NBA Playoffs 2012: Most Important Role Players in Western Conference Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will provide plenty of star power in the Western Conference Finals, but it's the role players who will decide the winner of the series. 

This is the first time in a while that the winner of the conference finals will be such an overwhelming favorite in the NBA Finals, but that just shows how good and how even both of these teams are.

If this series doesn't go to seven games, color me surprised. 

With that being said, here are some of the lesser talked-about guys who have a chance to swing the series one way or another with stellar play. 

Thabo Sefolosha, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder

I'll let Sports Illustrated's Zach Lowe get this argument started for me:

"

OKC vs SAS this season w/ Thabo on court: 97.9 points/100 possessions. On bench: 110.3. Brooks' rotations will be huge factor.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_SI) May 22, 2012"

That's partly a nod to how efficient James Harden is, but it also means Sefolosha needs to be better on the offensive end. 

Scott Brooks can't afford to bench Thabo because his defense will be needed against the juggernaut offensive of San Antonio. As a result, he'll have to log, at the very least, 18.3 minutes per game, which is what he's getting so far in the postseason.

During those minutes, he needs to step up and hit open shots. Otherwise, the Thunder will be playing 3-on-5 on the offensive end, and against the Spurs, you can't afford to waste offensive possessions.

Tiago Splitter, PF, San Antonio Spurs

Getting efficient offensive production against Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins just doesn't happen. Just look at how bad those two made Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum look. 

Tim Duncan is important because he has the ability to pull one of them away from the basket, as does Boris Diaw, but Splitter is going to have to be the one to bang down low.

The Brazilian is getting just 16.4 minutes per game so far in the playoffs, and he'll have to make use of that limited time. 

His job will simple, yet key: keep the Thunder's big boys off the offensive glass and force them into fouls on the other end. If Splitter can help contain OKC's frontcourt, that will be a very good sign for the Spurs. 

Danny Green/Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

You might assume Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are here because they've been knocking down threes at an un-godly rate (46 percent for each), but everyone knows what they can do on offense.

They will be important in this series because of their defense.

Outside of the unstoppable weapon known as Kevin Durant, the Thunder are most effective when Russell Westbrook or James Harden are running the pick-and-roll.

Well, it's a good thing the Spurs just showed against Chris Paul they can shut that play down effectively.

When Westbrook has the ball, Tony Parker will likely be on him, but it will be up to Leonard to hedge the screens and either force Westbrook to take a bad shot or give it up. Take a look at how he did it against the Clips:

As for Green, he often drew the assignment of guarding Paul straight up, and he'll likely get Harden when both are in the game at the same time. Making life difficult for the bearded-wonder will be vital. 

We all know how good the Thunder are in transition. There's no stopping them when that happens. The Spurs' shot at winning this series, however, relies in their ability to stop the pick and roll.

 Leonard and Green will be the most important players in making that happen. 

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