[rickybobbyParticipant]

Postseason MVP Rankings: No. 1?

 http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2012/story?page=PostseasonMVPs-120525-1&_slug_=nba-playoffs-mvp-rankings&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fplayoffs%2f2012%2fstory%3fpage%3dPostseasonMVPs-120525-1%26_slug_%3dnba-playoffs-mvp-rankings

[NbanflguyParticipant]

1. Kevin Durant

It seems the term “closer” gets thrown around more often in basketball than in baseball, where it actually has meaning: Pitchers enter the game for the first time at the end of a contest and are handed the ball to close out a game.

But we don’t have that in basketball. With almost no exceptions, the players who have the ball at a game’s end start the game or come off the bench early and have the ball in their hands a lot. The best players on the court at the end of games are the same guys who are the best players at the beginning and middle of the games, too.

However, there is something to be said about those players who generate poise and confidence in their teammates just by being on the court, often with the ball, in pressurized moments. Those players give off the feeling that they are in control and will find a way to win more often than not. These are the most elite players in the game, the true blue-chippers. And there are very few of them in this league.

Without doubt, Durant has been that truest of blue-chip players thus far this postseason. It’s not just the big shots he has hit, most recently the “long layup” (that’s what we call the top-of-the-key 3 when it’s uncontested) he made against Metta World Peace. It’s also the patience he is showing — ready to be assertive but not in a hurry to do so — which slows his teammates down and settles the offense into a smooth flow.

Durant has begun to master the difficult combination of being icy on offense but fiery on the glass and defense. It’s a big reason OKC is 8-1 in the postseason as it heads into the West finals.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

2. Lebron James

Let’s agree that Miami would not have won this series if it fell behind 3-1 to Indiana. Let’s also agree that it wasn’t likely that the Heat would have won this series had they lost Game 5 and gone into Indiana down 3-2. So, basically they played back-to-back must-win games and won both.

Although several players contributed greatly to those wins, only one man had consecutive games of at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. In fact, no other man has done that since Oscar Robertson back in the ’70s. LeBron’s otherworldly 40 points, 18 boards, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals in Game 4 might end up being considered one of the greatest playoff performances of all time.

His overall game as the Heat clinched the series will be overshadowed by what Dwyane Wade did, but James showed everyone why he’s the best defensive player in basketball. His amazing awareness to what the Pacers were doing combined with his strength, length, quickness and speed allowed James to disrupt their offense all night. And when the Pacers made one last late run, James slammed the door shut for good with two strong buckets at the rim (one after being fouled hard by David West with no call).

If James ever needed an incredible performance to bolster his confidence, this series should serve that purpose. In fact, he seemed more focused and prepared to do whatever it took to win than any other time I’ve seen him play.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

3. Tim Duncan

The Spurs, as I have heard experts suggest, could have coasted through Game 4 against the Clippers knowing the series was over. But Duncan had no interest in that, for obvious reasons, and helped spark the effort to close the series out on the road.

It’s easy now to think that the Spurs demolished a bad team, but consider what they did by taking both games in L.A. last weekend. Other than Memphis in Game 6, only the Suns had earned a true road win over the Clippers since March 15. (The Lakers, who share the Staples Center with the Clips, beat them once in that span as well.)

Duncan was locked in and energetic in Game 4, which was a great signal to his teammates that there was nothing else to think about but winning the game. Against the very athletic front line of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, it was Duncan who stood tallest.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

4. D-Wade

Jaw-dropping. Awe-inspiring. Incredible. Unbelievable. What else can explain the kind of buckets Wade nailed time after time in Game 6? And how great were the three games Wade put together after being so awful in the first three games of the series?

What was even more impressive than Wade’s skills and shot-making, however, was his talent between his ears. Wade smartly stopped trying to stop and start against the quick and long Paul George and instead hit him with quick attacks and straight-line actions.

In Game 6, Wade locked in on every possession and competed on defense, then busted loose with his floater game after constantly finding ways to get into the paint. He also mixed in post-ups, basket cuts and his outside game after using just a few dribbles, as George was able to defend him better when he dribbled more.

