NBA Playoffs 2015: Ranking the Top 25 Players Ahead of the Finals
Here we are, just one day away from the beginning of the end—the start of the 2015 NBA Finals, basketball's final struggle for power.
The Warriors are chasing their destiny as one of the greatest teams of all time, while LeBron James prepares to bring a long-awaited title to the city of Cleveland, hence completing his redemptive arc.
Fourteen teams have fallen in these playoffs, leaving us with just the best the East and West have to offer, but before the NBA Finals begin on Thursday night, it seems only right to take a look back at those players who gave all they had in pursuit of eternal basketball glory.
Here, we rank the top 25 players of the 2015 NBA playoffs, sorted according to impact, team performance and overall greatness of their respective performance.
Players with a greater impact over a longer period of the playoffs ranked higher, which is a key reason why only three players who didn't make it out of the first round were included on this list.
Clutch play in critical games and important situations added some weight to a player's postseason, though conversely, one bad performance, even in an elimination game, wasn't necessarily enough to drop a player with superb overall play down too far.
Now, before LeBron and Steph Curry completely take over the sports world (if they haven't already), let's take a look at the best 25 players of the 2015 NBA playoffs.
25. Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets
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We'll forgive you if you forgot that the Nets were actually in the playoffs. They haven't played since May 1, when they lost by 24 to the Hawks in the first round.
It seems like an eternity since Brook Lopez was actually on the court, but he's the key reason the Brooklyn Nets were able to push the No. 1 seed Atlanta Hawks to six games.
Everyone assumed this would be an easy sweep for the 60-win Hawks. Lopez wasn't prepared to oblige.
Prior to that Game 6 disaster in which the Nets rolled over and died, Lopez averaged 23.8 points (.500 FG, .771 FT), 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He still put up a respectable 19 points and seven rebounds in the series finale, though the 24-point loss didn't make any Net look particularly good.
Still, he was a major problem for Al Horford and the rest of the Hawks bigs, especially in the Nets' unexpected Game 3 and 4 victories over what had been the best team in the East nearly all season.
The first-round exit hurts his standing, but Lopez was as solid in his six games as nearly any center was this postseason. The 7-footer ranked 16th in win shares per 48 minutes (.182), ahead of far more heralded names like LeBron James, John Wall and Marc Gasol, all of whom will appear on this list later.
Had Lopez not been around, this series would have been an unceremonious thrashing of a team that never looked like it wanted to be in the playoffs in the first place.
His performance was good enough that he is just one of three players in these rankings who didn't make it out of the first round. Say what you will about the Nets, but Lopez played with a fire and energy that should be appreciated, even if it's long since been extinguished.
24. J.R. Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
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J.R. Smith ranks in the top 20 among all postseason players in win shares (18th), win shares per 48 (12th) and box plus/minus (17th).
There's no way around just how valuable the 29-year-old has been in these playoffs.
The move to Cleveland hasn't quite changed the essence of the mercurial Smith—he was, after all, suspended for the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals after punching Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the face in Game 4—but he has become invaluable to an ailing Cavaliers team.
With a hobbled Kyrie Irving and a lost Kevin Love, the Cavs have needed their backup singers to step up; Smith has delivered hit after hit (no pun intended) since returning from his suspension.
Following his two-game absence, Cleveland has gone 7-1 with Smith as lightning off the bench. He's connected on 28 of 61 threes (45.9 percent) while putting up four games with eight or more rebounds, which are gaudy board numbers for a shooting guard.
In Game 1 against Atlanta, he dropped 28 points while raining fire from beyond the arc, hitting eight of 12 attempts from downtown. He had LeBron as giddy as a kid on Christmas and the Philips Arena as solemn as a funeral.
Smith averaged 18 points and 7.5 rebounds in the Cavs' sweep of the No. 1 seed Hawks. He's been focused on both ends of the court—new territory for Smith—while doing his best to make up for the scoring punch that has Cleveland has lost with the blights of Love and Irving.
It would have been insane, even blasphemous, to say at the beginning of the season, but J.R. Smith will be one of the most important players in this year's NBA Finals. If he maintains this level of play and some modicum of composure, the Cavs could finally reach the peak that has eluded the franchise for 45 years.
