NBA Playoffs 2012 Predictions: Ranking the Top Scorers in the Postseason

The 2012 NBA playoffs are going to begin a week from Saturday. If you're not already excited, now's the time for you to get excited.

The 2012 postseason has a hard act to follow, as the 2011 postseason was one for the books. We didn't just see some great team performances. We also saw some great individual performances. Dirk Nowitzki's playoff heroics come to mind, and Kevin Durant was pretty darn good while the Oklahoma City Thunder were still alive.

We'll see some more heroics this season, and we'll be able to tell most of the heroes apart from the rest of the rabble by looking at the scoring stats.

For kicks, I'm going to go ahead and predict which five players are going to score the most points in the playoffs.

5. LeBron James, Miami Heat

LeBron James is currently third in the league in scoring with an average of 27.1 points per game, so this may seem a little low for him.

But remember, LeBron's scoring average took a dive in the postseason last year, as he went from averaging 26.7 points per game to averaging 23.7 points per game. There were a variety of reasons for the drop, including some fourth-quarter struggles that you may have heard about.

I foresee a similar minor drop in scoring, in part because the Heat are going to need a complete team effort in order to advance through the Eastern Conference playoffs, and LeBron is smart enough to realize that and get everyone involved.

Also, and I hate to say this, I just don't have faith in him coming through in the clutch. It's as much a Heat problem as it is a LeBron problem when the fourth-quarter slip-ups happen, but it's a problem all the same.

Projected Scoring Average: 24.1 PPG

4. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

This has been a rough season for Derrick Rose. He's been hurt, and he hasn't been as explosive when he has been able to get out on the court.

Rose, however, is going to be fine (fingers crossed) by the time the postseason gets here. His health has betrayed him over and over again, but the Bulls have done well to avoid taking chances with Rose's health.

Last year, Rose averaged better than 27 points per game during the playoffs. Despite the fact that he's averaging just 22.5 points per game this season, I'm not going to be at all surprised when Rose starts lighting up the scoreboard like he did last year.

He'll look more like an MVP again.

Projected Scoring Average: 25.5 PPG

3. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

Remember when everyone thought Carmelo Anthony was the bane of the Knicks' existence? 

That was funny. In recent weeks, Melo has gone from being a problem to being a blessing for the Knicks, as he's basically put the team on his shoulders. He's been particularly brilliant since the start of April, averaging better than 32.2 points in nine games.

Melo is as hot as he's ever been right now, and the timing couldn't be more perfect for the Knicks. When the playoffs begin, their offensive strategy should be to keep taking advantage of Melo's hot hand.

He's going to score a ton of points.

Projected Scoring Average: 28.2 PPG

2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant is the NBA's leading scorer at present, a remarkable accomplishment given how old and over-the-hill he looked at times last season.

Kobe's had to sit a few games out recently, and that time off should serve him well once the playoffs start. He'll be fresh and ready to go to work, and big numbers will soon follow.

Through his career, Kobe has averaged 25.4 points per game in postseason play. Between 2007 and 2010, however, he averaged better than 30 points per game in the postseason.

Expect Kobe to get back to that level of production.

Projected Scoring Average: 30.4 PPG

1. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant is the best pure scorer in the NBA. Hands down. Don't even bother arguing.

Durant is the second-leading scorer in the NBA this season after winning back-to-back scoring titles in 2010 and 2011. In last year's postseason, his 28.6 PPG scoring average was top among all players, including Nowitzki.

The Thunder are not as reliant on Durant as they were in either of the last two years, but that's not going to hurt his scoring average once the postseason begins. He's going to light it up.

Projected Scoring Average: 32.1 PPG