The 2007 playoffs are underway and have already provided excitement. LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Melo, Nash, Dirk, T-Mac, Kidd, Duncan, AI and Shaq were all on display this weekend. The NBA stars come to light in the playoffs, but it is the role players who use playoff time to showcase their skills and earn their own spot in the limelight. This weekend we saw the emergence of future stars Luol Deng, Deron Williams, Leandro Barbosa, and Devin Harris.
On Saturday afternoon Chicago's Luol Deng introduced himself to the casual NBA viewer.
If you watch pro basketball, or even college basketball, you should have known about Luol Deng. Anyone who goes to Duke on a basketball scholarship is obviously talented. Deng who is from the dinka tribe - the same tribe as NBA great Manute Bol - wants to prove that the Sudan can produce a player who has more game than just height and shot-blocking. Deng does it all on the court. He has improved his averages each season since entering the league in 2004 as the 7th overall pick. Deng has the ability to score (over 17 per game), get rebounds (7.2 per), make smart passes (2.1 assists per), shoot well from the field (51.7%) and line (77.7%) as well as shut down the opposing teams best player. His 33 points on Saturday was his second highest output of the season (Deng had 38 vs Portland on March 26th). The Bulls, who have built through the draft, are known for having great guard play with Kirk Hinrich (7th overall in 2003), Chris Duhan (28th overall in 2004) and Ben Gordon (3rd overall in 2004). This is all without mentioning this years "free" draft pick Thabo Sefolosha who will attempt to shut down Wade again in Game two, Tuesday at 7 on TNT.
Utah didn't win game one on Saturday against Houston, but they shouldn't be worried.
After barely missing the playoffs last season, Utah hopes to take advantage of having improved chemistry and more maturity. Deron Williams has only been in the league for 2 years, but he already looks like a seasoned vet. His calm and collected leadership allows the Jazz to function smoothly on offense. Saturday was a perfect example of why Deron Williams went 3rd overall in the 2005 NBA draft. Against the Rockets in Game 1, Williams didn't appear like a playoff virgin. Although the Rockets took game 1, Williams had an outstanding indivdual performance. Only 3 players have ever recorded a triple double in their first ever post-season game, and Williams almost became the 4th Saturday. LeBron James had 31, 11 and 11 in his debut last season. The two others: Magic Johnson in 1980 and Johnny McCarthy in 1960. Williams missed a triple-double by 1 assist and 1 rebound (Williams finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists). The Jazz need another solid game from Williams, as they try to even the series TONIGHT in Houston at 9:30 pm ET on TNT.
The Suns outlasted the Lakers Sunday with the help from 6th man of the year candidate Leandro Barbosa.
Barbosa was excellent scoring a playoff career high 26 points. It wasn't the amount of points that Barbosa scored that made an impact on the game, it was his ability to use his speed to slice the defense. Barbosa is known as the "Brazilian blur" because he often runs right past defenders with his blazing speed. It showed Sunday as he continuously ran down loose balls, penetrated into the paint and used back door cuts to get open lay-ups. Since the Suns have so many different scoring options, Barbosa benefits. Barbosa has the ability to get points because defenders are hesitant to leave their man to help out. To beat L.A., the Suns will need players like Barbosa, James Jones and Kurt Tomas to step up for a very short Phoenix bench. There wasn't a question of seeds yesterday when the Suns took over the game late, outscoring the Lakers 21-10 in the 4th quarter. Game 2 is Tuesday at 10:30 ET on TNT.
Even though it was Baron Davis who stood out and Golden State took game 1, Dallas's Devin Harris seemed to keep the Mavericks from getting blown out.
Dirk didn't exactly make 'Dirk 4 MVP' supporters look very smart Sunday. Despite the loss, the Mavericks should bounce back thanks to players like Devin Harris. Time after time I watched Harris drive down the lane and lay in an easy bucket. Harris scored 19 points, had 2 assists and 2 steals along with 3 rebounds off the bench last night. Harris was picked 5th overall in 2004 by the Washington Wizards (2 picks before Deng) but was traded to Dallas as part of the Antwaan Jamison deal. Much like Barbosa, Harris has incredible speed and puts defenders on their heels almost every possession. Dallas will try to even the series in game two Wednesday.
The playoffs are where legends are born. It is during a heated game 7 that heroes arise. Veteran players who are already established studs - like Kobe and Iverson - are expected to step up in crunch time. Role players fighting for minutes can make a name for themselves by over-performing in the post-season. Bailing out Michael Jordan in crucial playoff moments gave star-power to role players like John Paxon and Steve Kerr. In the playoffs, being at the right place at the right time is important, but having the intelligence to make the right decision or knock down the key shot can propel players to infamy.
Deng, Williams, Barbosa and Harris are all players who could come up big for title contending teams.
No comments:
Post a Comment