Monta Ellis: Monster Game vs. Thunder Proves He's NBA's Most Underrated Star

Monta Ellis is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA.

The guy gets no respect, but his 48 points against the Thunder prove that he's got the rare ability to take over a game, and although the Warriors fell a bit short, they nearly put away one of the best teams in the league.

David Lee wasn't too shabby tonight either, racking up a triple-double of his own, in the 119-116 loss. Even so, it was Ellis who stole the show in the heartbreaking losing effort.

Ellis is a lethal scorer. A season ago, he was one of eight players to average over 24 PPG. In the '09-'10 season, he cranked out a ridiculous 25.5 PPG.

Still, when most people are asked to rattle off the NBA's most dangerous scorers, Ellis is overlooked.

The fact of the matter is, if Ellis were in LA or New York, he would be recognized for the talented player he is. He's in a Warriors uniform, has only seen the postseason once in his career, and for the majority of his career, was in a Don Nelson system that inflated his numbers.

Ellis will have to continue to make believers out of those who fail to take notice. Rest assured, the Thunder and their fans have received the message he's been trying to send since he entered the league.

He was in the zone tonight, and even though the Warriors were faced with mismatches all over the court and his heroics didn't will his team to victory, he put forth a valiant effort and needs to be commended for his performance.

The Warriors are still a sub-.500 team. They're highly unlikely to crack the postseason, but they can take refuge in the fact that they have an elite 2-guard, whether the world wants to take notice or not.