Now, continue pinching yourself, to make sure this all isn't some bizarre dream.
23. Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards
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The Wizards' bruiser had an uneven playoffs. He was dominant throughout Washington's first-round sweep of the Toronto Raptors, putting up 17.3 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks per game while shooting 74.4 percent from the field.
The Raptors had no answer for the brutal stylings of the Polish Hammer, who feasted on the Raptors bigs all series.
He had a tumultuous series against the Hawks, though, averaging 12.5 points (.639 FG), 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in Games 1, 2, 3 and 5 but just 2.5 points (.182 percent FG) and 5.5 rebounds in Games 4 and 6.
The injury to John Wall severely limited the Wizards' ability to challenge the top-seeded Hawks, but Gortat was an integral part of a team that looked like it could legitimately challenge for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals before losing its star.
Even with Wall missing three games and playing hurt in Games 5 and 6, had Paul Pierce's ill-timed three been a second earlier, it might have been the Wizards, not the Hawks, who met LeBron and Co. in the next round.
Still, it was a strong 10-game showing for Gortat, who finished the postseason ranked seventh in win shares per 48 (.203), 14th in box plus/minus (plus-5.5) and 20th in win shares (1.3).
22. Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls
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Fourteen seasons in and Pau Gasol still hasn't lost the passion that has made him a two-time NBA champion, four-time All-NBA player and future Hall of Famer.
Through Chicago's first eight playoff games, the 34-year-old Spaniard was throwing up 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.
He went down with a hamstring injury midway through Game 3 against the Cavaliers, but Chicago still prevailed and looked like a legitimate thorn in the side of Cleveland's plans for world domination.
But the hamstring injury lingered, holding Gasol out of Games 4 and 5, both Chicago losses.
He returned for Game 6, but the injury visibly impeded him. Cleveland went on to defeat the Bulls by 21, which began a chain reaction in Chicago that led to coach Tom Thibodeau's firing.
It's unknown how the series might have gone with a fully healthy Gasol, who acted as Chicago's only legitimate, consistent inside scoring presence this postseason.
Chances are that LeBron would have willed his Cavs to victory either way, but with the way Gasol had played prior to the injury, Chicago looked like the East's best hope in dethroning the King.
Injury aside, it was still a great postseason showing from Gasol, who will be back with Chicago and new coach Fred Hoiberg next season for another run at glory.
21. Paul Pierce, Washington Wizards
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No one had more fun in this year's playoffs than Paul Pierce.
From trolling Drake and the city of Toronto to hitting crushing game-winners to throwing himself on the glass during Game 7 of the Capitals-Islanders series, the brash 37-year-old had all of his old-man strength and audacity on display, and then some.
He also provided us with the best quote of the playoffs following his Game 3 banked buzzer-beater over the Hawks. He responded to ESPN sideline reporter Chris Broussard's question of "Did you call bank?" with "I called game."
Pierce became something of a folk hero in these playoffs. The old man who just doesn't give a damn came to play, and play he did.
He ranked 13th in win shares per 48 minutes (.190) and 20th in box plus/minus (plus-4.4) among all postseason players. He averaged 14.6 points per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent from three on 6.3 attempts per game.
His story might still be ongoing had his improbable step-back corner three against the Hawks in Game 6 come just a half-second earlier. It would have been Pierce's second buzzer-beater in three games and carried the battle into overtime.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps Pierce's trash-talking karma finally caught up with him, or maybe his reflexes were just a tad slow in hoisting the shot.
Either way, Pierce was a treat to watch this postseason. Here's to hoping we get one more ride.
20. DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks
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Another player who saw an excellent postseason get derailed by injury, DeMarre Carroll was tremendous for the Hawks before spraining his knee in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The unrestricted free agent-to-be made some serious cash with his play. The Hawks had a plus-3.0 net rating with Carroll on the court but posted a minus-7.5 rating when he sat—a 10.5-point swing, per NBA.com.
Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, Carroll led all Hawks in scoring with 17.1 per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and a Kyle Korver-esque 43.9 percent from three on 4.8 attempts per game, per NBA.com.
