2015 NBA Playoffs Heat Check: Ranking the Top Remaining Stars by Position
If you're like most folks, you probably haven't been all that impressed with the 2015 NBA playoffs so far. By and large, this year's eight series have lacked the overall drama that made last year's opening round so compelling. Fortunately, the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers (and, to a lesser extent, the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets) have done their part to keep things lively.
The conference semifinals figure to yield a more compelling overall product, both on and off the court. The stakes will be higher and the quality of competition that much better, now that Boston, Toronto and New Orleans have been dispatched.
Of course, losing teams to elimination has its downside. Those who've been knocked out of the playoffs won't be appearing again in these weekly heat checks.
No more Pelicans means no more Anthony Davis, who reaffirmed his newfound place as the best power forward on the planet during his squad's four-game sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. There's no chance for Dirk Nowitzki to shoot himself into the top three of a crowded field at power forward.
Still, there's plenty of talent left in the field for fans of all stripes to admire. Stephen Curry, LeBron James, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol are among the many stars whose talents remain on display, much to the delight of the basketball-watching world. Here's a look at which of those talents have shone brightest at each position so far, based on each player's stats and overall impact.
Point Guards
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3. John Wall, Washington Wizards
Per-Game Stats: 17.3 PTS, 38.9 FG%, 27.3 3PT%, 4.0 REB, 12.5 AST, 3.3 TO, 38 MIN
The Wizards made quick work of the Toronto Raptors in the first round, thanks in large part to Wall. The All-Star point guard barely shot the ball—just five times in Game 4, in fact—but that didn't stop him from dominating. If anything, Wall was more lethal as a distributor, driving the lane and kicking out to Washington's shooters within the team's newly minted small-ball attack.
"Knowing I can dictate the game by not just scoring, doing other things," Wall said, per The Washington Times' Todd Dybas. "When I play defense first, it gets my offense going a lot."
If the scoring success that Deron Williams and Jarrett Jack have enjoyed (in fits and starts) against the Atlanta Hawks is any indication, Wall should have ample opportunity to ramp up his offense even further in Round 2.
2. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Per-Game Stats: 22 PTS, 49 FG%, 34.5 3PT%, 5.0 REB, 8.2 AST, 2.5 TO, 39.7 MIN
Paul shot poorly in the first half of Game 6, missing all seven of his attempts from the field. But the Clippers' superstar point guard came up aces when they needed him. He scored 15 of his 19 points after the break and turned the ball over just once against his 15 assists throughout L.A.'s 102-96 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Historically speaking, Paul's efficiency with the ball put him in rare company. This game marked the third time in his career that he's racked up at least 15 assists with no more than one giveaway in the playoff game. According to Basketball Reference, only John Stockton, who pulled off that feat four times during his career, has done it more than Paul has.
Crazier still, Paul has given the ball away just once over his last nine-and-a-half quarters.
All of which is to say, he is pretty good at squeezing the orange.
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Per-Game Stats: 33.8 PTS, 45.3 FG%, 41.7 3PT%, 5.3 REB, 7.3 AST, 4.0 TO, 39.8 MIN
Normally, you might not expect a point guard to be the high scorer of the playoffs. After all, a floor general's job usually prioritizes passing to and creating for teammates over getting buckets. That's especially true in the playoffs, wherein predictable offenses are that much easier to shut down from game to game.
But Curry isn't a normal point guard. His MVP-caliber campaign in 2014-15—and his growth into a star in the seasons prior—made that much clear. So, too, did his spectacular series against the New Orleans Pelicans. Curry closed out the proceedings with a 39-point, eight-rebound, nine-assist masterclass in a 109-98 Warriors win.
"There's nothing you can do," Anthony Davis, a formidable foe in his own right, said of defending Curry, per ESPN. "You try to pressure him and run him off the [three-point] line and he'll hit incredible shots in the lane. You back off so he won't drive, he's going to hit a three. So you've got to pick your poison, and he's a tough player to guard. That's why he's [a candidate] for MVP."
And, in turn, Curry's Warriors are sitting pretty in pursuit of their first title in 40 years.
Shooting Guards
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3. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Per-Game Stats: 25 PTS, 48.6 FG%, 48.5 3PT%, 3.3 REB, 2.0 AST, 4.0 FTA, 37.8 MIN
Thompson put together his best and most consistent playoff series from start to finish at the New Orleans Pelicans' expense. The game-to-game streakiness (read: inconsistency) that plagued him and the Warriors in 2013 and 2014 was all but gone this time around.
In its place was a player who scored 21 or more points in four straight games. Prior to pummeling the Pelicans, Thompson had put together five streaks of at least four consecutive 20-point performances—four of which came during the 2014-15 season.
2. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Per-Game Stats: 24.8 PTS, 47.6 FG%, 40.5 3PT%, 5.5 REB, 3.8 AST, 7.2 FTA, 42.2 MIN
The Bulls didn't need much from Butler to (finally) put away the Milwaukee Bucks. He poured in 16 points, five assists and four steals in 32 minutes during Chicago's 54-point pounding of Milwaukee to close out Round 1.
A matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers could be equal parts feast and famine for Butler. On the one hand, J.R. Smith's two-game suspension will weaken the Cavs on the wing, where Butler does his best work.
On the other hand, less Smith might mean more time opposite Iman Shumpert, a superior defender.
And, of course, there's Butler's likely assignment trying to check LeBron James.
Put all of this together, and Butler's two-way play may well be the pillar on which this Central Division clash turns.
1. James Harden, Houston Rockets
Per-Game Stats: 28.4 PTS, 46.5 FG%, 38.7 3PT%, 3.8 REB, 7.8 AST, 10.4 FTA, 36 MIN
Harden kicked his scoring game into high gear to help Houston close out the Dallas Mavericks. Over the final three games of the series, the Rockets swingman averaged 31.3 points while still dishing out 7.3 assists.
Harden, though, didn't rack up all those points by getting to the line with his usual aplomb. As Bleacher Report's Kelly Scaletta explained, Harden's uptick in scoring coincided with a slip in fouls drawn: "In fact, Harden is drawing roughly four fewer fouls and making about five more shots. So, yes, he can score without getting to the line. Perhaps he can even score better."
He certainly did against Dallas. While Harden saw his free throws sliced in half—from 15 per game in the first two to 7.3 per game over the last three—he more than made up for it by knocking down 53.4 percent of his field goals, including a sizzling 45.5 percent of his threes.
Small Forwards
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3. Paul Pierce, Washington Wizards
Per-Game Stats: 15.5 PTS, 57.6 FG%, 58.3 3PT%, 3.3 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.8 BLK, 1.5 TO, 28.3 MIN
As great as John Wall was for the Wizards in Round 1, Pierce was still the star of the show against Toronto. Every time the Raptors tried to get in a word during the Wizards' series-long conversation, Pierce responded with daggers, in both word and deed. He hit 14-of-24 from three during the four-game sweep and did his part to troll Toronto once the Raptors were officially driven back to Canada.
He told The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg:
"You know, Paul Pierce is just going to be who Paul Pierce is going to be. I'm going to be myself. It wasn't like they said, "Come in here and be a hype man," or "Be a leader." You know, I'm just being myself. If it helps our team, or if it hurts our team, I'm just trying to be myself and see where that goes. That's all it is. I'm a vocal person. I speak up. I tell the guys how I feel. I'm emotional. So that's just me being me, truthfully.
"
So far, The Truth has worked out swimmingly for himself and his latest collection of playoff teammates.
2. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Per-Game Stats: 21.5 PTS, 49 FG%, 45.5 3PT%, 7 REB, 2.8 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.7 BLK, 2.3 TO, 36.2 MIN
Leonard was hardly his dominant self in what would have normally been a closeout game for the Spurs. The newly minted Defensive Player of the Year shot a subpar 3-of-15 from the field in a 102-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 of the Spurs' first-round series. He helped hold Chris Paul without a field goal in the first half, but Leonard and his teammates couldn't quite contain L.A.'s floor general over the final two frames. Nor were they much for stopping J.J. Redick, who scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Prior to that, though, Leonard had been an ace on both ends for San Antonio. He averaged 23.4 points through the first five contests and played a part in L.A. hitting just one of 14 three-point attempts in San Antonio's Game 5 win.
But none of that is particularly pertinent now. All that matters is what Leonard brings to the table on Saturday, when Game 7 will decide the fate of his team's title defense.
1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Per-Game Stats: 27 PTS, 46.7 FG%, 20 3PT%, 9.0 REB, 6.5 AST, 2.3 STL, 1.5 BLK, 4.8 TO, 43 MIN
James was predictably dominant against the Celtics in the first round, despite seemingly easing up off the gas at times while dealing with an inferior opponent.
The four-time MVP won't have that luxury from here on out, and not just because the Cavs' upcoming competition (i.e., the Chicago Bulls) is leaps and bounds ahead of their recently dispatched foe in terms of overall quality. With Kevin Love down for the count (and J.R. Smith suspended for two games), James will likely be tasked with picking up much of whatever slack the likes of Tristan Thompson, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and James Jones can't handle.
Fortunately for the Cavs, James won't be short on battery life when the Bulls come to town on Monday.
"This is challenging for me," James said of Cleveland's long layoff, according to Northeast Ohio Media Group's Joe Vardon. "I have a lot of energy, and I'm getting bored. I'm ready to play. I'm challenged for my patience."
That means Chicago could be that much more challenged to slow him down.
Power Forwards
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3. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Per-Game Stats: 15.8 PTS, 47.9 FG%, 12.8 REB, 6.3 AST, 2.5 STL, 1.3 BLK, 2.5 TO, 41.5 MIN
In the NBA, there are glue guys and then there's Green, who's much closer to molten gold used in Kintsugi than mere Elmer's. Then again, nothing about the Warriors resembles broken pottery—not right now, anyway.
