2012 NBA Playoffs: James Harden and Most Important Bench Players
Depth isn't quite as important in the NBA playoffs as it is during the regular season. Fewer games, more rest, a slower pace and one set of matchups on which to focus tend to allow coaches to shorten their rotations to seven or eight players, at most.
That's not to say, though, that reserves aren't important to a team's postseason success.
Quite the contrary, actually; since fewer guys make it off the pine, those that do are asked (and expected) to do even more for their squads.
Not that these three guys should have any problem with that, given their talent and experience.
James Harden
It's only fair, if not entirely necessary, to include James Harden in this crew. The presumptive Sixth Man of the Year averaged career-highs across the board for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season while establishing himself as one of the five best shooting guards in the NBA today.
Harden's been cleared to play for the Thunder since taking an elbow to the head from Metta World Peace, and will need to be on top of his game if OKC is to deliver on its considerable promise. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are certainly capable of carrying the load on any given night.
But the Thunder won't so much as sniff the Larry O'Brien Trophy without Harden serving as the team's third scoring option.
While Harden has spent his entire NBA career as a reserve, Zach Randolph has only recently adjusted to the role. Z-Bo went down with a knee injury during the fourth game of the season, forcing GM Chris Wallace to trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for Marreese Speights.
Speights' solid performance in Randolph's stead gave head coach Lionel Hollins the leeway to bring his All-Star big man off the bench when he got back. Z-Bo's registered seven double-doubles as a reserve since his return and will serve as the Grizzlies' not-so-secret weapon off the bench as they look to improve upon last year's surprising playoff run, starting with a first-round date with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Leandro Barbosa
The Indiana Pacers are as deep a team as you'll find in the Eastern Conference and got even deeper when Larry Bird practically stole Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors for a second-round pick at the trade deadline.
The speedy shooting guard's been a solid find for Pacers, averaging just under nine points per game while pushing the...errrm, pace in Indy.
Granted, his production is down a bit from what it was in Toronto, but if the Pacers are going to do more than just beat up on the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic in the first round, they'll need Barbosa to bring his A-game, with a conference semifinal date with the Miami Heat all but assured.
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