The 2012 NBA Playoffs don't stop, as day seventeen is already finished. The usual two games schedule remained in this day that didn't fail to bring excitement and drama once again to NBA fans all over the word. The favorites (Boston and Oklahoma) increased their advantages in their respective series.
However, the teams that lost (Los Angeles and Philadelphia) gave excellent efforts in the losses which could have gone to the opposite side for a bit. That being said, some players played beyond the expectations and helped their teams.
Who did best? Without any further ado, let's start.
5. Paul Pierce
He set the pace in which his team would attack throughout the rest of the game: attacking. Paul, although is clearly bothered by the injury, is fighting through it nicely thanks to his warriors mentality which gave him nothing but positive results in there.
Pierce scored 24 points, grabbed 12 boards, dished out four assists, recorded three steals, shot 6-17 from the field, 1-3 from deep and 11-14 from the stripe in 37 minutes. Statistically speaking, that's a nice game for him.
The Truth delivered it once again and Philadelphia knows that best.
4. Thaddeus Young
Despite the loss, Thaddeus was brilliant for the 76ers. He displayed his versatility, his speed, quickness and activity on both sides of the court quite well. He was also very efficient throughout the entire game as well and he had big impact too.
Young scored 22 points, grabbed five boards, dished out an assist, blocked a shot, didn't lose the ball, shot 10-16 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line in 26 minutes. Regardless from what point of view this performance is viewed, it's been his personal best so far.
3. Kevin Durant
Kevin put his skill set on display, as he was everywhere on the court. Besides scoring, he was active on the glass, found the open teammate for the easy points and closed out the Lakers late with his shots. That's right, he hit yet another game winner in this year's postseason.
Durant had a good performance from a statistical point of view. He poured in 22 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out five assists, recorded two steals, had four turnovers, shot 9-15 from the field, 1-4 from deep and 7-8 from the stripe in 42 minutes of action.
Stat wise, it isn't even close to his capacity let alone usual performance. However, it's the impact and him coming through in the clutch that rightfully give him a high spot on the list.
2. Rajon Rondo
Rajon displayed his versatility on both sides of the court once again. He was in an aggressive attack mode at the start, looking for high percentage looks which he got and he still succeed to open up the game for his teammates, giving them easy scoring chances.
Rondo scored 24 points, dished out 13 assists, grabbed six boards, committed only one turnover, shot 9-16 from the field, 1-3 from three point land and 4-4 from the free throw line in 41 minutes of action. Stat wise, this was a great match for him.
However, the impact and making his team better is what made him outstanding on that night.
1. Kevin Garnett
Kevin's strong play was arguably the biggest key. His competitiveness, toughness and will robbed off on his teammates who've been following him nicely. Garnett established himself as a presence on both sides of the paint, on the glass and continued to lead Boston with his consistent scoring.
The Big Ticket delivered against Philadelphia. He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 boards, dished out four assists, recorded a steal, committed one turnover, shot 12-17 from the field and 3-5 from the stripe in 30 minutes of action.
Considering the minutes he had, the terrific production, impact and leadership he showed, KG's rightfully No.1 on this list again.
Darko Mihajlovski is a columnist at FootBasket. He also contributes to Hoops-Nation. You can read more about him at our Staff page.