Carroll spent most of the regular season as the fifth Beatle. He was the only Hawks starter not named to the All-Star team—the one most tended to glance over.
That changed in the playoffs. He scored 20 or more points in six consecutive games—the last four games of Round 1 and first two games of Round 2—including 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the Hawks' Game 6 blowout over Brooklyn.
In Game 6 against the Wizards, he dropped 25 points and 10 rebounds in a hostile Washington environment, doing all he could to prevent a Game 7.
His sprained knee prevented him from being of much use in the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland, but Carroll did more than enough this postseason to earn a big paycheck this summer.
19. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Kyrie Irving's first postseason dance has been a successful one, but it hasn't been without its stumbles and trips.
Among all postseason players, he ranks sixth in win shares per 48 (.217), seventh in win shares (1.9), 19th in points per game (18.7) and 19th in box plus/minus (plus-4.2).
We've seen the best and worst of Uncle Drew this postseason.
We've seen him as the dancing, dribbling star, the main attraction. In the series openers against Boston and Chicago, Irving went off for 30 points each time. He's scored at least 21 points in half of his playoff games this postseason.
But we've also seen the unrepentant gunner and the hobbled superstar.
Irving shot 3-of-11 in Game 3 against Boston, finishing with just 13 points. He combined for 23 points on 5-of-23 shooting in Games 3 and 4 against the Bulls in the second round.
He was able to play just two games in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hawks, though LeBron and players like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson more than carried the load in his absence.
The long layoff between the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals should help Irving regain some of his health, but he's still not expected to be at 100 percent for Game 1 or the remainder of the series.
There has been a little Jekyll and Hyde to Irving this postseason, but Cleveland will need the doctor, or in this case, the uncle, to show up in the Finals in order to knock off the NBA's best team in the regular season.
18. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
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Klay Thompson has been good this postseason, but he hasn't been great.
He has seen his points average, player efficiency rating and win shares per 48 all drop during the playoffs.
Luckily, the Warriors haven't needed him to be regular-season Klay, as they've only lost three total games. Even so, the 2015 All-Star and third-team All-NBA selection has had his moments in these playoffs.
He averaged 25 points in the Warriors' first-round sweep of the Pelicans, scoring at least 21 points and knocking down at least three triples in each game. He was a key reason why Golden State was able to avoid any sort of prolonged series with a feisty No. 8 seed.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Thompson's most memorable play this postseason may have been the flying knee he took to the side of the head from the Rockets' Trevor Ariza in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
Thompson returned, but blood came pouring out of his ear in one of the more grotesquely bizarre moments in NBA playoff history. He still hasn't been cleared for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Golden State will need its other Splash Brother if it wants to survive against LeBron and the Cavs.
17. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
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This postseason provided us with glimpses of the Derrick Rose we all once knew—the man who, back in 2011, became the youngest MVP in league history at the age of 22.
He has been a shadow of himself ever since, providing fleeting glimpses of brilliance in between long, harrowing bouts with injury.
We didn't get quite apex Rose in these playoffs, but what we got was encouraging.
Rose averaged 20.3 points (13th overall), 6.5 assists (eighth) and 4.8 rebounds per game, though he shot just 39.6 percent from the field and only managed 3.3 free-throw attempts per game.
There were moments where it felt like 2011 again, but they were intermingled with struggles and frustration.
Rose's Game 3 against Cleveland was vintage: 30 points (10-26 FG, 9-10 FT), seven assists, seven rebounds and one preposterous game-winning three.
He followed that up with 31 points in Game 4, giving LeBron everything he had, only to fall just short.
But in his last two games Rose shot just 14-of-40 and scored 30 points combined. The MVP performance came on the other end, from the man Cleveland calls King.
Despite his struggles, the Bulls were completely lost anytime Rose sat. Chicago posted a plus-7.2 net rating with Rose on the floor but was minus-14.2 with him on the bench for a 21.4-point swing, the largest on the team among rotation regulars, per NBA.com.
The Bulls disappointed in their 21-point Game 6 elimination loss to Cleveland, but if anything, this postseason provided some hope that maybe, one day, we'll get the old Rose back.
16. John Wall, Washington Wizards
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Injury was a running theme in these playoffs; Wall's narrative was no different.
