NBA Playoffs 2012: James Harden and Most Pivotal Players in the Postseason
A team's best player isn't always the one who puts said team over the top in the most precarious postseason scenarios.
Take James Harden, for example.
While he's the NBA's best sixth man, he's still only the Oklahoma City Thunder's third-best player. Nevertheless, it was Harden who scored 29 points against the Dallas Mavericks in a decisive Game 4.
And he shot 11-16 in the process, hitting three of his four three-point attempts.
Harden will become even more important in the second round, especially if the Los Angeles Lakers make it to those semifinals. He'll have to do his part in the collective effort to contain Kobe Bryant, and his scoring will be essential to overpowering Mike Brown's defensively-minded club.
Harden isn't alone—every contender left in the mix has a similarly pivotal contributor who might be the difference between a title and an early exit.
Tim Duncan
Yes, this is Tony Parker's team now. He's averaged over 24 points and 7.7 assists through his first three games against the Utah Jazz and looked like an MVP in the process.
Still, San Antonio would be in a lot of trouble without Tim Duncan patrolling the paint. His steady double-double production in the first round has certainly been nice, but his ability to guard guys like Al Jefferson and intimidate shots in the paint has been even nicer.
As well as Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have played thus far in the first round, Rondo has been invaluable in three of the four games he's played. He's averaging 19 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and 3.7 steals a game.
If Rondo put those kind of numbers up for the duration of a regular season, it'd be hard to withhold MVP honors from him. For the moment, anyway, he's certainly the MVP of these Celtics.
Bosh has been anything, but consistent thus far, scoring just nine points twice against the New York Knicks and sometimes fading entirely from Miami's plans. Yet, he's capable of making a huge impact in the playoffs and proved as much in last year's Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls.
The Heat know exactly what they'll get from LeBron James every night, and Dwyane Wade is nearly as reliable. Bosh, however, is often the difference between a blowout and a coin-toss. If Miami wants a clear path to the NBA Finals, their power forward will need to be a big part of that push.
Ramon Sessions
It goes without saying, the Los Angeles Lakers depend first and foremost on a trio comprised of Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol—but beating the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will require something more.
He's already proven to be a valuable–if not indispensable–role player in his first postseason with the team that acquired him at mid-season. Sessions is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 assists and four rebounds against the Denver Nuggets.
More importantly, Sessions is the point guard Los Angeles has desperately needed all season. With guys like Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker on the horizon, he'll need to be a difference-maker on both ends of the floor.
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