Now that all of the drama and tension filled moments of the 2010 NBA Playoffs are over, it’s time to take a look back at some of the most outstanding players and performances of the post-season. Of course the highlight of the playoffs was Kobe, Pau, and Artest(yeah I said it………Artest) prevailing over Rajon Rondo and the Celtics in one of the most evenly matched Finals in recent memory. But in addition to the players in this season’s best two teams, a number of outstanding players put in some pretty magical performances in order to take their teams deep into the Playoffs. Here are my Top Ten Most Outstanding Players of the 2010 NBA Playoffs:
1) Pau Gasol, LA Lakers
19.6 ppg, 11.1 rebs, 3.5 ast, 2.1 blks, 13 double-doubles
Some may argue that Kobe belongs here but in my mind, Pau was the deciding factor in the LA Lakers winning their 2nd consecutive NBA Title. After a magical postseason run in which, as the solidifying front-court force for LA with Andrew Bynum hampered by injuries, he scored in double figures, grabbed 10+ rebounds, or blocked 2 or more shots in 23 of 24 games this post-season. Some may have more power, but no one is more versatile than Pau, as now there shouldn’t be any question that he is the game’s most skilled big man. He answered a lot of critics, especially in the Finals, when he all but single-handedly outplayed the notoriously physical, and sometimes dirty, Celtics frontcourt consisting of Garnett, Perkins, Wallace, and Davis. He led all players in the post-season with 13 double-doubles and even though Kobe is LA’s #1 option, Pau is the unquestioned #1A.
2) Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
29.2 ppg, 6 rebs, 5.5 ast
By stats alone, Kobe is the unquestioned MVP of the post-season. As the Finals MVP, he was once again a killer on the court in winning his 5th World Championship. Even while playing through a multitude of injuries, including a broken finger, the “Black Mamba” provided us with some lasting playoff memories. Whether it was his 14 games of 30 or more points or 6 games of tallying double digits in assists or rebounds, Kobe provided whatever was necessary for his team to win. Even though Lebron may now be the game’s best player, Kobe Bryant is still the NBA’s best shot-maker and winner. He now enters the discussion of who are the greatest players of all-time.
3) Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
15.8 ppg, 9.3 ast, 5.6 rebs, 1,9 stl, 9 double-doubles
The diminutive upside-down headband wearing point guard for Boston has taken yet another step forward in establishing himself as not only one of the game’s best floor generals, but best players period. We already kind of knew that Rajon had ascended to being the Celtics’ biggest talent over the past year but going forward he has to be the focal point of the organization, after at times carrying his teammates on his back to another improbable run to the NBA Finals. Although he fell a bit short of averaging a triple-double for the playoffs as he has done previously, his offense took a step forward and forced defenses to focus on him rather than Pierce, Allen, or Garnett. He finished 2nd in double-doubles with 9, and his 29 point, 18 rebound, and 13 assist night vs Cleveland in the 2nd round shows just how great Rondo can be.
4) Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
24.3 ppg, 10.2 ast
If you are a casual basketball fan, putting Deron on this list may be a bit of a surprise, but his peers and basketball purists obviously know that Williams is a burgeoning superstar. He proved just that this post-season by leading Utah to an impressive 1st round victory over last year’s Western Finals competitors, the Denver Nuggets before running into a buzzsaw known as the Lakers, losing in 4 straight to the champs. Deron wasn’t to blame and was at times spectacular, scoring 20+ points in 8 of 10 games and averaging a playoff best 10.2 assists per game. With Carlos Boozer all but surely leaving the organization in free agency look for Williams to be the face of the franchise from here on out.
5) Jason Richardson, Phoenix Suns
19.8 ppg, 5.4 rebs, .475% 3PT
Two time dunk champion “J-Rich” has always been a good role player during his career, mostly on losing teams. Richardson made the most out of his 2010 playoff appearance by being the most important player on a Suns squad which made a run to the Western Finals and at times outplaying his All-Star teammates Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Although he fell off a bit in the Conference Finals, Richardson averaged nearly 22 ppg(including a 42 point outburst vs Portland), shot more than 50% from the field, and made an amazing 50% of his 3 point shots. Not bad for a 30 year old role player.
6) Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
18.1 ppg, 11.1 rebs, 3.1 blk
As the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the regular season, Howard continued his domination on the boards and the glass by leading all players in blocks and finishing 2nd in rebounding in the post-season. As an example of his dominance, he blocked an amazing 20 shots in a 1st round sweep of the Bobcats. He also led all players by shooting a remarkable 62% from the field in the playoffs. He probably should have ranked higher but his team took a step backwards after making it to the Finals last season. Of course his only downfall was his horrendous free throw shooting(52%), which may have cost his club a game or two in the Eastern Finals against Boston. Even Superman has to have a weakness.
7) Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
29.1 ppg, 9.3 rebs, 7.6ast, 1.8 blk
James has been taking quite a bit of criticism over his team once again finishing with the league’s best record, yet failing to win a title. While as the game’s best player he rightfully so gets all of the praise or takes the heat for how his team fares, by statistics alone, Lebron isn’t to blame. James did his best to carry his squad as far as they could go this postseason in what could be his last year in Cleveland. He hit the 20 point plateau in 9 of 11 games, tallied 2 triple-doubles and was especially marvelous on the defensive end by averaging nearly 2 blocks per game and grabbing 2+ steals in 6 of 11 games. Unfortunately he takes a hit on my list because he failed to improve his team from last season after losing in the 2nd round to Boston. King James may have to go elsewhere to win a ring.
8 ) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
17.8 ppg, 10.1 ast, 8 double-doubles
Age is just a number is the old axiom that Nash keeps proving, as the former 2 time MVP was once again marvelous this postseason in leading the Suns all the way to the Wastern Finals. He was especially good at feeding the rock to the hot shooting teammates Jason Richardson and Amare Stoudemire(22 ppg) to the tune of a playoff 2nd best 10.1 assists per game. Through the first 2 rounds he was especially remarkable where he shot an impressive 55% from the field and hitting more than 50% from behind the arc before running into the stifling LA Lakers defense.
9) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
26.7 ppg, 8.2 rebs, 3 ast
Even though the Dallas Mavericks disappointingly fell flat on their faces in the 1st round against the San Antonio Spurs, Dirk was undoubtedly the best player on the floor to the tune of nearly 27 ppg. He shot more than 55% from the field and was lights out from three, nailing 57% from behind the arc, while committing only 1.7 turnovers per game.. If the Mavs could have stuck around the playoff party a bit longer, Dirk may have been closer to the top of the list. Even though he missed a few key shots near the end of games against the Spurs, Nowitzki undoubtedly was not the reason for Dallas’ early exit from the postseason. Could his 33 point, 5 rebound, 4 assist night Game 6 loss performance be the last we see of him in a Mavericks uniform?
10) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
33.2 ppg, 6.8 ast, 5.6 rebs, 1.6 stl, 1.6 blk
Some day D. Wade will get some help. After doing all that’s humanly possible as the playoffs leading scorer this postseason, Dwyane was unable to prevent his Heat from making another early playoff exit. Wade surely will do his best recruiting effort to get a much needed 2nd and 3rd option in South Beach for next season. All he did was score 26 or more points in every game, shot 56% from the field, and 40% from three. Unfortunately by having the ball in his hands 90% of the time, he also committed an unacceptable 6.8 turnovers per night as well. With some added help arriving via free agency next season, look for D. Wade to move up the list next season.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