The former No. 1 overall pick began the postseason on a tear as the Wizards completely dominated the Raptors in the first round.
Wall averaged 17.3 points, 12.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game while finishing the series sweep with an overall plus/minus rating of plus-48.
Toronto couldn't do a thing to break Wall, and after a surprise Game 1 against Atlanta (18 PT, 13 AST, 7 REB, 3 BLK), it looked like the Hawks would be subject to his will as well. But, in that same game, he suffered five non-displaced fractures of his wrist and hand, which would keep him out of Washington's next three games.
He was still effective in Games 5 and 6, averaging 17.5 points, 10 assists and five rebounds per game, but he also committed 12 turnovers and shot just 37.8 percent from the field.
Had Wall not been dealing with that lingering hand issue, the series could have gone a completely different way.
Even so, the 24-year-old's performance proved that he is ready to lead a team deep into the playoffs.
15. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
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Our fourth and final Wizard, Bradley Beal showed the basketball world just why his future is so bright.
The 21-year-old averaged 23.4 points per game this postseason for seventh overall, ahead of players like Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving. He added 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game to round out his game, though he acted primarily as Washington's getter of buckets for most of the postseason.
Beal scored 20 or more points in seven of his 10 games, going for a playoff career-high 34 in a five-point Game 4 loss to Atlanta.
Wall was the distributor, but Beal was tasked with getting Washington on the board as often as possible.
The offense sputtered without him on the floor, falling from 104 points per 100 possessions to 99.4 with Beal resting on the bench, per NBA.com.
The Wizards' season was derailed by Wall's injury and Pierce's mistimed game-tying three, but Beal did all he could to keep Washington afloat against the East's No. 1 seed, averaging 25 points, five assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in the six-game series.
It was an excellent showing following a decidedly uninspiring regular season, but Beal should have all the confidence in the world entering his fourth season alongside Wall.
14. Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors
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Andrew Bogut does the things you can't typically find on a standard stat sheet.
He'll make the pass leading to the pass that nets Steph Curry or Klay Thompson a wide-open look. He'll anticipate and move perfectly into position to cut off a James Harden drive, causing an errant shot or turnover. He'll snag an errant pass and chuck a beautiful outlet to a streaking Harrison Barnes.
The 30-year-old Australian is far from the centerpiece of the Warriors, but he's at the heart of what makes them so special.
Bogut is averaging 5.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, two assists and 1.9 blocks in 24.4 minutes per game this postseason. That doesn't look like anything special, but again, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft requires deeper analysis.
Defensively, the Warriors are stingier with Bogut manning the middle. Golden State sports a 97.8 defensive rating with the massive Aussie on the floor, but that jumps to an even 100 when he's off, per NBA.com. That's still a strong number, but with Bogut on the floor, Golden State is as elite as a defense gets.
Teams basically have to abandon the post when Bogut is in. Golden State's opponents are shooting just 39.5 percent at the rim against him, second-best among all NBA players this postseason behind only Anthony Davis, who played in just four games, per the NBA's tracking data.
Those are the things that simple statistics can't measure, and even these advanced measurements can't do the beauty of Bogut's on-court brilliance justice.
He'll play an integral role in keeping LeBron James and Kyrie Irving out of the paint in the NBA Finals, in addition to doing battle with Cleveland center Timofey Mozgov. If Bogut has shown us anything this postseason, it's that he's more than up for the task.
13. Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Tristan Thompson has turned into a player no team wants to see.
He's a menace, attacking the glass as if his livelihood depended on getting that ball above all else.
The Cavs collect an astonishing 30.4 percent of all available offensive rebounds with Thompson on the floor, compared to 24.2 percent when he sits, per the NBA's tracking data.
He keeps possessions alive, and most importantly, he extends opportunities for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to score.
Thompson's emergence has allowed coach David Blatt to move to smaller lineups where Cleveland has really thrived.
Last week I explained how critical he has been to Cleveland's small-ball lineups:
"David Blatt has found a ton of success using 6'9" Tristan Thompson at center with LeBron at power forward and surrounding the two with more versatile wing players and shooters like Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, James Jones and Matthew Dellavedova.
