 10 fouls. Shooting 25% from the field. Dude...wtf? To make matters worse, Wizards & Wall Co. are having a coming out party on his home court. Raptors are 0-2 and he's arguably the biggest reason why.
2. Damian Lillard--You know it's getting ugly when Beno Udrih is putting up 20-7-7 on you, shooting 64% from the field...in under 25 minutes. Elevated to basketball darling after his incredible shot to send Houston packing from the postseason last year, Video Game Dame has regressed considerably towards the end of this season, and he's carrying it over to the Playoffs. Although he was never one noted for his defensive prowess, this aspect of his game is now almost painful to watch. To compound the disaster, he is ice-cold from the field (24% on 21 attempts in game 1) and surprisingly, from the line (57% on 7 attempts). His playmaking abilities to get easy looks for his teammates have been nonexistent. Currently, he can be best labeled as a low-percentage chucker, who brings very little else to the table. Nevertheless, he still has a lot of time to turn this narrative around, and for Portland's sake, let's hope he does.
3. Rondo--Well that experiment looks like a disaster. He's the former NBA champion and assist-God whose performances during big moments garnered nicknames such as "PrimeTime Rondo" and "Playoffs Rondo". It never seemed to quite click with his new Dallas teammates and head coach, culminating in his 10-minute cameo in game 2 riddled with defensive lapses, fouls, turnovers, and a technical foul for good measure. The nail in the coffin? Raymond Felton jumping him in the rotation. Now THAT alone is deserving of a spot on the "Losers" list.