This playoff day was marked by several players who performed well enough to lead their respective teams to victories. That being said, I'll present now the best individual playoff performance from this day. Who's at the top? Without any further ado, let's start.
5. Evan Turner
Evan started playing wonderful basketball through that short period. He made nice plays on both sides of the court, handled the rock well and hit crucial shots such as this one. Amazing, isn't it?
Turner scored 10 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out an assist, had a steal, swatted one attempt, committed five turnovers, shot 4-11 from the field, 0-1 from distance, 2-2 at the stripe in 28 minutes of action.
It's not the stats that earn him this selection, but the impact and excellence he had late. He hit a crazy lay up with 40 seconds and swished two free throws to finish off Boston.
4. Jrue Holiday
The Sixers' point guard elevated himself on different level when compared to the regular season. He found his shooting rhythm as he connected on shots, especially from distance. He had arguably his best performance in the series so far.
Jrue scored 18 points, dished out three dimes, grabbed two rebounds, recorded two steals, committed one turnover while shooting 7-15 from the field and 4-6 from three point land in 41 minutes. The Sixers will need similar performances from Holiday in order to try to beat the Celtics.
3. Andrew Bynum
Andrew opened up the game nicely for his team, as he was aggressive and brilliant inside. He was terrific on the glass and his efficiency from the field was perhaps the main reason why the Lakers weren't completely blown out.
He scored 20 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, recorded an assist, swatted one shot, had three turnovers, shot 7-12 from the field, 6-6 from the stripe in 31 minutes. That's a nice performance from a statistical point of the view.
However, 'Drew didn't establish himself as a presence in the paint defensively and that hurt his LA through the entire game. The Thunder scored 48 points inside the paint. Can he recapture some of the brilliance he had on defense like against the Nuggets, this will be a series to watch.
2. Kevin Durant
The Thunder's All-Star forward displayed his versatility quite well, as he was in almost every aspect of the game. Kevin hit his shots, got the rim, grabbed many boards, found the open teammates etc. The stats back up his excellence.
Durant scored 25 points, pulled down eight rebounds, recorded four dimes, had a block, shot 8-16 from the field, 2-5 from distance and 7-8 from the stripe in 29 minutes of action. Considering the minutes he played, it was absolutely terrific performance overall.
1. Russell Westbrook
Russell was nearly everywhere on the court. He scored in bunches, distributed the rock quite well, was solid on the glass, defended nicely and was efficient with shooting from the ball. The stats confirm his excellence.
Westbrook poured in 27 points, dished out nine dimes, grabbed seven rebounds, had two steals, committed one turnover, shot 10-15 from the field, 1-1 from three point land, 6-6 from the free throw line in 27 minutes of action.
Considering the minutes he played, excellent efficiency and impact, Russell gets the nod. Had he played little longer in this game, he'd have most likely recorded a triple double as well.
Darko Mihajlovski is a columnist at FootBasket. He also contributes to Hoops-Nation. You can read more about him at our Staff page.