In fact, four of Cleveland's six most effective lineups this postseason have featured Thompson and James flanked by such players, with a five-man unit consisting of Thompson, James, Shumpert, Smith and Dellavedova producing a plus-29.2 net rating in 50 minutes of court time in these playoffs.
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Thompson has been terrific since joining the starting lineup for Game 2 of the Chicago series. In his nine starts, he has averaged 11 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with an overall plus/minus of plus-84. This postseason, the 24-year-old ranks ninth with 1.9 win shares and 14th with .190 win shares per 48.
He isn't the flashiest name in the NBA Finals—he isn't even the flashiest Thompson—but he's one of the most important elements of Cleveland's attack.
12. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
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The Memphis Grizzlies couldn't get past the Golden State Warriors.
Add them to the list of foes fallen before the might of Steve Kerr's impervious basketball armada, but don't be too hard on Marc Gasol, who fell short where so many others have.
Still, he was impressive this postseason, even if his run ended in stinging failure.
Gasol averaged 19.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. He ranked ninth in player efficiency rating (21.2), 13th in box plus/minus (plus-5.8) and 17th in win shares (1.4).
His shooting efficiency wasn't there, but everything else was: the smart defense, the crafty passing, the aggressive boarding.
The feisty Spaniard was his brilliantly well-rounded self in Memphis' five-game first-round victory over Portland. He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, five assists and 2.4 blocks, helping the Grizzlies make quick work of the Trail Blazers.
He couldn't find the same success against the juggernaut that is Golden State, but few could this year. Despite the series loss, Memphis did something no other team has done this postseason: hand the Warriors a loss on their own court.
Memphis joined Chicago and San Antonio as the only teams to defeat Golden State on their home floor this year, and Memphis remains the only team to hand the Warriors two losses in a series in these playoffs. It doesn't mean much to Gasol now, but Memphis accomplished what no other has against one of the best teams in recent memory.
Despite the disappointing exit, the 30-year-old All-Star showed yet again why he's going to be perhaps the most coveted player on this year's free-agent market.
11. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
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There will come a day when Tim Duncan no longer graces us with his presence on the basketball court. We must all hope that day doesn't come soon.
Despite being the oldest player in the postseason, the 38-year-old Duncan showed us yet again why he is one of the basketball god's most timeless masterpieces.
He averaged 17.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 blocks in San Antonio's grueling seven-game series with the Clippers. He ranks fourth in both win shares per 48 (.229) and box plus/minus (plus-7.7) and seventh in player efficiency rating (24.1).
He battled DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, players 12 and 13 years his junior, respectively, with all of his might. In his 18th year as a pro, Duncan played like it was his first and he didn't have a ring to his name.
In San Antonio's heartbreaking Game 7 loss, Duncan threw up this line: 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes of play. Had it not been for some equally astounding heroics from Chris Paul, the Spurs might have lived to play on and defend their crown.
It was a brutal loss in the best series of the playoffs, with Duncan carrying his team as if he were 25 again. We come to expect it from the greatest power forward to ever play the game, but one still has to sit back in awe of what the five-time champion is able to do with so much tread on his tires.
A drop-off in production will come one day, we think, but with the way Duncan looks, he'll likely be right in the middle of this list again next year.
All hail Tim Duncan.
10. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers
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It's a testament to the type of player DeAndre Jordan has become that he can still make the top 10 on this list even after shooting 42.7 percent from the free-throw line while making games borderline unwatchable during extended moments of Hack-A-Jordan.
Yes, he hijacked potentially epic games and dragged them out longer than a four-hour Red Sox-Yankees snooze-a-thon, but if you can get past that, Jordan had a fantastic postseason for the Clippers.
The elastic man averaged 13.1 points, 13.4 rebounds (second among all players) and 2.4 blocks (second among all players) per game. His 71.6 field-goal percentage tops all postseason players, and his 20.6 player efficiency rating ranks 12th overall.
Los Angeles had a plus-3.0 net rating with Jordan on the court and a minus-5.3 net rating when he sat, an 8.3-point swing that was actually larger than Chris Paul's, per NBA.com.
