NBA Playoffs 2012: Luol Deng and Stars Who Must Raise Games

It's been only one game into the 2012 NBA Playoffs and we've not only seen some great action, but we've already seen some potentially series-altering moments that could affect the outcome of plenty of first-round series.

The New York Knicks are banged up. The Chicago Bulls lost the reigning league MVP, Derrick Rose. Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo could be suspended.

All of that, and it's only the first weekend of the playoffs.

With that being said, several players now need to step up and raise their games for their respective teams to make a lengthy postseason run.

Here's a quick look at just a few.

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls

The loss of Rose is near crippling to the Bulls, but they do have a deep roster and an All-Star in Deng.

Deng will bring it on the defensive end of the floor and on the glass, but he's going to have to step up and become the primary option in the Chicago offense, along with Richard Hamilton. Deng averaged 15.3 PPG during the regular season and probably needs a big increase in that department.

C.J. Watson, Chicago Bulls

Watson is now thrown into the fire as the Bulls' starting point guard, but he's done it before and Chicago has had success. With Rose out of the lineup, the Bulls went 18-9 on the season.

Watson’s been effective running the offense and averaged a solid 9.7 PPG and 4.1 APG during the regular season. He needs to pick up his production, but he has to play his game and not try to be Derrick Rose.

Keyon Dooling, Boston Celtics

With Rondo possibly drawing a suspension for Game 2, Dooling is going to have to come in and do a solid job in his place.

Dooling doesn’t bring everything to the table that Rondo does, but he’s a veteran and is more than capable of being a short-term fill in. He has to, because if Boston falls behind 0-2 in the series, they could be in big trouble.

J.R. Smith and Landry Fields, New York Knicks

Losing Iman Shumpert to a torn ACL is devastating for the Knicks as Shumpert not only brought energy, but was one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Smith and Fields are now going to have to pick up the effort in guarding Dwyane Wade. Whether or not they can limit Wade’s production could determine the winner in the series.

Then there’s the offensive production, as Smith shot 7-of-17 from the floor, often forcing bad shots and turning the ball over four times. He must be better for the Knicks to have any chance of an upset.

Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets

Lawson wasn’t good in Game 1 against the Lakers, scoring only seven points and dishing out only two assists.

Denver really never got out and pushed the tempo, and Lawson is a huge part of their success. He must be better.

JaVale McGee, Denver Nuggets

Speaking of being better, that brings us to McGee and all the other Nuggets centers.

It’s not so much the awful production (two points and six rebounds), but it’s how little the Nuggets big men did to defend Andrew Bynum, who had a triple-double, posting 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks.

McGee is a guy who must make some type of impact in this series.

Roy Hibbert and Paul George, Indiana Pacers

Quite frankly, the Pacers need much more on the offensive end from each guy. If they continue to score eight points apiece per game, the Pacers are going to get upset by the Orlando Magic.

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies

Randolph needs to step up and be the 20-and-10 type of guy he was during last season’s playoffs. Randolph was next to invisible in Game 1, scoring only six points while grabbing eight rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

Shooting 3-of-13 from the floor isn’t going to cut it for Randolph and the Grizzlies. He has to make a big impact on the series for Memphis, who lost home-court advantage by blowing a 27-point lead on Sunday.