Wade and LeBron James helped carry the Heat to three consecutive wins (two on the road) because they played just as hard on defense as they did when trying to score. To beat Indiana, which had the fifth-most wins this season, without Chris Bosh after Game 1 and Udonis Haslem in Game 6 is one of the most impressive series wins we’ve seen in the past few years.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

5. Russell Westbrook

If I told you before OKC’s series with the Lakers started that a Thunder player was going to score 92 points in three of its wins on just 66 shots, how many of you would have guessed that player was Kevin Durant?

What if I added that in the pivotal Game 4 battle, which was won by just three points, the same guy would enjoy his best game of the series, pouring in 37 points against just one turnover while making an absurd 15-of-26 shots? Has to be Durant, right?

Of course, it was actually Westbrook, who proved to be the most consistent weapon that coach Scott Brooks used all series against the Lakers. Westbrook has gotten so much better shooting his pull-up jumper off the high ball screen, a shot the Thunder can now get almost any time they want. That’s because the help defender guarding the screener must make a choice: stay way back and be forced to stop a hard-charging monster of an athlete, show hard and risk fouling or just getting blown by the explosive Westbrook or show somewhat and give up that jumper.

All are losing propositions when Westbrook has his shot going. He provides the fire to Durant’s ice for his team, and it’s a fire that has burned as hot as any player in these playoffs. It has energized his teammates, too.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

6. Tony Parker

Parker played a huge role in the Spurs’ second-round win, although he struggled on offense more than we’re accustomed to seeing. But his defense on Chris Paul more than made up for it.

Paul was the key difference-maker for the Clippers against Memphis in the first round, averaging more than 20 points per game on 15 shots and making more than 45 percent of his field goal attempts. But the Spurs stifled Paul, holding him to 12.8 points per game on 14 shots per game and 36.8 percent from the field. Yes, Paul was hurt and the Spurs played strong team defense, but Parker seemed personally focused on using his quickness to bother Paul all series, and it had a strong cumulative effect. It’s a side of Parker we don’t normally see, but one that proved to be huge in the second round.

His matchup with Westbrook is the most exciting one of the Western finals, but quickness alone will not work against the powerful and explosive guard. Parker will have to show the surgical side of his game.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

7. KG

For whatever reason, since KG got to Boston and combined with Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce to become instant — and consistent — title contenders (and champs, of course), the Celtics have been a terrible road team when trying to close a series. After losing in Philly in Game 6, they are a combined 2-10, with memorable losses to average teams like Atlanta, Chicago (the Vinny Del Negro days) and now Philadelphia.

In this last game, Garnett looked exhausted more often than he looked fresh. As good as his teammates are, an energetic Garnett on defense and the glass is typically the difference-maker for Boston. If he is gassed for Game 7, it’s hard to envision Boston winning this series.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

8. Andre Iguodala

He’s not the scorer that most of these other guys on the list are. But he’s the best wing playmaker/defender in the league outside of LeBron. Importantly, Iggy has made some big 3-point shots for his team, too, which only adds to his value as the Sixer who has been the most poised and focused from possession to possession.

Although Paul Pierce got to the line a bunch in Game 6, Iguodala has made Boston work hard for most of its points, which has served to wear the Celtics down in the past few games.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

9. Kobe

He’s not always an inspirational leader nor a great teammate, but Kobe played with endless energy against players much younger than he is, shredding the Thunder’s defense in the second round. And this coming off a seven-game series with the Nuggets.

It did not amount to nearly enough, perhaps somewhat because his teammates simply got sick of playing with him, but Kobe still showed enough offense to keep the series close. If Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum had his heart, they’d still be playing this series out.

[NbanflguyParticipant]

10. Joel Anthony

He has the worst hands I’ve ever seen from an NBA post player on offense. But there’s no getting around his impact in the Heat’s series against the Pacers. It wasn’t his shot-blocking that made such a difference but his activity on defense overall. Showing on ball screens, helping on dribble penetration with his long arms, making plays above the rim and adding just enough catch-and-finish baskets in the paint off feeds from Wade and LeBron to make Indiana pay for leaving him open as often as it did.

Anthony is nowhere close to the player Chris Bosh is, but Indiana now knows it needed to account for him more than it did

[rickybobbyParticipant]

 Thanks man

[David Stern a.k.a. da muthaf@cking leader of da kryptsParticipant]

What?! Joel Anthony over guys like Rondo, Holiday, Ginobili and Pierce?

[Author]

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