NBA Players Who Are Clicking Right Now

It's crunch-time, NBA fans. This is the time of year when nobodies become stars, where stars become superstars, where superstars become legends. The finals are in smelling distance, and as such, players are stepping up accordingly. 

Windmill shots. Come-from-behind rallies. Forty, 18 and 9 on a stat sheet. Heck, even fishing-themed postgame attire is taking over The Internet. 

Put simply, these dudes are clicking. 

Tim Duncan

How old is Tim Duncan again? Just how much mileage does this 18-point, 9-rebound machine have on him? The answers are 36, and not enough to slow down a pursuit of another ring to help put the icing on a dynasty in San Antonio. 

Duncan and company helped blow past an immature, not-ready-for-primetime Clippers squad, and should provide some fun viewing when the take on OKC. On one side, you've got the upstart youngsters with their Lacoste shirts and thick-rimmed glasses (Thunder), and then you've got the old dudes (Spurs), who may not be nearly as exciting, but certainly have the skills to kick the boys off their lawn (the Finals).

Tony Parker

There was a time when it seemed Parker's ex-wife (Eva Longoria) would command more attention and press during NBA playoff games that he did. Remember? Every-other camera shot would be a panning to her in the stands to gauge her reaction. (And of course, there's no coincidence that her show was aired by the same network that was airing the playoffs back in the mid-2000s, but we digress.)

For this playoff run, Parker is commanding attention on his own. Averaging 19 points and seven assists will do that. If Parker and Duncan can keep clicking, there could very well be another ring for San Antonio. 

LeBron James

For all the haters, all the naysayers and those who just want to see him fail for the sake of failing, James' game against the Pacers on Sunday was a big, fat, 40-18-9 shut up to everyone. OK, sure, people will always be banging on him until he wins a title (or multiple rings, as promised), but it's hard to see a stat-line like that and not think "clicking." 

The MVP is playing like it, which is all the more important san Chris Bosh. 

Roy Hibbert

Hibbert's far from the household-name of his opponents like LeBron and D-Wade, but he could make himself a lot more recognizable by the non-sports obsessed masses if he could keep pushing the Heat and send Miami packing back down to South Beach ringless. 

So far, he's been doing his part pretty well. 12 points and 11 boards a game is a big-difference maker in this tense series. 

Danny Granger

It can be intimidating to play against LeBron James, what with his superlative talent and uncanny ability to stick-it to whomever has the unfortunate job of coming at him. Granger isn't having any of it. This dude's been jawing back and forth with James for years and sure hasn't showed any signs of backing down in this series. 

You can bet the Pacers' current scoring leader (18 ppg) will celebrating pretty hard if Indiana call pull this off. 

Kevin Garnett

Remember that age and mileage question about Tim Duncan a few slides back? Same thing applies here. But like KG is wont to say, anything is possible. Age and fatigue and the expected downfall of NBA stars as those two factors start to collide doesn't seem to be slowing down Garnett's pursuit of another right. 

Though locked in a battle with Philadelphia, Garnett's 19 and 10 stat line is rekindling the kind of excitement the NBA had when he first came to Beantown from Minneapolis. 

Rajon Rondo

He may not be a fan of certain referee's calls or television cameras, but Rondo's skill could very well lead the Celtics to hanging another banner above the parquet. His 15 points, 13 assists and two steals a game bode well for Boston, especially when Garnett and the gentleman in the next slide keep playing like age is nothing but a number. 

Paul Pierce

Think Mr. Pierce here want's another ring? Well, his stats sure seem to point that way. With 19 points, more than six boards and nearly four assists a game, Pierce and Boston could pull off a run that shows the doubters that they're far from old and washed-up. 

Brandon Bass

Celtics overload? Yeah, probably, but it's hard to leave a dude off the list when he seemingly comes from nowhere and drops 27 in a crucial Game 5 for Boston. But stepping up is nothing new to this playoff series, so we'll definitely also have to give some credit to Andre Iguodala, who definitely stepped up in Game 4 with 16 for a Philly comeback. 

Still, it's all about what have these people done for us lately, and clicking doesn't apply as early when the next game results in a loss. Regardless, this series has been much more fun than expected, with guys like Bass and Iguodala to thank. 

Russell Westbrook

This 23-year-old is killing so much with his postgame hipster garb, it's sometimes hard for the online masses to remember just how hard he's balling. But really, dude's clicking on fashion and on-court. And don't hate, you're probably just mad you can't pull off a fishing-lure accented Lacoste button-up with Chicago-style thick red glasses (I sure can't). 

Sartorial judgments aside, Westbrook is showing a new level of maturity and stepping it up accordingly. His 17 points and four-plus assists a game could be all the difference to OKC throwing a parade next month. 

Kevin Durant

Basketball never stopped for this young superstar during the lockout, and it doesn't look like he has any plays for that to happen until he's hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy with his Thunder teammates. 

With a playoff average of more than 26 points and eight boards a game, the NBA MVP runner up hasn't dropped off a bit from his on-fire regular season that helped make OKC a must-watch team throughout the year. 

The Lakers were hardly a speed bump for Durant, but the question remains to be seen if he can do it against San Antonio.