Top 5 Individuals Performance of the First Round

Honorable Mentions:
-Derrick Rose, Game 1 (39 pts, 6 rbs, 6 ast, 10/23 fgs, 0/9 3pts, 19/21 fts)
-Dwyane Wade, Game 3 (32 pts, 10 rbs, 8 ast, 10/19 fgs, 12/12 fts)
-Dirk Nowitzki, Game 6 (33 pts, 11 rbs, 11/17 fgs, 0/1 3pts, 11/11 fts)
-Kevin Durant, Game 1 (41 pts, 9 rbs, 13/22 fgs, 3/6 3pts, 12/15 fts)
-Zach Randolph, Game 1 (25 pts, 14 rbs, 10/15 fgs, 0/1 3pts, 5/8 fts)


5. Dwight Howard, Game 1 (46 pts, 19 rbs, 8 tos, 16/23 fgs, 14/22 fts)
If Orlando had won the game, it would be nearly impossible to keep Howard's Game 1 performance out of the top 3.  Dwight's 46 points and 19 rebounds both remain as the  top outputs so far this postseason.  While statistically the showing was outstanding, the Magic were rarely competing and never in control of the game.  It does mean something to carry the team and all Dwight was able to do was keep them afloat.


4. Carmelo Anthony, Game 2 (42 pts, 17 rbs, 6 ast, 14/30 fgs, 4/8 3pts, 10/11 fts)
While it is difficult to separate Carmelo Anthony's Game 2 performance and Dwight Howard's Game 1 on a statistical basis, a few intangible factors go into ranking Melo over Dwight.  First, while Howard dominated his game, he never took over like Carmelo did.  Anthony put up big numbers all game long but in the 4th quarter of a tight game on the road (without Amaré and Chauncey), he pushed his teammates' struggles to the curb and carried the Knicks to what should have been a meaningful victory (anyone who knows basketball saw that the refs stole that game from New York).  Second, Howard's team was the favorite at home and Carmelo's was the underdog on the road.  Carmelo putting up big numbers against Paul Pierce and the C's is more impressive than Dwight Howard against Jason Collins, Zaza Pachulia, and Hilton Armstrong.

3. Rajon Rondo, Game 3 (15 pts, 11 rbs, 20 ast, 5/13 fgs, 5/6 fts)

Rajon Rondo's first round series must be taken with a grain of salt.  Not only are the Knicks a terrible defensive team to begin with, the way Toney Douglas chose to guard Rondo throughout the series was inexcusable.  Playing off of Rondo in the half-court is the smart thing to do and you cannot fault the Knicks for such (Rondo's 5/13 field goal performance can attest to that).  Where the major issue lied was in the fast-break defense.  It seems as if Douglas' strategy was simply to keep backpedaling until he left the court.  It's not like Rajon was going all Allen Iverson on people and breaking ankles; he went straight down the middle of the lane completely uncontested.  As much as the Knicks defense can be blamed, Rondo must be praised for becoming only the second player in history to record a playoff triple-double with 20+ assists (interestingly Magic Johnson's 1991 performance was almost identical (16 pts, 11 rbs, 20 ast, 4/12 fgs, 6/6 fts).  Setting records like this must be appreciated and Rondo is getting his appreciation here.

2. Chris Paul, Game 1 (33 pts, 7 rbs, 14 ast, 11/18 fgs, 2/3 3pts, 9/12 fts)
I contest that there has never been a deeper position in any sport at any time as there currently is at the point guard spot in the NBA.  There are upwards of ten point guards that could easily lead a championship team and the gap between 1 and 5 is not nearly as big as it is for every other position.  That being said, for anybody that was beginning to reopen the debate as to who may be the best of the best, Chris Paul just spent the first round telling those people to shut up.  The Hornets had no business making the playoffs in the West (without David West) and absolutely no business taking 2 games from the Lakers and yet they did both.  Two words explain why.  Chris. Paul.


1. Chris Paul, Game 4 (27 pts, 13 rbs, 15 ast, 7/14 fgs, 2/4 3pts, 11/11 fts)
Chris Paul is unequivocally, the best and most well-rounded point guard in the NBA and there is an argument to be had that he is the most well-rounded player in the game as well.  When healthy, he is the best on-ball defensive point guard in the league, the third best passer in the league (Nash and James), the third-best playmaking point guard (Rondo and Nash), the fourth-best penetrating point guard (Rose, Parker, Williams), one of the top ten overall shooters in the league, and, for his size, an above-average rebounder.  If I were a basketball coach teaching point guards how to play the game effectively, I would make them watch Game 4 of the Hornets-Lakers series.  He dominated the game individually, he set his teammates up perfectly, and most importantly he willed his team to win a game that they should not have won.