NBA Playoffs 2011: 'Melo vs. Pierce and 10 Most Intriguing 1st-Round Matchups
Good teams qualify for the playoffs. Elite teams make runs in those playoffs. And great teams stand atop the rest at the end of it all.
Teams win championships. The burden of seven-game series after seven-game series—not to mention the grueling 82-game season that precedes the dance—is too much for an individual or even a few individuals to win a championship by themselves.
But great individual matchups create great NBA playoff drama. The NBA is a league of superstar individuals and this is the time of year where fans can reap the benefit of watching these masters of the hardwood square off.
These individual battles appear almost as exciting as the team matchups themselves.
So before reading too much into how great any specific series will be (Denver-Oklahoma City, anyone?), take comfort in knowing that these great head-to-head battles will feature at least one of the following matchups.
10. Tony Parker vs. Mike Conley
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When you think of the San Antonio Spurs, your thought process might go something like: Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich, Manu Ginobili, dynasty, David Robinson, Eva Longoria (even after the divorce) and subsequently Tony Parker.
Think of the Grizzlies and it's Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, O.J. Mayo, fights on airplanes, the return of Shane Battier and then Mike Conley.
In other words, this is not the sexiest matchup in terms of name recognition.
But these two will combine for tremendous game management and one of these two will lead his club to an opening-round series win.
With Ginobili's health still uncertain heading into the series opener, the emphasis on backcourt scoring and offensive creativity rests largely on Parker's shoulders. His career 18.7 points and 4.9 assists in 132 postseason contests suggest that he's more than ready for the increased responsibility.
Conley, on the other hand, is set to play his first postseason basketball since guiding his Ohio State Buckeyes to the NCAA championship game in 2007. And while some have questioned his abilities, he's evolved into one of the better young point guards in the game.
Conley has increased his scoring, assists and steals in each of his four seasons (13.7, 6.5 and 1.8 this year) and could be primed for a breakout introduction to NBA fans who sleep on his Grizzlies.
9. Jason Richardson vs. Joe Johnson
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In terms of individual accolades and national recognition, these two couldn't be farther apart.
Johnson has been to five consecutive All-Star games and inked a max deal over the offseason to stay in Atlanta.
Richardson, meanwhile, has yet to make an All-Star appearance and has no contract for next season.
In terms of athleticism and offensive prowess, however, these two are very similar.
Richardson's averaged 18.0 points for his career while Johnson's averaged 17.7. Richardson's pulled down 5.1 rebounds and swiped 1.2 steals to Johnson's 4.2 and 1.0, respectively. Richardson's the slightly better three-point shooter (37.3 to 36.6) while Johnson's fared better from the charity stripe (79.3 to 71.1).
Both players can finish at the rim, struggle with consistent defensive effort and are better spot-up shooters than slashers.
So, why watch two jump shooters? Because these two can flat out shoot the basketball. Either player is capable of going off for 35-plus and both possess the offensive firepower to shoot their team into Round 2.
8. Emeka Okafor and Carl Landry vs. Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol
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With all signs pointing to Bynum being healthy enough for this first-round matchup, Okafor and Landry appear to be as outmatched as (insert Eastern Conference team here) vs. the Spurs and Lakers over the last decade.
The Lakers' length is unmatched in the NBA and while the Hornets possess one of the better frontcourt combos in the NBA, David West's torn ACL showed how fragile an NBA franchise can be.
This is not taking anything away from Landry, but he is who we thought he was: one of the NBA's best reserve big men.
He's a hustler who knows how to utilize his 6'9", 248-pound frame.
But there's the key to this matchup: Landry's 6'9" frame trying to contain the 7'0" Gasol or the 6'10" Odom.
And while Okafor has developed into one of the game's premier, physical centers, he's still giving up two inches and 30 pounds to Bynum.
The Hornets' bigs have the talent to compete with the Lakers bigs but LA's size advantage (as is so often the case) could keep the Hornets from having even a puncher's chance in this series.
7. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari vs. Kevin Durant
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The Thunder are led by one of the NBA's most exciting young stars—a back-to-back scoring champ staking his claim for the league's best player.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, have about as much star power as a cast of VH1's Celebrity Rehab.
The Thunder were hoping to build on the two wins the young squad captured from the eventual champion L.A. Lakers. The Nuggets were trying to simply survive the 'Melo drama that followed the club for the majority of the season.
So, how does that matchup look on paper? Durant has the ability to change the game on both ends of the floor and can score at will in a variety of ways.
For the Nuggets, it determines which of the myriad of lineups coach George Karl decides to trot out. Chandler and Gallinari both have been great in flashes (Chandler averaged 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and Gallinari had 14.7 points and 5.4 rebounds in their time with the Nuggets) but neither has shown the consistency to put it all together.
Gallinari can be a great shooter (37.6 percent from three-point in his career) and is an underrated playmaker with the ball in his hands.
Chandler has a steady midrange jumper and thrives when attacking the basket (a career 45.1 field-goal percentage) who has the length and athleticism to bother Durant.
The pace and style of play will largely determine who George feels comfortable with as this could be the matchup of the series.
6. Luol Deng vs. Danny Granger
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On paper there appears to be two sure things that will surface in the Chicago-Indiana series: Derrick Rose will be Derrick Rose (he is the odds-on favorite MVP after all) and the Indiana Pacers should struggle to score (the Pacers shot just 44.2 percent from the field this season—fifth worst in the NBA—while the Bulls held opponents to a league-best 43 percent).
If the Pacers do indeed struggle to score, one would think they'll need all of the offense that their star, Granger can give them. Granger's stats (career 18.2 points and 5.3 rebounds) aren't indicative of his skill set.
