The Semifinals have been quite the roller coaster with 3 sweeps already complete and a heavily contested battle between the Celtics and the Cavs. A few big name players have stepped up seal the deal for their team, but who's semi final performance was worthy of them earning the title of best Round 2 performances.
Here are the contenders
- Kobe Game 3- The the battle royale that was game 3 versus the Jazz, Kobe Bryant reminded us why he is Kobe Bryant. After starting off the game scoring the Lakers first nine points, Bryant had 20 points at the half, which was four more than the rest of the Laker's starters combined. He went on to be strong down the stretch including hitting a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to tie it at 106. Bryant ended the game with 35 points.
- Rondo Game 4- Rajon Rondo carried the Boston Celtics with a triple double (29pts, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists) to a Game 4 victory. Making him the 3rd player ever to reach this mark in the playoffs.
- LeBron Game 3- James with is "injured" elbow in tow had his way with the Celtics when he scored 21 of his 38 points in the first quarter at the Garden. The 21 points in a quarter was a franchise post season record.
- Dragic Game 3- Dragic's 26 point performance tied for the third highest point total by a reserve 24 years or younger in the playoffs. Although that seems like quite a few caveats it is impressive to have a player his age who is not a starter put up numbers like that and to shut down Tony Parker defensively. He also had the second lowest minute total fo any player scoring 20 points as a reserve under the age of 24.
My vote goes for Rondo. With all the focus usually put on the Celtics Big 3 (Garnett, Allen, and Pierce) the one many used to refer to as the "little guy" showed that he could/would be the force that the Cavaliers would have to reckon with. He was quick, smart, and his passes were impeccable. Not to mention that as the smallest guy on the court he still manages to lead in rebounds. He is the must watch guy for the rest of this series.
What performance do you think topped the list for Round 2? Are there any players that I'm missing?
Rondo for the all the reasons Michelle has mention in addition to the fact that he's playing the #1 overall seed in the bracket, driving in the paint against James and Varejao, and it's obviously the most competitive matchup in the conference semifinals.
ReplyDeleteIt's gotta be Dragic because his effort came out of left field and effectively insured that the Suns were finally ready to exorcise the demon that was the San Antonio Spurs to their franchise. Plus Dragic represents a good amount of validation for the decision making ability of the Phoenix front office as they have been high on Dragic since he came from overseas. It's nice to see something paying off for Steve Kerr and the rest of management after the Shaq debacle and the years of trading away potentially key draft picks.
ReplyDeleteWell if you are going to put Dragic for the surprise factor than I think you have to give equal consideration to Korver from the Jazz for his efforts in Game 3. He was 9 for 10!!! And even though that wasn't enough to help the Jazz not get swept it was still amazing to watch. And one of the best shooting displays in franchise history.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree the Spurs are demons.