He has his flaws, but it was exhilarating to see Jordan go toe-to-toe with Dwight Howard, and there's nothing quite like a Jordan alley-oop from the heavens.
The Clippers' playoff run came to a crushing end after an epic collapse, but Jordan proved he is worthy of something near a max contract this summer.
Let's just hope the man practices those free throws this summer.
9. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
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If you don't count yourself among the Warriors faithful, there's a good chance you despise Draymond Green.
He's one of those players that everyone loves to play with but no one loves to play against.
He snarls. He flexes. He is a master of both physical and mental torture, a seasoned practitioner of on-court villainy.
He's clever, annoying and, most importantly, really, really good.
Regardless of what you think of him, there's no denying his importance to Golden State's run to the NBA Finals.
Green has averaged 14 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game this postseason. The Warriors carry a plus-13 net rating with Green on the court but fall all the way to a minus-8.5 when he sits. The 21.5-point swing represents the largest margin on the team, ahead of even Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, per NBA.com.
Green has guarded everyone from James Harden to Marc Gasol to Anthony Davis this postseason, finding success against all.
His shooting percentages haven't been brilliant, but everything else he's done has been.
Green is more than an X-factor: He's slowly morphing into a new breed of star, one who can control games without scoring many points or monopolizing the ball.
Most sane men fear LeBron in some way, but Green will not bow to the King.
He's been the most important Warrior not named Steph Curry, and he's poised for a big Finals.
8. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets
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Dwight Howard didn't make any friends this postseason, but his play made it apparent that he's still one of the most dominant big men in the game when he's healthy.
He averaged 16.4 points, 14 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field.
Much like with DeAndre Jordan, we were subject to insufferable bouts of Hack-A-Howard, though he actually fared even worse than Jordan, shooting just 41.2 percent from the free-throw line.
His free-throw shooting struggles aside, Howard was once again the interior beast we all knew and used to enjoy many years ago.
Amazingly, he was Houston's only player with a positive net rating (plus-0.4) and had by far the biggest on/off-court differential of any Rocket, per NBA.com.
He played with the type of defensive fervor that made him a four-time Defensive Player of the Year and attacked the boards relentlessly. Yes, he also made some punk plays, like when he punched Andrew Bogut in the face, but his overall play was reminiscent of the time he reigned supreme over the world of NBA big men.
Howard turned in some monster performances. A line of 13 points, 26 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in Game 3 against the Mavericks. A 24-point, 16-rebound, four-block highlight reel in Game 2 against the Clippers. A 20-point, 21-rebound night in Houston's Game 6 victory over the Clippers, an integral component of Houston's epic comeback from down 3-1 in the series.
Howard will never be loved, but with the way he played this postseason, his game should at least still be respected.
7. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
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The Warriors swept the Pelicans in the opening round of the playoffs. Anthony Davis played in just four games, the least of any player on this list.
Yet, here he is, seventh in the rankings despite not securing a single win for his team. How can that be?
Well, for starters, the 22-year-old averaged 31.5 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists per game. He is the playoff leader in points per game, minutes per game (43.0) and player efficiency rating (28.3).
Davis was severely outmanned against the 67-win Warriors but managed to single-handedly keep the Pelicans alive in every game.
He only sat for 26 minutes in the entire series, but in that time, the Pelicans posted an abysmal net rating of minus-15, per NBA.com.
He went for 36 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in Game 4, giving everything he had to give New Orleans just one more game. It wasn't enough, but his gritty, at times inhuman performance against the 67-win Warriors inspired excitement in the basketball masses and fear among the 29 other NBA teams that will have to deal with him in the coming years.
As far as first playoff showings go, Davis' was among the best, despite not getting that magical W. Be assured, there will be many, many W's in his future.
6. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
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Another superstar in the making, Jimmy Butler emerged as the Bulls' most important player this season. That didn't change in the playoffs.
He averaged 42.3 minutes per game, second among all players, trailing only Anthony Davis, who played eight less games than the budding Bulls star.
Jimmy Buckets ranks among the top 11 in win shares (fourth), win shares per 48 (seventh), player efficiency rating (11th) and box plus/minus (11th).
