NBA Playoffs 2012: Bench Players Who'll Decide Western Conference Finals

One of the most growing trends in the NBA in recent years has been the emergence of the sixth man, and rightfully so. With the speed of the game comes a constant need for fresh talent, and don't ever think that they get enough credit for it. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have a lot in common. They have their stars (i.e. Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Russell Westbrook), but still spread the rock around and get all of the players on the court involved on the stat sheet. 

The emergence of James Harden for the Thunder has been one of the biggest components to their success, obviously, but many of his fellow bench players still put in ridiculous performances when their team calls upon them. 

Manu Ginobili may be a former Sixth Man of the Year award winner in the NBA, but he's also got some help with plenty of key role players coming together to form the media-proclaimed "Super Team," as Greg Popovich's Spurs have still won 20-of-21 games by simply having better plays and executing to a tee. 

Let's take a look at the biggest players off the bench who'll decide this series, with their teams going life of death with them one way or another. 

Matt Bonner

He's certainly not the most prolific threat on the court as far as bench players, but Matt Bonner's shooting stroke will have a huge impact on San Antonio's success in the Western Conference Finals. 

Bonner has yet to make his mark on the Thunder, who've been guarding the three-point line better than any team still playing. But his presence has opened things up for Spurs scorers from the help that he requires as a deep shooter. 

If Bonner can't get going in Games 5 and beyond, the Spurs could be in trouble as far as getting points. You never know when he'll get hot from deep, which can be equally as disappointing as it is exciting. 

James Harden

You can't sugarcoat it. Not only is Harden the best scorer on his bench, but he's one of the best scorers in the league (period). 

He averaged more than 16 points per game during Oklahoma City's scorching regular season, and he only upped those numbers once his Thunder team entered the postseason. He's now putting up 18.1 points per game, and he's become more of a complete player than ever with five rebounds and three assists per game in the 2012 playoffs. 

Harden may not be the first super-bearded sports player to increase his skills to an elite level coincidentally when his beard blossomed, but he's a lockdown threat as an offensive assassin and spot-up shooter, and he gets his fill on defense with two steals per game. 

It's hard to find a player whose all-around impact is more widely felt in this series than Harden, and if you find one, it's an MVP candidate in Tony Parker or Kevin Durant. 

Manu Ginobili

Ginobili's scoring explosion early in the Western Conference Finals was desperately needed for the Spurs, and they wouldn't be up in this series at all without his efficiency.

He only averaged 13 points per game in the regular season and he hasn't seen those averages spike in this year's postseason, but his game upped just when the Thunder rolled into town. He went for 26 in a tone-setting Game 1 and his 20 points in Game 2 helped decide a game that went back and forth virtually from tip-off.

The NBA likes to forget that players can be among the best passers in the game despite not being a point guard (i.e. Pau Gasol). But Ginobili's arguably the best non-point-guard passer in the league with his raw talent and mental toughness, and he's averaged four assists per game in these playoffs.