5 Players Who Have Flashed the Golden Touch in the NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs began with a party in Oracle Arena for Game 1 of the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Golden State Warriors series just over a month ago. We're now well on our way to reaching the NBA Finals. Just four teams remain, and that will be halved shortly.
Let's take the temperature of these 2015 playoffs with a look back at a handful of players who flashed that elite-level talent on the game's biggest stage.
Honorable Mentions
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The assignment called for just five guys, but I had a ton of trouble narrowing it down.
So, some shoutouts:
Dwight Howard: One big question in the Western Conference Finals is whether Dwight Howard can fight through a knee bruise and contribute. According to Basketball-Reference.com the former defensive player of the year is averaging 16.4 points, 13.8 boards and 2.4 blocks per game in the playoffs. Whether the Houston Rockets can survive without his presence will continue to be a big storyline.
John Wall: Wall was an amazing force in this year's playoffs...when he was on the court. He destroyed Kyle Lowry in Round 1. He had 17 points and 13 assists in Game 1 in Atlanta, but he broke his hand and missed three games. Then he played point guard with a broken hand in Game 5 and had the would-be game-saving block!
Chris Paul: Paul gritted through the best first-round matchup I've ever seen. Per Basketball-Reference.com, Paul shot over 50 percent from the floor, over 41 percent from three, and just over 94 percent from the stripe.
Anthony Davis: The only player who lost in the first round that I even considered putting on this list. Davis, like winter, is coming. Be prepared.
5. Marc Gasol
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Marc Gasol was excellent as the primary scoring option for the Memphis Grizzlies. The big Spaniard averaged almost 20 points, over 10 rebounds and exactly 4.5 assists per contest.
Gasol is a nightmare to guard with just one defender. He's too big for most power forwards to handle. Against opposing centers he likes to settle for that deadly 14-foot set shot. Unlike the other Western Conference centers, Gasol is a great free-throw shooter. He shot 80 percent from the charity stripe this season.
While his shooting percentage dipped with the constant harassment by numerous long, ball-hawking guards coming on double teams, Gasol did a great job not turning the ball over. The focal point of the Grizzlies offense coughed it up only 1.5 times per game.
4. Derrick Rose
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Is Derrick Rose back?
The Chicago Bulls became the first casualty of the second round, and their offense that looked so fluid at times this season stalled out for long periods against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite Rose's return to the explosive offensive force that he once was, the Bulls managed just 100.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor in the postseason. According to statmuse.com, that number is slightly worse than the efficiency of the 2014-15 Knicks.
But I'm not ready to blame Rose. He re-acclimated himself quickly and seamlessly. He's clearly the leader of that team, and he played like it. Rose is no longer a top-five point guard in the league, but he plays and acts like he's still the MVP, and that bodes well for Chicago's bright future.
We'll remember these playoffs for LeBron's triumphant return to Cleveland, Charles Barkley's outcry for post-up basketball and the return of Derrick Rose.
3. Blake Griffin
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If it weren't for the Clippers' complete collapse in the second round of the playoffs, Blake Griffin might have come in first on this list of playoff golden boys. Sorry Mr. Griffin, if you want the top spot on this list, you can't allow a 19-point home lead to morph into a 12-point loss.
That said, Griffin was a monster for the Clippers this postseason. His averages: 39.8 minutes, 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. He had three triple-doubles, he won in Houston without Chris Paul in Game 1 of the series and he was the best player on the floor in a seven-game battle with the defending champs.
Griffin was exceptional, but he's still looking up on this list while he sits on the couch at home.
2. Steph Curry
5 of 6Stephen Curry is so popular that he gets high-five offers from opposing fans mid-game!
Indeed, on a list of athletes with the golden touch, it's hard to put Curry second. If it weren't for a relatively pedestrian second round against Memphis in which he posted a -5.5 +/- line in the team's two losses, that might not be the case.
Aside from that anomaly, this year's MVP has been absolutely amazing. Against New Orleans Curry averaged 33.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in the four-game sweep. He made 20 of his 48 threes in the series, including a jaw-dropping shot to complete a 20-point comeback and force overtime in Game 3.
While his shooting dropped off against Memphis, his defense helped fuel the Dubs. Curry averaged three steals per game in the Warriors wins against the Grizzlies, and he helped out on the boards, too. He grabbed eight rebounds in Game 4 and averaged seven per game over the final three contests of the series.
In the first game of the Western Conference Finals, Curry rose to the occasion and posted 34 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead his squad over the MVP runner-up and the Houston Rockets.
His golden touch even spilled over into the post-game conference, as he and his daughter Riley managed to light the internet on fire.
1. LeBron James
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Kevin Love is gone. Kyrie Irving has been absent at times and was playing hurt for weeks before. Right now it's a heavy dose of LeBron James, with a side order of J.R. Smith from three.
King James has been a force all through the playoffs. He nearly averaged a triple-double in six games against the Bulls.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, LeBron James has made six of his 10 go-ahead shots in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime in the playoffs. Michael Jordan was 5-of-11 in his career.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, LeBron has had 33 playoff games in which he has led his team in points, rebounds and assists. Larry Bird is second with 13 such games.
Simply put, LeBron is doing to the record books what Barry Bonds did to baseball's statistics but without the steroid allegations. In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavs to their first Game 1 road victory in franchise history, posting 31 points, eight boards, and six assists in just over 38 minutes played.
It's good to be the King.
