The 2014 NBA
Playoffs have given us, arguably, the best first round so far, what with five
series going the full seven games and the lower seeded or “weaker” teams
surprising fans and quashing experts’ predictions left and right. Simply put,
the past few weeks of postseason action have been nothing short of awesome.
In this first
of two parts, I will present five of the current Top 10 players in the 2014 NBA
Playoffs. This will be based on the players’ stats for their first round games.
They are ranked according to Player Efficiency for that duration of time only.
In this
list, we will find the sixth till tenth-best players so far in the postseason. It’s
a pretty interesting bunch, highlighted by a sweet shooting PF, two explosive
PGs, a center who has come into his own, and the league’s would-be MVP.
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| All these guys have given us reason to feel giddy in the Playoffs. |
Note: All of the following stats are based on each
player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on May 5,
2014 (Manila time).
10. Paul Millsap (ATL) - 19.4ppg, 10.9rpg, 2.9apg,
1.4spg, 1.9bpg, 1.3 triples per game, 23.1 EFF
Come on.
Admit it. You didn’t give the Hawks a dead man’s chance of advancing past the
first round or even forcing a Game 7, right? Oh, but, man, they put a mighty
scare in the Pacers’ hearts. Millsap was just so good he made everyone forget
that Al Horford wasn’t around. He is, in fact, the only guy on this list who
literally does everything – scores, rebounds, passes, steals, blocks, and makes
threes. #Wow
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| Paul Millsap has played more like Kevin Love for ATl. (image by Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images) |
9. Steph Curry (GSW) - 23.0ppg, 3.6rpg, 8.4apg,
1.7spg, 3.1 triples per game, .881 FT%, 23.1 EFF
Curry won
his personal match-up with Chris Paul, but, in the end, it was CP3 who had the
last laught with a huge come-from-behind Game 7 triumph. Still, Curry doesn’t
have anything to be ashamed of. He had a terrific season, and he gave fans a
helluva first round series. There were times we questioned his shot selection,
but there were also times we just shook our heads and said, “How the hell did
he make that turnaround, fadeaway, double-clutch three over entire downtown Los
Angeles?!”
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| Steph Curry speeds past Chris Paul and goes up for this runner. (image by Mark J. Terrill/AP) |
8. Russell Westbrook (OKC) -
25.6ppg, 9.7rpg, 8.0apg, 1.6spg, 1.4 triples per game, 25.0 EFF
Like Curry,
Westbrook brings out the worst in our inner shot-selection-critic, but, unlike
Curry, Westbrook will continue to hound us (and opposing defenders) in the
second round. What gets muddled up amidst his questionable decision-making,
however, is this – he is norming a virtual triple-double. Now that is something
nobody, not even LeBron, has been able to do yet in these Playoffs. #Respect
7. DeAndre Jordan (LAC) -
12.1ppg, 15.1rpg, 1.0apg, 4.0bpg, .757 FG%, 25.4 EFF
Who has been
the best player of these Playoffs for the Clippers? Nope, not Chris Paul. Nope,
not even Blake Griffin. Try DeAndre effin’ Jordan, who has morphed into a
demonic Dikembe Mutombo. He’s not exactly the first option on offense (his
repertoire is still limited to alley-oop dunk and standard dunk), and he’s definitely
the last guy you want shooting a pressure-packed free throw in the fourth
period, but, man, he has really come into his own. I mean, 15 rebounds and 4
blocks per game?! I guess we now know where Roy Hibbert’s game went.
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| DeAndre Jordan is playing the best basketball of his career for LA. (image by Noah Graham/Getty Images) |
6. Kevin Durant (OKC) - 29.9ppg, 9.6rpg, 3.4apg,
1.6bpg, 2.4 triples per game, 26.0 EFF
KD struggled
against the Grizzlies, what with Tony Allen all up on his grill, but he
exploded in the final two games, pumping in 69 points in Games 6 and 7 to
close out the series and push Memphis out of contention. His game has also become
more versatile as he nearly normed a double-double (9.6 rebounds per) and upped
his defensive timing (1.6 blocks per). MVP? Yes. NBA Champion? We’ll see.
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| KD celebrates as the Thunder finally silence the Grizzlies in Game 7. (image by Richard Rowe/Getty Images) |
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