NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference X-Factors
Now that the full 8-team playoff field in the Eastern Conference has been set (and the matchups too, unlike in the wild and crazy Western Conference), it's time to take a look at who some of the most important players in the playoffs will be.
But this list will not include the likes of, Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Paul Pierce or Dwight Howard.
We're looking deeper, at who each team's "X-Factor" will be. Who is the most important secondary player that can lead each given team to a deep playoff run? Find out by clicking through...
Indiana Pacers X-Factor: Tyler Hansbrough/Josh McRoberts
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Pyscho T and McRoberts come from rival schools, but they're very similar players. McRoberts is more athletic than Hansbrough is, and Hansbrough has more scoring touch, but they are both primarily energy players. They'll have the tough assignment of defending either Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, or Taj Gibson, depending on how coach Frank Vogel decides to match up.
They'll also have to contribute on the offensive end, because outside of Danny Granger, the Pacers don't really have much in the way of scoring prowess.
Hansbrough has flashed the ability to put up big scoring numbers (mostly against the Knicks, but also against some other teams), and McRoberts has the ability to bring the crowd to it's feet with his athleticism.
Their responsibilities defensively may be even more important, because it will be nearly impossible to have a great offensive game against Chicago.
Philadelphia 76ers X-Factor: Thaddeus Young
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Young is the first man off the bench for Doug Collins' squad, and he's been one of the better 6th men in the league this season. He sports averages of 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with a PER of 18.42.
He'll defend both LeBron James and Chris Bosh at different points in the series, and that's where he'll be most important. Letting any one of Miami's Big 3 get into a rhythm is basically a death sentence for whoever they're playing, and Young will be one of the lucky few who tries to prevent it.
Young has been playing especially well of late, averaging 16.0 points and 5.4 rebounds a night over the last 10 games while shooting 52.6%. He'll need to keep up that type of efficiency if the 76ers will have any hope of extending their series against the Heat further than just 4 games.
New York Knicks X-Factor: Toney Douglas
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Toney Douglas may actually be the secondary player who is most important to his team's success out of all of them. He's not only the Knicks' 4rd leading scorer since they traded for Carmelo Anthony (behind Melo, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Chauncey Billups), but he's also their best defender, period.
Douglas' hot shooting needs to continue if the Knicks are going to take out the Celtics in round 1. He's made more 3 pointers than anyone else in the NBA since the All-Star break, and he's second to only Melo in the last month.
He stepped his game up in March, averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 44% from the field and 42.6% from 3. He decided to then outdo himself so far in April, posting averages of 16.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 45.8% from the field and 45.7% from 3 point territory.
Even more than scoring though, he'll be counted on to make sure the Knicks offense runs correctly when Chauncey Billups is out of the game. The Knicks sometimes have a tendency to stall and not concentrate on their ball movement when Billups takes a seat.
His impact will be felt even more strongly on the defensive end of the floor, where he'll be counted on at different times to defend both Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Because Chauncey Billups just isn't fast enough to cover Rondo all game, Douglas will see significant minutes alongside him as a 2-guard, while also playing alongside either Landry Fields or Anthony Carter as a traditional point guard.
His activity level on the perimeter could cause some problems for the Celtics. Playing off Rajon Rondo and forcing him to shoot jumpers is usually the best strategy, but you can also frustrate him by having someone pester him up and down the court.
Douglas will also be tasked with chasing Ray Allen around screens, no small task.
Atlanta Hawks X-Factor: Jamal Crawford
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Crawford is one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA, capable of going off for 30 or 40 points on any given night. He also is the all-time leader in 4-point plays, which is cool.
Priority number one for the Hawks in the first round will be to shut down Dwight Howard, and that's no easy task. But they'll also have to score enough to be able to keep up with the Magic offense.
Last year remember, they got blown out of the building four straight times against the Magic in the first round of the playoffs. Crawford has to outplay his counterpart on the Magic bench, Gilbert Arenas, in order for the Hawks to be successful this year.
Orlando Magic X-Factor: Hedo Turkoglu
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Turkoglu was arguably the Magic's second-best player in their run to the NBA Finals just 2 years ago. But then he left Orlando for greener (play on words) pastures in Toronto, where he struggled, to say the last.
He was unceremoniously shipped off the Phoenix prior to this season, and guess what? He struggled there too.
He's been a little better since coming back to the Magic in a trade that also brought in Jason Richardson, but he's not nearly playing at the level he was a couple years ago.
Other than Dwight Howard, he's the most important player to this team's success. His ability to handle the ball in pick and roll situations, and to step out and hit the 3, make's the Magic offense that much harder to guard.
If you can't double down on Dwight, and have to respect Hedo's jumper off of screens, you can't really stop the Magic from scoring at all.
Boston Celtics X-Factor: The O'Neals
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Unfortunately, we've seen a lot more of both Shaquille and Jermaine O'Neal in street clothes this season than we have seen them in Boston Celtics jerseys. The Knicks really have no centers to speak of, so if these two can actually get on (and stay on) the court, it will provide Boston with a tremendous advantage inside.
They can help Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis in providing 12 more fouls to use against Amar'e Stoudemire. They can shore up the Celtics newfound rebounding deficiencies. They can help protect the paint against Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups' forays to the rim.
If these two can't get on the court and provide quality minutes, Danny Ainge is going to have a really hard time trading away not only Kendrick Perkins, but Semih Erden and Luke Harangody as well.
KG is getting up there in age, Big Baby is undersized, and Jeff Green was traded away from the Thunder because he couldn't really stick with opposing big men. What will the Celtics do if Amar'e Stoudemire starts having his way? They'll need the O'Neals on the court to provide an imposing presence.
The Celtics have kind of lost their identity since Perkins was traded away. He was the one who really backed up all their tough talk with action and menace on the court. Getting these two back will go a long way towards helping the Cs regain their swagger and confidence.
Miami Heat X-Factor: Everyone Not Name LeBron, Dwyane or Chris
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We all knew before the season that the Heat's playoff success could be determined by their supporting cast.
The Big 3 left just enough cap space open for Pat Riley to sign MIke Miller, Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Juwan Howard, and Erick Dampier, and to bring it MIke Bibby. Now is the time to see if those guys can get it done.
Chicago Bulls X-Factor: Omer Asik
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Right about now you're probably mouthing to yourself, "Who?" And that's understandable. But Asik provides the Bulls with the most important advantage in the Eastern Conference.
When Boston traded away Kendrick Perkins and Semih Erden, they left the Bulls alone at the top as the one team who had a strong and deep front line. Looking to the other Eastern Conference contenders, nobody else has a top 4 big men that can match up with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Asik, and Taj Gibson.
Chicago's defense is amongst the best in the league for a reason, and Asik and Gibson are that reason. They are next to impossible to score on.
If Asik can provide 15 minutes a night of good defense and solid rebounding, it will go a long way towards the Bulls extending their streak of winning the NBA Finals every time they have won 60 games in the regular season.
