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Columnist
With an incredible amount of hype and expectations as big as before, the 2012 NBA Playoffs have officially started. The excitement about it is only increasing.
The first day of the post season is over. There were four exciting games with most of them having a dramatic and close finishes.
Some players, who are in the spotlight, started the playoffs above the expectations and some below. Which of them had the top performance?
Without further ado, here is my list.
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10. Luol Deng
Deng recorded 17 points, grabbed six boards, shot 8-14 from field, hit a three pointer and played excellent defense all game long. He had his part in shutting down Philly's leading scorer Louis Williams.
With superstar Derrick Rose out of the playoffs, Deng will be asked to take some of the load offensively for his team besides his normal production.
It's definitely time for him to step up his game.
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| AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh |
Another member of the Chicago Bulls who had his part in his team's win, Rip Hamilton had an amazing start in his playoff debut for his new team.
Hamilton had 19 points, dished out four assists, grabbed three boards, shot 6-7 from field, hit a three pointer and made all of his six attempts at the line.
He found the bottom of the net with his sweet shooting throughout the entire game. Hamilton had an efficient game, as he made it look easy and missed only one shot.
Much like Deng, he'll have to take more of the load offensively with superstar Derrick Rose being sidelined for the season. He's definitely one guy Chicago will call up on on offense for sure.
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Although he had a terrific performance in the opening game, Elton Brand couldn't push his team on the road against Chicago.
Brand scored 19 points, grabbed seven boards, swatted four shots, shot 8-15 from field and connected on all of his three attempts at the line. He certainly did well versus his former team.
Brand's shooting touch served him surprisingly well, as he hit 7-12 jumpers from mid range. His efficiency in this game is quite good considering he faced the league's No. 1 ranked defense.
The Sixers will need just as great performance from him in order to do a possible upset in this series.
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Serge Ibaka did more for his Thunder in his team's win over the Mavericks than block shots. He contributed above the expectations.
Although he's primary a defensive stopper who rarely scores, Serge came up huge offensively and overall as well.
He scored 22 points, grabbed six boards, swatted four shots, shot 9-12 from field, hit 3-4 attempts from the stripe and even made a three point shot.
Ibaka did a solid job on Dirk Nowitzki defensively as well. He'll definitely be a key factor for the Thunder in this series and it'll be important for them to see him having great games.
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| AP Photo/Michael Conroy |
With Dwight Howard being out for the season, not many people see the Orlando Magic going in the second round in the post season. However, Jason Richardson has something to say about it.
In the first upset win of the starting games of the playoffs played so far, Jason came up huge in the clutch late for his team and led them to a great victory.
Richardson scored 17 points, grabbed five boards and had a steal. Although he had an inefficient day overall from the field, he made the shots that counted.
J-Rich shot 5-6 from deep and he made several clutch three pointers to seal the deal. Magic will need this kind of production from him in order to shock the Pacers.
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Russell Westbrook has always elevated himself to another level in the post season so far. This year isn't an expectation.
He had an amazing start of this year's playoffs. Russell scored 28 points, dished out five dimes, grabbed four boards, had three steals, shot 13-23 from field, hit a three, a free throw and turned the ball five times.
Westbrook had an efficient overall game versus the Mavericks, considering he made his first four shots at the start.
With him being guarded by old Jason Kidd, he'll probably have a very strong series. The Thunder will need him to continue to have nice efficiency from field and keep the turnovers low.
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The Dallas Mavericks almost managed to put an upset against the Oklahoma Thunder City but they fell short by one shot. A big reason for that effort was Dirk Nowitzki.
The seven footer has always been a match up problem for the Thunder which showed in the teams' match up from last post season.
Despite their strong defensive attention on him, he had a big game. Nowitzki had 25 points, five boards, two assists while shooting 8-18 from field and 9-10 from the stripe.
It's clear that in order for his team to win, Dirk will need to regain some of his form from last year because him having an amazing playoff series again can lead the Mavericks to a possible upset.
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The Chicago Bulls won the first game of the 2012 playoffs, but also lost their chance of making a longer run in the post season.
Why? Their superstar Derrick Rose injured himself late in the game with his team being up by 10 late and is out for the season.
Before the moment he injured himself, Rose recorded a near triple double. He scored 23 points, dished out nine assists, grabbed nine boards on 9-23 shooting from field.
Related: 2012 NBA Playoffs: Derrick Rose Injury Puts Bulls Championship Hopes in Jeopardy
He was the main reason why Chicago got the lead and was ahead. When things looked sure, a catastrophe happened as Derrick tore his ACL.
The Bulls are more than capable to beat the Sixers without him, but their chances of going deep in the post season are cut.
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| Brett Deering/Getty Images |
Kevin Durant has played like a real MVP all season long. He's taken a step forward, improved his skills and the results show that. This game is case in point.
He scored 25 points, grabbed six boards, dished out four assists, shot 10-27 from field, 1-6 from deep and 4-5 from the line.
Related: 2012 NBA Playoffs: Kevin Durant Goes Deja-Vu On the Mavs, Hits Crazy Game-Winner (Video)
KD didn't have a great day shooting the ball, but he made the game winning shot to lead his Thunder over the Mavericks in the opener.
He didn't have a great series in last year's post season against Dallas, but is now primed to make up for that this year.
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If there's a guy who deserves most to win the MVP award, it's LeBron James. Throughout the playoffs, he'll be without a doubt under the biggest pressure and attention from the crowd.
They're ton of reasons why. He showed yesterday that he definitely means all business and that is ready to win it all.
LeBron had 32 points, four boards, three assists, shot 10-14 from the field, hit his only three pointer, made 11-14 attempts at the stripe while shutting Carmelo Anthony down.
He opened the post season in style and played aggressively. James definitely seems as a man on a mission, is ready and poised to win it all.