His career shooting percentages of 44.2 for field goals, 38.5 for three-pointers and 84.4 for free throws highlight his tremendous shooting ability. But it's his ability to attack the basket on the dribble and use his 6'8", 230-pound frame to score from the post that makes him a matchup nightmare for most teams.
Deng, meanwhile, is the overlooked, underappreciated Chicago star who can make this team great. He's a prototypical do-it-all small forward (he tallied 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals) who added an impressive 34.5 percent shooting from three-point land, despite having more attempts this season (333) than his first six seasons combined (327).
Any serious push from the Pacers will have to come from tremendous play from Granger.
A good series from Deng should be all the Bulls need to put away Granger and the Pacers.
5. Amare Stoudemire vs. Kevin Garnett
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This matchup really highlights everything great about the NBA playoffs.
Offense vs. defense. Championship experience vs. a ragtag team with less than two months to prepare for the playoffs.
It just had to be Boston and New York, right?
Stoudemire and Garnett are almost as similar as they are different (trust me, it makes sense). They are as frustrating as they are valuable.
For Stoudemire, his value comes in his explosive offensive repertoire. He has the athleticism to blow past his defenders and the strength to finish at the rim when he gets there. His 25.3 points per game this season were the second most of his career.
But the frustration with Stoudemire has been the lack of consistency in the other facets of the game. Despite a 6'10", 240-pound frame with that strength/athleticism combination, he's never averaged double-digit rebounds and has only averaged two blocks once in his nine seasons.
Garnett, meanwhile, was able to change the culture of an organization with his energy and defensive intensity. A perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Garnett's career saw an eight-year stretch of at least 11 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
But fans' frustration with him stems from his diagnosis with Rasheed Wallace disease. His size (6'11", 250 lbs.), strength and post moves make him nearly unguardable on the block. But he avoids the post like Stoudemire avoids defense, opting instead for a somewhat reliable midrange jumper.
4. LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Dirk Nowitzki
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LaMarcus Aldridge had a rough season, to say the least. And no, his own play had nothing to do with it.
Aldridge lost his counterpart (Brandon Roy) for the majority of the season and then received word that the budding superstar's knees would keep him from reaching those levels again. He then watched a talented, but very inconsistent, group surround him.
The Blazers, in turn, looked great at times and were painful to watch at others.
The Blazers play great team basketball but will need Aldridge to continue his impressive breakout season. Portland will need at least a repeat of the should-have-been-an-All-Star's career-best 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds to pull off the popular pick (though not mine) for a first-round upset.
Nowitzki's season, meanwhile, really couldn't have gone much better. Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson continued to surround the offensively gifted Nowitzki with defense-first teammates to mask his deficiencies on that end of the floor.
For the Mavericks to advance, they'll need the 50-40-90 club member to continue his efficient offense. And his postseason career percentages of 45.8, 37.4 and 88.4 suggest that he will.
3. Russell Westbrook vs. Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton
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If you haven't set up your DVR to record this whole series, do it now.
While the health of the Nuggets dynamic duo at the point guard position is yet to be determined (both Lawson and Felton have tweaked an ankle in the past week), the options that the two give Karl are a coach's dream.
Felton was on his way to becoming a great game manager with the Knicks (averaging 17.1 points and 9.0 assists to 3.26 turnovers) before his minutes were cut after arriving in Denver (11.5 points and 6.5 assists to 2.1 turnovers).
Lawson has shown he's more than just another lightning-quick point guard of the 2009 draft class, as he connected on 40.4 percent of his three-pointers and kept his turnovers to less than two per game despite logging over 26 minutes a night.
Westbrook's story has been a little more publicized (he earned his first All-Star trip this season) but in case you haven't heard it, here's the CliffsNotes version:
Drafted as a defensive specialist and gifted athlete, the Thunder have seen their young point guard increase his scoring and assists in each of his three seasons (21.9 and 8.2 this season) and increase his three-point percentage by 11 points since last year.
Westbrook can match Lawson's quickness, but hasn't mastered the point guard position quite like the more experienced Felton has (his 3.85 turnovers are hard to ignore). Still, Westbrook's the most talented of the three.
Luckily for Karl and Denver, though, they've got options.
2. Andre Iguodala vs. LeBron James
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This matchup might be the least exciting for the NBA's casual fan.
But for NBA purists, this should have everything.
It's going to be ugly. It's going to be physical. Though both are offensively gifted, each will struggle to crack 25 points.
According to their NBA.com bios, James has two inches and 40 pounds on Iguodala. Watch the two battle and it's hard to tell who has the size advantage.
James' numbers, expected to take such a dip after joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh over the offseason, were as impressive as ever. Averaging over 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, James remains the game's best chance to average a triple-double in a season.
But Iguodala is probably the league's next-best chance. His 14.1 points were his lowest output since 2005-06, but he took further control of the 76ers offense and dished a career-best 6.3 assists.
1. Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony
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For as much defense as the James-Iguodala match should provide, Pierce-Anthony should give in jaw-dropping offense.
With two of the quickest first steps in the game, this matchup is sure to feature strong drives to the basket, underrated three-point shooting and some of the best midrange jumpers in today's NBA.
Some may argue that Boston is Garnett's team or Rondo's team, but the Celtics are, and have been, Pierce's team. The former Jayhawk brings a swagger and confidence that has helped bring Boston to the NBA's peak.
Pierce shot a career-best 49.7 percent from the field—part of his always consistent 18.9 points. His 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists are right in line with his career averages, highlighting how he's still as dynamic as ever.
As for Anthony, he's managed to avoid letting the drama in Denver or New York's relentless media impact his productivity. His 25.6 points trailed only Durant and James and he led all of the top five in three-point shooting (37.8 percent).
The Knicks will need all the offense Anthony can give to crack Boston's overwhelming defense, while Pierce will help the Celtics efforts containing New York's potent three.
