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 second
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 five best players so far in the postseason. Here you’ll
find two Trail Blazers, a soon-to-be disgruntled Houston Rockets big man, and
the two best SFs in the Eastern Conference.
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| Ladies and gents, presenting your top performers in the 2014 NBA Playoffs thus far. |
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).
5. Damian Lillard (POR) - 25.5ppg, 6.3rpg, 6.7apg,
1.3spg, 3.8 triples per game, .489 3pt%, 28.3 EFF
Lillard’s
series-clinching, buzzer-beating three in Game 6 will go down as one of the
best shots in NBA history. It will also be replayed on BTV and ESPN countless
times in the foreseeable future and become a constant reminder of James Harden’s
defensive acumen (or lack thereof). Kidding aside, though, last year’s ROY has
once again proven that his is a star meant to shine. Oh, and that new shoe deal
with the trefoil? Not bad at all.
4. Paul George (IND) - 23.9ppg, 10.7rpg, 4.6apg,
2.4spg, 2.7 triples per game, .404 3pt%, 29.4 EFF
George has
really become the main man in Indianapolis. With Granger warming the bench in
California, Lance Stephenson born unready, and Roy Hibbert literally doing
nothing, the onus has been on PG24 to really carry the Pacers. So far, the
results haven’t been stellar, but they ultimately accomplished what they set
out to do – advance to round two. Now they will face an even more dangerous and
determined Washington quintet. I’m really excited to see George try his hand at
guarding John Wall!
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| Paul George reacts emphatically after making a big play in the Pacers' big Game 7 win at home. (image by Ron Hoskins/Getty Images) |
3. Dwight Howard (HOU) -
26.oppg, 13.7rpg, 1.8apg, 2.8bpg, .547 FG%, 29.8 EFF
Howard hasn’t
played this well in a very long time, and, at least for six games, it was nice
to be reminded about how gifted this guy really is. Once you get past his
perennial state of disgruntlement, you’ll see a center who has the skills to be
one of the all-time greats. Now that a botched defensive play cost the Rockets
Game 6 (and their season), however, I think the time is ripe to, again, see a
lot of Howard’s patented grumpy disposition.
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| Dwight Howard and Damian Lillard share a moment after the Blazers defeated the Rockets in Game 6. (image by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) |
2. LaMarcus Aldridge (POR) -
29.8ppg, 11.2rpg, 2.0apg, 2.7bpg, 31.3 EFF
LMA cooled
off a bit after dropping 89 points in the first two games in Texas, but he
still did well enough to help Portland beat the Rockets in six. He had a tough
time solving the Howard-Asik puzzle (a little too late for Kevin McHale and his
squad, though), but it’s still undeniable how he made his stamp on this series.
He’ll definitely have his hands full against the frontline trio of Tiago
Splitter, Tim Duncan, and Kawhi Leonard in round two, but I’m sure he’ll make
the Spurs’ defense work overtime, too.
1. LeBron James (MIA) - 30.0ppg, 8.0rpg, 6.0apg,
2.3spg, .557 FG%, 1.8 triples per game, 33.8 EFF
Only one
team managed to sweep its foes in the first round, and that team had the
consensus best player on the planet just turn his game up a notch to give the
hapless Cats no chance. Now LBJ and his Heat are just three rounds and 12 wins
away from a rare three-peat.
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| LeBron James and the Heat are on a roll right now, but will they be able to continue that against stiffer competition? (image by Brock Williams-Smith/Getty Images) |
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