Compelling Semifinals Once Again Proving the NBA Is a Point Guard's League
The NBA playoffs' most dynamic point guards are doing more than stealing the show with slick handles, silky jump shots and stunningly heroic displays—they're controlling their teams' fates.
As offenses around the Association seek to give their point guards more room to operate, create and facilitate, floor generals are being asked to set the tone and pace the action as scorers and passers.
So with the league trending toward smaller, more versatile personnel groupings that can get more creative on both ends of the floor, the importance of primary ball-handlers has been turned up significantly during postseason play.
But it's not just a tactical shift that's revolutionized how we view point guards. An impressive breadth of talent at the position has transformed the playoffs into a compelling showdown between 1-guards of varying shapes, sizes, skill sets and narrative backgrounds.
Examining the impact of stud contributors such as Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley, John Wall, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul, it's clear now more than ever—the NBA is a point guard's league.
The Masked Man
Mike Conley, this is your moment.
After Conley helped even up the Memphis Grizzlies' second-round series with the Golden State Warriors behind 22 points in a 97-90 upset win Tuesday night, the masked assassin is now entrenched as a postseason star looking to shock the basketball world.
"Tremendous heart," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger told reporters after the win, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "He gave us an extra element."
Although he's battling a facial fracture, Conley didn't prevent that from letting his jaw-dropping numbers climb even higher against steep odds.
With four postseason performances under his belt (all of which are wins), Conley owns the highest player efficiency rating among playoff point guards, per ESPN.com.
Statistically, he's also been his team's most important player by a mile.
With Conley on the floor, Memphis has posted a net rating of plus-17.3 points per 100 possessions—which ranks tops among all Grizzlies players. The second-closest contributor is Nick Calathes at plus-10.6 points per 100 possessions, with every other player residing in single-digit territory.
Memphis is still a heavy underdog versus the vaunted Warriors, but with Conley pacing the proceedings, the Grizzlies have to feel confident in their ability to sabotage the proceedings.
The Ascending Star
It's no coincidence John Wall has ascended into elite point guard territory at warp speed, because that's the rate at which he enjoys torturing defenses.
It's also not a coincidence that the Washington Wizards' first postseason loss came with Wall watching from the sidelines.
Through five playoff games, Wall's averaging 17.4 points and a league-best 12.6 assists per game. And as NBA.com/Stats explained before Game 2, the Wizards will be hard-pressed to replace his playmaking ability so long as he's down and out with a wrist injury:
"I play through any type of pain," Wall said, according to The Washington Post's Michael Lee. "It was just a pain where I felt like I couldn’t control the ball and do what I can to help my team. There is no point. I didn’t want to go out there and have 100 turnovers. It would’ve been a waste of time."
If Wall can return for Game 3 with the series knotted 1-1 and home-court advantage in tow, keep an eye on his keen pick-and-roll capabilities. Not only does Wall's advanced proficiency as a ball-handler put him in spots to terrorize defenders in transition and one-on-one situations, but it allows him to make heady, disciplined plays in the half court.
"With all those tricks, natural athleticism, vision and a tighter handle, Wall can pull off the kind of assists that make him look like a taller Chris Paul," SB Nation's Mike Prada explained in a detailed breakdown of Wall's pick-and-roll game.
Matched up against a stud on the rise in Jeff Teague, the pressure's on Wall to try and carry Washington into the Eastern Conference Finals on the heels of his evolution.
The Narrative Killer
Speaking of trips to the conference finals, it's about time Chris Paul got a taste of the postseason's penultimate experience.
Even though the Los Angeles Clippers romped the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals sans Paul (hamstring), there's no question the offense needs his poised playmaking to conquer its second-round demons. Two of the last four years, L.A. has been bounced in Round 2 as the franchise continues to yearn for its first-ever conference finals appearance.
But Paul can etch his name into Clipper lore and give his legacy a significant bump if he can muster efforts similar to the legendary show he put on in a 111-109 Game 7 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
In every phase of his game, Paul has been sensational, squashing the notion that he doesn't have what it takes to carry a team through treacherous postseason waters.
The 30-year-old is averaging 22.7 points to go with 7.9 dimes, but those numbers don't help explain the process by which he's eviscerated defenses.
