NBA Playoffs: LeBron James and the 10 Best Players Left in NBA Playoffs
Half of the NBA Playoff field has been eliminated. The conference semifinals start today.
Great players like Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and LaMarcus Aldridge are all players that would make great cases on the top 10 players heading into the postseason list.
Those players are all gone so who are the 10 best players remaining in the NBA Playoffs?
No 10: Joe Johnson
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Johnson seems to be underrated every single season. He has played very well with the Hawks and has created a buzz in the ATL.
Most suspected that the Hawks wouldn't have a chance against Orlando after they lost to them 4-0 in last year's playoffs. The fact is that the Magic are a much different team than a year ago. Now that the Hawks beat the Magic, the Bulls are up next.
Jamal Crawford and Johnson carried the Hawks against the Magic. Johnson is more of a complete player.
Johnson averaged 18 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against the Magic.
He averaged 18.2 points, 4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in the regular season.
No 9: Zach Randolph
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Randolph jumped onto the national scene in the Spurs series. In reality, he has been able to score throughout his whole career. Some years have been up and down, but he can score with the best of them.
He isn't the most athletic guy but can flat out play the game of basketball.
The Grizzlies are a team that have played great this season and Randolph is one of the biggest reasons why.
Randolph put up 21.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game against the Spurs.
He averaged 20.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the regular season.
No 8: Rajon Rondo
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Rondo seems to be overlooked when people talk about the best point guards in the NBA. I always shake my head at those people because when we talk about true point guards, not many people facilitate like Rondo does.
He especially loves playing in the postseason. Not only can he dish assists, but he can rebound, score and get steals.
He isn't the greatest shooter, but if he is hitting his jumper, he might be the best player in the league. The problem is that he rarely is hitting his shots when he takes them.
Nevertheless, Rondo puts up triple-doubles in the playoffs at a higher rate than most.
Rondo put up 19 points, 7.3 rebounds and 12 assists per game against the Knicks.
He averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game in the regular season.
No 7: Paul Pierce
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The Celtics have plenty of leaders on their squad. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are definitely the main leaders on the team.
Pierce has the playoff and championship experience that some players on this list do not have. Although, he may be getting older as the years go by, his game is still there.
Of course, the production may be down from previous seasons. This doesn't mean he isn't one of the better players left in the playoffs, though.
If it is a one-on-one situation late in the game, Pierce will generally get the nod.
Pierce put up 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game against the Knicks.
He averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game during the season.
No 6: Dirk Nowitzki
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Dirk is a very underrated player. Although, I can't blame people for putting that on him. Unlike some other great stars in this league, he is just your typical jump shooter. The NBA hasn't seen a player like Nowitzki before. He is 7'0" and can shoot the lights out.
I don't have him ranked as high as others because I would rather have the ball in Jason Terry's hands at the end of the game. Terry loves the clutch and generally comes through.
Dirk puts up great scoring/rebound numbers which is deserving to be high on this list. He is missing that one piece to the pie, though, and that is an NBA Championship ring.
Dirk put up 27.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game against Portland.
He averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during the season.
No: 5 Dwyane Wade
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Wade has won a championship with the Heat in his career so he knows what it takes to get to the top. He deserves to get the ball late in games for the Heat, not LeBron.
He may not have the greatest numbers with the final shot this season, but he has generally came through in years past.
Some people think that the Heat are his team, not LeBron's. I tend to agree with that. He is like Paul Pierce, he was the original member of the team, comes through late and is the leader of the team.
Although he may not get as much love as LeBron's numbers, he still is one of the best players in the NBA.
Wade put up 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game against the 76ers in the opening round.
He averaged 25.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the regular season.
No 4: Derrick Rose
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Rose will be named the MVP of the league and it will be well deserved. He has really turned it up for the postseason thus far, too.
He doesn't have other stars on his team like Boston, LA, OKC or Miami, but has done it alone on a solid basketball team.
His Bulls will play the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Everybody thought the Bulls would play Orlando (including me) but we were all wrong. Take it how you may, the Bulls will be tested more than people think.
People knock down Rose for his inability to shoot from outside which is warranted, but he can get to the rim better than anybody aside from James, and he is closer than people think to him.
Rose put up 27.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game against Indiana in the opening round.
He averaged 25 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game during the regular season.
No 3: LeBron James
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LeBron gets criticism that is deserved for not being clutch down the stretch. He is still one of the greatest players in NBA history with his ability to slash to the basket.
He is unbelievable through three and a half quarters. He attacks the basket to score and find open teammates constantly.
If he could either learn to score late or just give the ball to Wade, the Heat will be in good shape against the Celtics. But, you would have to believe that they are going to be in some close games against Boston so we will see how or if they adjust.
He averaged 24.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in round one.
He averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7 assists per game in the regular season.
No 2: Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant proved this last series that he is not only a great player but a star player. He went off for over 40 points twice against the Nuggets. He completely took over game 5 in Oklahoma City, scoring at will against Nuggets defenders.
Unlike James, Durant seems to love big moments late in games. He thrives on hitting clutch shots late. That may be because he is a much better shooter than James will ever be in his career. He isn't afraid of the moment.
He scored 32.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in round one.
He averaged 27.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during the season which are worthy of MVP talks.
No 1: Kobe Bryant
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This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. Kobe Bryant is still the best player in the league. He and the Lakers are looking for their third straight title.
It is mind-boggling to me that this guy has only one MVP trophy. He is the type of guy that wants to make people pay for over looking him, and he has held this thought process throughout his career.
He is averaging 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game so far in the playoffs.
He averaged 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this year.
He is the guy who is willing and wants to bury teams late in games. That is just one of the biggest reasons he is on top of my list.
Kobe Bryant, still the best player in the world.
