NBA's Top 5: Players That Showed Me Something

Earlier this season, I wrote an article that counted down the five most disappointing players.

Now that the season is drawing to a close, I've decided to count down the five players who have showed me that they deserved to be in the spotlight by stellar play and improvements to their teams.

So, on with the countdown!

5. Kevin Garnett, PF, Celtics

Kevin Garnett is the best big man patrolling the paint these days. He's grabbing just under 10 rebounds per game...and that's not even his strong point.

He can score better than any big man in the game right now, averaging 18.7 PPG and striking fear into any player who tries to go inside against the Celtics.

Not only does he have a pretty nice stat line, he affects everything this team does. The Celtics were supposed to be an average team with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but when Garnett joined the squad everybody in Boston got a little giddy.

When he plays the team is one of the best of all time, but when he has to sit out we saw what we expected—a good team, but nothing of greatness.

4. Tracy McGrady, SG, Rockets

R-E-S-P-E-C-T the Rockets this postseason. They are a force to be reckoned with and are riding a 22-game win streak all the way to the top.

The reason that they have been so good: Tracy McGrady.

Since Yao Ming went down, McGrady has taken over this team and completely fits the description of a player who "showed me something."

This month, he is averaging more points, assists, and rebounds than he has in any other month of the basketball season (with at least five games played).

He is the reason the Rockets have been able to stay afloat after losing the Chinese big man who helped take the pressure from him. He is the reason that a team of role-players has become great.

3. Chris Paul, PG, Hornets

Chris Paul came out of nowhere to save the New Orleans Hornets.

He is now in the process of overtaking Steve Nash and Jason Kidd as the players who are best able to spread the ball to any open man on the court.

But Paul hasn't sacrificed his scoring for the sake of helping others—he is still scoring at a +20 PPG mark and is also getting more steals, 2.7 per game, than he has at any point in his career.

Players like Paul come around every so often, and we need to appreciate them while they are here.

He is only in his third season and is already taking the NBA by storm. Players would love to play with this guy because they know that he is not going to let an open shot pass him by, whether he has the shot or somebody else does.

Quick Interjection

I've recently written an article comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan. In the comment section of this article I was blasted because I don't worship the ground that Kobe Bryant walks on.

I'm not sure how it got to that, but it made it to that point. It even got to where I was being mentioned in another article's comment sections (that I didn't write or have anything to do with) as a "dumb-ass teenager."

This got a little annoying, even after I gave up trying. I am still currently trying to prove that I am not just another "LeBron lover" and "Kobe Hater."

Maybe this can help stop it...

2. LeBron James, SF, Cavaliers

That's right, you have converted me. LeBron James is No. 2. It is still early in his career, and I think he has plenty of time to move to No. 1.

He is big, strong, and extremely athletic. Not only that, but the Cavs are winless when the "King" is not in playing condition.

He's averaging 30.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 7.5 APG. He is a strong MVP candidate and is ready to take down any obstacle on his way to showing up everybody else in the NBA.

He has his neigh-sayers who think that he doesn't have a consistent jump shot and only gets his points by going to the basket, but as somebody in my previous article pointed out, "If anyone in the league has a way of scoring almost every time, do you think they're not going to try it over and over again?" (David Leney gets credit for that one.)

1. Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers

Okay, you got me. Kobe can be No. 1. He is one of the best defenders in the NBA. He can make sure you can't get your shot off without at least one hand in your face. He's also getting two steals per game.

He plays on a more complete team the LeBron, so his stat-line doesn't show the whole story. He averages 28.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 5.2 APG. He has athleticism and one of the most spectacular dunk repertoires in recent memory.

He is a mirror image of how Jordan played the game, and will be remembered a as a great of the game.

I have a feeling that the "LeBron Lovers" and "Kobe Haters" will all come out of the wood-works to make sure that I know I didn't please everybody with my flip-flop, but if politicians can do it, then so can I.

I'm Joe W.