Updated NBA Finals Star Rankings: Who Is Soaring and Who Is Sinking?

And then there were two. 

With only the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs battling it out for NBA supremacy, the list of superstars left competing has dwindled rather significantly. We're down to six true stars, three for each of the two teams playing in the NBA Finals. 

The role players and mid-level starters will certainly have a monumental impact on the proceedings, but it's the stars who truly determine the outcome. If the Spurs' players prove that I've ranked them too low, that's great news for San Antonio. 

Similarly, re-emergences from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh could spell trouble for Gregg Popovich's squad.

Based on the playoffs, this is how the superstars stack up going into the Finals. How they emerge from the series will determine who holds up the Larry O'Brien Trophy next. 

Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from ESPN and Basketball-Reference.com. 

6. Chris Bosh

Team: Miami Heat

Position: PF/C

Age: 29

Per-Game Stats: 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.4 blocks, 20.0 PER

Postseason Per-Game Stats: 12.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.6 blocks, 15.9 PER

So has anyone found Chris Bosh yet? 

He's absolutely disappeared during the postseason, and that almost came back to bite the Miami Heat against the Indiana Pacers. His work on the boards is minimal, and he's become a last resort in the offense. The decline has been both precipitous and inexplicable. 

When you have to apologize to your teammates for a prolonged stretch of poor performances, that's problematic. And yet, that's exactly what Bosh did going into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, according to ESPN's Tom Haberstroh.

The apology didn't work, and Bosh was still quite awful during that final game. Although he recorded eight rebounds—none of which came in the second half—the power forward shot only 3-of-13 from the field and never recovered from a slow start. 

Bosh should rebound a bit, both literally and figuratively, against the San Antonio Spurs. If he doesn't, it's going to be a short series that doesn't go in Miami's favor. 

5. Manu Ginobili

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: SG

Age: 35

Per-Game Stats: 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, 19.0 PER

Postseason Per-Game Stats: 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, 19.1 PER

Manu Ginobili has had a difference-making moment or two during the 2013 postseason for the San Antonio Spurs, but he hasn't been a true difference maker. 

The Argentine 2-guard drilled a game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining in double overtime of Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, but it's hard to pick another standout moment for the 35-year-old. He's been fairly efficient when he's played, although even that efficiency is starting to slip away. 

Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ginobili shot only 40.7 percent from the field, and Game 3 was his only performance that can be labeled as vintage Ginobili. In that 104-93 victory, the creative genius recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 5-of-9 shooting. 

Much like Chris Bosh, Ginobili needs to start performing more consistently during the NBA Finals. If he doesn't, that could pose major problems for the Spurs' hopes. 

4. Dwyane Wade

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SG

Age: 31

Per-Game Stats: 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.8 blocks, 24.0 PER

Postseason Per-Game Stats: 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, 17.4 PER

Those are Dwyane Wade's point totals during this postseason, starting with Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks and finishing with Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers. 

The 12-game drought, one in which the 31-year-old didn't break past 20 points a single time, had many questioning whether or not Wade had started to decline. And rightfully so. 

Throughout the brutal series with the Pacers, Wade didn't just look like his physical skills had deteriorated. He looked unenthused and disengaged from Game 1 through Game 6, failing to ever appear as if he wanted to take over a contest. 

Fortunately for the Heat, that changed in Game 7, and Wade responded to the criticism with 21 points, nine rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and one throw-back step-through that left Lance Stephenson more than a little confused. 

This Finals hinges on Wade, more so than any other player. He may not be the best player in the series, but whether or not he shows up will determine Miami's fate.

3. Tim Duncan

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: PF/C

Age: 37

Per-Game Stats: 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.7 blocks, 24.4 PER

Postseason Per-Game Stats: 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.7 blocks, 20.3 PER

It would not surprise me in the slightest if Tim Duncan chose to walk away from the game of basketball following this series, but only if the San Antonio Spurs emerge with the right to pop some champagne. If the Miami Heat are victorious, it's readily apparent that the 37-year-old still has some quality ball left in the tank. 

Let's put this in perspective: Duncan has taken a miniature step backward during the playoffs, and he's still performing at a higher level than most basketball players can even dream of. 

The Big Fundamental struggled a bit against the big frontline of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, but he'll be able to impose his will against a smaller Miami Heat rotation. Expect to see a heavy dose of Duncan from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer sounds and confetti comes streaming down from the rafters. 

Tony Parker has been better than Duncan during the postseason, but it's the big man who will shake hands with Bill Russell and hold up an individual trophy if the Spurs are successful. LeBron James can shift over and check Parker for portions of the game, but he can't consistently do the same with Duncan. 

2. Tony Parker

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Position: PG

Age: 31

Per-Game Stats: 20.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, 23.0 PER

Postseason Per-Game Stats: 23.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks, 24.1 PER

As Erik Spoelstra said during his NBA Finals presser on NBATV, Tony Parker has been the best player in the Western Conference playoffs. Each time he stepped onto the court, he was the top dog. He knew it going in, and opponents knew it after the game. 

Parker has played virtually mistake-free basketball during each of the three rounds, save that seven-turnover game against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

He doesn't make bad decisions. He doesn't miss many shots. He doesn't cough the ball up very frequently. 

During the postseason, Parker has taken yet another step forward, developing from a fantastic point guard who ran Gregg Popovich's offense to perfection into a truly dominant player who can take over games without the help of a system. 

The French floor general displayed that over and over again during the Grizz, exiting the WCF averaging 24.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game on 53.2 percent shooting from the field. 

Expect more of the same in the final round of the playoffs. 

1. LeBron James

Ada

Team: Miami Heat

Position: SF/PF

Age: 28

Per-Game Stats: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks, 31.6 PER

Postseason Per-Game Stats: 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.8 blocks, 28.7 PER

The Miami Heat would not be in this position without LeBron James. 

Duh. 

As obvious as that statement may be, it's more true than ever following the prolonged disappearances of both Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. LeBron's statement that he had gone back to his Cleveland days was backed up by their performances because the Heat really did become a one-man team for a lot of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

And LeBron most assuredly did not disappoint, even against the suffocating defensive combination of Paul George and Lance Stephenson. 

In that series, he averaged 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. Perhaps most impressively, he turned the ball over only 2.9 times per contest, and didn't allow the high level of offensive involvement to impact his defensive abilities. 

LeBron is still the best player in the world, and he was the top performer in the playoffs leading up to the NBA Finals. 

If that trend continues, Miami will be difficult to stop.