Just look at how brilliantly he's blitzed opponents from mid-range and the top of the arc:
With a helping hand from Synergy Sports (via NBA.com), it's also clear that Paul isn't restricted to dominance in one play type.
| Ball-Handler | 46.5% | 1.10 | 54.7 | 90.2 |
| Isolation | 15.3% | 1.32 | 65.0 | 96.6 |
| Spot-up | 7.6% | 1.09 | 40.0 | 60.0 |
| Transition | 17.4% | 1.36 | 57.1 | 86.5 |
At this point, no one knows when Paul's going to make his return. Head coach Doc Rivers told reporters prior to Game 2 that his point guard is day-to-day, according to the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of steadily improving health.
However, Paul's already done enough to dispel a silly narrative by sending the defending champs packing on one leg. That said, the Clippers need his prowess to sustain a magical run and capitalize on the franchise's best shot yet at a title.
The New Kid on the Block
Playoffs, meet Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving, say hello to the playoffs.
After three seasons of postseason-less futility with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 23-year-old ankle-breaking aficionado has adjusted to life in the second season with frightening ease.
In all but one of his six appearances, Irving has topped 20 points. That includes a 21-point, nine-shot outing buoyed by 12 free-throw attempts in Cleveland's equalizing Game 2 win against the Chicago Bulls.
Constantly dazzling with his mid-air contortions inside the restricted area, Irving has already made a name for himself as one of the league's craftiest finishers.
But the beauty of the youngster's still-evolving game lies in his ability to keep defenses guessing with a steady string of threes to complement his off-the-dribble acrobatics.
Outside of shooting 61.3 percent around the rim during his first postseason, Irving's also hitting 42.4 percent of his threes—a majority of which have come from above the break.
The inside-outside duality of Irving's offensive game has been on full display for some time now, but the postseason has provided the perfect stage for him to flaunt some impressive developmental strides.
With his first playoff rodeo just now kicking into high gear, Irving is primed to explode sooner rather than later.
The Revitalized Rose
How's this for a stunner: Derrick Rose is shooting threes at a (slightly) more consistent clip (39.2 percent) than Stephen Curry to this point in the postseason.
And while a more passive Rose hasn't generally translated to a more effective Rose, the Bulls have reaped the benefits of his first healthy playoff run since 2011—troves of three-point attempts be damned.
| Regular Season | 30.0 | 17.7 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 40.5 | 28.0 |
| Playoffs | 36.9 | 19.1 | 6.8 | 3.8 | 39.7 | 39.2 |
Even after Wednesday night's 106-91 Game 2 loss to the Cavaliers, Rose continues to lead the Bulls in plus/minus. During his 295 minutes on the floor, Chicago has outscored opponents by 81 points.
"My game is nowhere near the same as when I played back three or four years ago," Rose said, according to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. "I think I'm better; I think I'm smarter. I think my IQ of the game got higher. And like I said, I don't need to score big to win. And I think that's huge for our team."
Careless passing and outside complacency can put a damper on Rose's play from time to time, but he's still among the league's most lethal forces on solo offensive missions. According to Synergy Sports, Rose ranks second to Paul in isolation efficiency among players with at least 20-plus possessions in the playoffs.
The duration of Rose's postseason ride will hinge on his team's ability to make on-the-fly adjustments and combat Cleveland's smaller lineups, but his mere return to the limelight in a prosperous position should be considered a second-round delight regardless of the outcome.
The MVP
By his lofty standards, Curry has underwhelmed in the postseason. Sure, there was the magical fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans and the back-to-back efforts in excess of 39 points to close out a first-round sweep, but he can—and will—be better in the games ahead.
Six games in, Curry's averaging the second-most points (29.3) of any postseason performer. However, Curry hasn't often looked comfortable, evidenced by his .439/.388/.850 shooting slash line that took a hit during Tuesday's loss to Memphis.
CBSSports.com's Matt Moore wrote:
"For the first time, a team was challenging everything. Memphis completely flipped the formula for the Warriors. The Warriors had more uncontested shots than contested shots in Game 1. In Game 2, there was a huge disparity, 52-22, in contested vs. uncontested shots. Memphis challenged everything, jumped rotation routes, and challenged passing lanes, forcing 20 turnovers.
"
Memphis' fourth-ranked defense is going to try and suffocate Curry like few teams have been able to before. Whether that's sustainable or not remains to be seen, but it will be a fascinating puzzle to try and watch the newly crowned MVP solve.
If this season has taught us anything, though, it's that Curry is always prepared to conquer the challenges presented to him.
With the Warriors looking to assert their offensive superiority against a Grizzlies team that's plodding by comparison, it's merely a matter of when—not if—Curry will change the complexion of the series.
All statistics are current as of May 6 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
Alec Nathan covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @AlecBNathan.
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