In the past, Chicago went as Derrick Rose went, but the team is Butler's now, as its fate is intertwined with his play, for better or worse. When Butler wasn't playing his best, or wasn't playing at all, Chicago was a completely different team.
The Bulls posted a net rating of minus-7.7 in the 80 minutes Butler didn't play this postseason but were plus-4.0 with him on the floor, per NBA.com.
Butler did it all for Chicago. He guarded the other team's best players, LeBron included, and carried the offensive burden from night to night, especially as Derrick Rose struggled to find consistency and Pau Gasol dealt with hamstring issues in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Cleveland.
Despite the disappointing loss to Cleveland, Butler will get his max contract this summer. After the season he had, he deserves every penny.
5. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
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Since he entered the NBA in 2010, it's always seemed like Blake Griffin could never do enough.
All he did was dunk. Then he expanded his game, becoming a better playmaker and passer, except he wasn't rebounding enough. Then he developed an outside shot and dangerous mid-range game, except he relied on that far too often.
It seemed like there was no winning for him, despite the subtle improvements he made each season.
Well, this postseason showed the basketball world what Griffin has been working toward for five years: total domination on the basketball court.
Everything Griffin was asked to do he did. And more.
The Blake Show averaged 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game, numbers that all ranked among the top 10 this postseason. The only other player to do that? A dude named LeBron James.
Griffin also has the same number of win shares (2.1) as James, which is a testament to his overall impact on the game.
It was incredible to watch Griffin perform this postseason. One moment he was Shawn Kemp, vociferously dunking on the opposition and embarrassing them at every turn. The next he was Magic Johnson, leading a break down the court and dishing perfect alley-oops to DeAndre Jordan and Matt Barnes and whomever else ended up as his running mate.
Then, all of a sudden, he was Karl Malone, using his beautiful footwork, hulking body and sweet mid-range stroke to abuse the defense.
He followed up his 24-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist Game 7 triple-double against San Antonio with a 26-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple-double in Game 1 against Houston as an injured Chris Paul looked on from the bench.
Griffin endured some late-game issues in the Houston series, losing some costly turnovers and making a few questionable mistakes, but it's difficult to find much fault with what he did in these playoffs, especially when you consider that Los Angeles was basically lost anytime he stepped off the court.
The end was inglorious, but there was plenty of amazing tucked into Griffin's 14-game postseason performance to earn him a spot in the top five of these rankings.
4. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
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The Chris Paul narrative will continue until he finally reaches the pinnacle we all believe he deserves to reach, but despite another frustrating end to his season, he put up a playoff performance for the ages.
The 30-year-old was a maestro in the Clippers' first-round series against the defending champion Spurs. He beautifully conducted the Clippers through a brutal test, keeping his team's composure even after Game 3's 27-point blowout loss in San Antonio.
Save for that one disaster, Paul averaged 25.3 points, 8.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and two steals per game. He clawed the Clippers back from a 3-2 deficit and delivered the Game 7 coup de grace with his floating bank shot over Tim Duncan to seal the victory.
Paul had to miss the first two games of the Houston series due to a hamstring injury he suffered in that Game 7—oh, yeah, he basically put up 27 points and the game-winner on one leg—returning in Game 3 as a lesser version of himself.
Though dealing with the injury all series, he still put up 21.2 points, 10 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He wasn't 100 percent, but even so the Clippers should have closed out the Rockets when they were up 3-1.
It will be another lasting tarnish on the divisive legacy of CP3, but there's no denying the excellence of the man who has long staked claim to the title of "Point God."
Paul finished the playoffs second in win shares per 48 (.284), third in win shares (2.3) and fifth in box plus/minus (plus-7.6).
His detractors will likely focus on the second-round collapse, glancing over his first-round heroics and unfortunate injury.
Paul turned in some of his finest playoff performances ever; unfortunately for CP3 and L.A., it just wasn't enough.
3. James Harden, Houston Rockets
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James Harden will never be loved like Steph Curry.
He is adored in Houston, worshiped by fans outfitted in faux beards and chef hats. But, for the most part, outside of Texas, he is a villain in much the same way his partner Dwight Howard is, albeit for different reasons.