Still, the superior state of Golden State should highlight, rather than overshadow, Green's tremendous contributions against New Orleans. On one end, he gamely fell on the grenade that is Anthony Davis and did his part to make The Brow work hard for his contributions. On the other, Green grew into a force of nature, concluding the series with a 22-point, eight-assist virtuoso.
Green's late-series aggression will come in handy against the Memphis Grizzlies. The more Green can do to tire out fellow Michigan State alum Zach Randolph with his own offensive game, the quicker he'll wear Z-Bo down—and the easier it'll be to contend with Memphis' superior size on the interior.
2. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Per-Game Stats: 16.3 PTS, 56.8 FG%, 11.2 REB, 3.7 AST, 1.5 STL, 1.7 BLK, 1.2 TO, 35.7 MIN
While Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili struggled to find the range from the floor in Game 6 against the Clippers, Duncan continued to go about his business with his typical efficiency. The 39-year-old took just nine shots but made six of them—and chipped in 13 rebounds and three assists for good measure.
Saturday's Game 7 in L.A. could be Duncan's last as an NBA player, if San Antonio gets eliminated and the Big Fundamental opts to call it quits thereafter. Win or lose, don't expect Duncan to go quietly into that good night.
1. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Per-Game Stats: 24.2 PTS, 46.3 FG%, 13.2 REB, 7.0 AST, 1.7 STL, 1.7 BLK, 2.5 TO, 41.2 MIN
There's no ignoring the crucial turnovers and missed shots in the fourth quarter for which Griffin has been responsible in this series between the Clippers and Spurs. Nor can anyone who's watched Griffin labor through heavy minutes against San Antonio overlook the impact that fatigue has had on his performance late in games.
Heck, even Griffin acknowledged it, after playing upward of 41 minutes in a Game 5 defeat. "Down the stretch everybody is tired, but [fatigue] is a factor," Griffin told Bleacher Report.
He once again topped the 40-minute mark in Game 6—the fifth time he's done it in this series—but actually seemed to get stronger as the contest progressed. He scored 18 of his 26 points after halftime to go along with his 12 rebounds, four blocks and six assists without a single turnover.
If only the Clippers had more reliable frontcourt support for their superstar power forward, they might have secured a spot in the second round by now, with plenty of time for Griffin to rest up.
Centers
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3. Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets
Per-Game Stats: 20 PTS, 50 FG%, 9.4 REB, 2.4 BLK, 3.2 PF, 39.8 MIN
The Hawks were able to dominate most of Game 5 against the Nets in part because they found a way to slow down Lopez. As Nets Daily's Reed Wallach detailed, Atlanta subdued Lopez into a 15-point, three-rebound night by crowding him in the middle of the floor:
"One of Lopez's biggest knocks though is that he struggles to pass out of the paint, as once the ball goes into him it rarely comes out. This hasn't been a problem for the Nets because Lopez has been a beast for the past two months, but last night the Hawks threw a lot of extra hands at him and the Stanford alum didn't have an answer.
"
Prior to that, though, Lopez had been a huge thorn in Atlanta's side. He averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine free-throw attempts across the Nets' wins in Games 3 and 4. If they are to push the East's top seed to a seventh game, they'll have to figure out how to free Lopez for some better opportunities in Brooklyn on Friday.
2. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets
Per-Game Stats: 16.6 PTS, 58.2 FG%, 13.8 REB, 3.0 BLK, 3.8 PF, 32.6 MIN
The Rockets have to feel good about their chances right now, after watching Howard hammer the Dallas Mavericks on the defensive end. According to NBA.com, the Mavs shot an abysmal 39.6 percent at the rim whenever Howard was in the vicinity during their five-game set.
More important than the numbers is how Howard feels physically. He missed two months of the regular season with a knee injury but seems to be in good shape after a relatively restful series.
"I feel pretty good," Howard said, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "When I'm out there, I'm not thinking about minutes or anything. I'm just giving my teammates maximum effort when I'm on the floor."
1. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
Per-Game Stats: 20.4 PTS, 41.8 FG%, 9.2 REB, 5.0 AST, 2.4 BLK, 2.4 PF, 38.4 MIN
With Mike Conley out of commission, Gasol took his game to another level to move Memphis into the second round. He followed up a 21-point, seven-rebound, six-assist night in Game 4 with a brilliant two-way performance in Game 5: 26 points, 14 boards, three assists, two blocks and limiting LaMarcus Aldridge to 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
"It feels great," Gasol said afterward, per ESPN. "It feels great to have a little time off to do some things around the house. I'm going to have a little time to be with my little girl. It's actually great to be home."
He did plenty to earn that restful privilege and will need every bit of it going forward if the Grizzlies are to keep their playoff push alive. They will soon head west to take on the Warriors, against whom Gasol mustered a mere 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds across three regular-season meetings.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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