Some people don't respect the way Harden plays the game, with his lax attitude toward defense and propensity for drawing fouls rather than getting up the best possible shot. Whatever people believe he is, or want to believe he is, the truth is this: He is a talented basketball player who is capable of doing incredible things on a basketball court.
Harden averaged 27.2 points, 7.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during the postseason. He ranks second in win shares (2.6), trailing only the man who beat him for MVP, and finished in the top 10 in player efficiency rating (sixth), box plus/minus (sixth) and win shares per 48 (10th).
He scored at least 30 points in five games, including his masterful 45-point Game 4 performance against the Warriors, which kept Houston's season alive for one more game.
Harden's 13-turnover Game 5 performance will live with him for a long time, but it would be unfair to boil The Beard's incredible postseason down to one rough night.
LeBron has had those. Kobe has had those. Jordan has had those. Every legend has met adversity; it's something of a prerequisite to greatness.
By all indications, Harden is well on his way to greatness.
He is still just 25 years old and has several years of playing in his prime left. Those 13 turnovers will haunt Harden, but they'll also drive him to new heights.
For the rest of the NBA, that's a terrifying thought.
2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Here we are again. Another year, another LeBron James-led team in the NBA Finals.
For five consecutive years—the most by any player since the Bill Russell-era Boston Celtics—LeBron has competed for basketball's biggest prize. He's the world's greatest player, possibly the greatest athletic talent the NBA has ever seen and one of the biggest names in the entire world.
The Cavaliers have been decimated by injury. Kevin Love is lost for the rest of the playoffs with a dislocated shoulder. Kyrie Irving has been hampered by knee tendinitis and playing at less than 100 percent. Iman Shumpert has played through a nagging groin issue.
It doesn't matter—not when LeBron is around.
He's always been his team's Atlas, shouldering the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. At first the burden seemed to drag on him, as the crown he proclaimed to wear in high school weighed him down every May and June.
But the Cleveland 2.0 version of LeBron is older, wiser and better. Even the King believes this is the greatest iteration of himself we've ever seen.
"I think if you put it all together, yeah," James told ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin on Monday. "If you put everything together as far as my mind, my body, my game. If you put everything in one bottle, this is probably the best I've been."
The numbers only strengthen that argument.
James is averaging 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, the only player besides Blake Griffin to rank among the top 10 in all three categories this postseason.
He ranks second in box plus/minus (minus-9.7), fourth in player efficiency rating (24.8) and sixth in win shares (6.1). His 42.8 percent field-goal percentage is his worst since the 2008 playoffs, but he's more than made up for that with timely shots and big plays in the biggest moments, like his Game 4 game-winner against Chicago.
He's had epic LeBron performances—37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta, an overtime win for Cleveland—and classic displays of his superior athletic prowess.
This is a hungry LeBron, one reeling from an NBA Finals beatdown at the hands of the Spurs last season. San Antonio left him bloodied, battered and embarrassed, but he's back now, poised for a third title in five seasons.
Only one team—and one man—can stand in his way...
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
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Steph Curry is on the cusp of the perfect season.
He's been named MVP of the league. His Warriors have won 67 games, a franchise record and a total that ties them for the sixth-most in NBA history.
He is the playoff leader in win shares (3.1), win shares per 48 (.260), and box plus/minus (plus-9.7), and is second in player efficiency rating (26.4) and points per game (29.2).
He has already set the NBA's single-postseason record for made three-pointers with 73 and counting.
He endured a terrifying tumble over Trevor Ariza in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, only to return for Golden State's next game and finish Houston off with 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.
The Baby-Faced Assassin moniker has become something of a silly cliche at this point, but honestly, if there's one word for Wardell Stephen Curry on the hardwood, it's assassin.
In Golden State's three closeout games this postseason, he is averaging 33.3 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 assists and two steals per game while knocking down 17 of 32 three-pointers. If Curry smells your blood, you might as well be in a tank with Jaws, because you're not getting out alive.
He is the only thing standing between LeBron James and title No. 3. Possibly the most unlikely superstar in NBA history, Curry has the chance to complete one of the most epic seasons in NBA history by denying the King another crown.
Should Curry end this season on the NBA's Iron Throne, the basketball world might just have to bow down to a new king.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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