The NBA Playoffs have lived up to thus far, with --- games
going into overtime through two games of each series. Plenty of the series have
gone back-and-forth with the teams splitting the first two games of the series.
They are now facing a five-game series, with home court flipped to the lowered
seeded team. With the series hanging in the balance, it is time for some
players, and even coaches in some instances, to step up their game and start
producing at the level they are capable of. Here are a list of x-factors in the
series all knotted up at one that could swing the series in either direction.
Roy
Hibbert, Center, Indiana Pacers – Arguably the biggest surprise of the NBA playoffs thus is
the fact this series is tied at one. The No.1 seeded Pacers were embarrassed by
the Hawks in Game 1, as Jeff Teague went off and the Pacers looked lost. The
first half of Game 2 looked much of the same, but the Pacers were able to right
the ship in the second half, destroying the Hawks 53-33.
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| Matt Detrich-The Star |
Taking a look at the box score will show that the Pacers
were able to sustain some success by having their bigs play less; namely
Hibbert. Against the Hawks, who play a spread out style of offense in which
everyone on the court can shoot three pointers, Hibbert is a liability, and he
has shown that throughout the first two games. Hibbert has been horrendous,
shooting 5-16, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the two games.
It has gotten to the point now that the Pacers may be better
off just not playing Hibbert. He is offering nothing positive on the court, as
the Pacers desperate tries to get him going are actually doing more harm than
help. They are making an already poor offense even less potent by force feeding
a player that is not producing.
You can easily place head coach Frank Vogel in this spot as
well instead of Hibbert. In the end, it is Vogel’s decision as to who will play
and who will sit. Through two games, it is apparent that Hibbert is not
helping, and other options off the bench, such as Luis Scola, would be better
suited to face the Hawks.
It is a tight rope which Vogel must do his work from, as he
risks alienating and sapping the confidence of a player already lacking it by
benching him in the first round of the playoffs. But if Hibbert continues
playing the way he has, the Pacers very well may not make it past the first
round.
Russell Westbrook, Point Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder – The
Thunder drew quite possibly the toughest first round matchup, as the
rough-and-tough style of the Memphis Grizzlies is not an easy style to play
against, especially in a series. They handled the Grizzlies relatively easy in
Game 1, but Game 2 the Grizzlies showed resiliency, pounding the paint with
Zach Randolph and taking home the victory. With the series shifting to
Memphis,
the series hangs in the balance and one man, Westbrook, has the power to swing
the series for either team.
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| ESPN.go.com |
Westbrook is undoubtedly a talented player, but he sometimes
gets caught up in his own game, even though he has arguably the best scorer in
the NBA and potential MVP Kevin Durant next to him. Too often Westbrook jacks
up mid-range jumpers, not even getting into an offense or having Durant touch
the ball. It incenses Thunder fans when he does this, especially when the
results aren’t extremely positive, such as Game 2.
To be fair, Tony Allen has made life very difficult for
Durant offensively, denying him the ball on multiple occasions. The ball denial
Allen has shown sometimes forces Westbrook’s hand, but too often Westbrook
settles for that jump shot.
With that mentality, Westbrook is playing right into the
Grizzlies’ hands.
Per Sports 56 WHBQ and The Oklahoman, Courtney Lee pretty much said so himself. "We're fine with Westbrook taking shots, I mean, that's kinda what you want - the more shots he takes, the less Durant takes."
They know what Durant is capable of, but Westbrook is more of
a wild card. He can shoot the Thunder right out a game, and potentially the
series, quicker than he can shoot them into it against a team that plays
defense as well as the Grizzlies do.
Blake Griffin, Power Forward, Los Angeles Clippers – Just take a look at the box
scores from the first two games of this series, and it is evident that
Griffin
is a no-brainer choice as the x-factor for this series.
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| Danny Moloshok/AP Photo |
In Game 1, Griffin
played only 19 minutes before fouling out, and the Clippers were defeated by
the Golden State Warriors. In Game 2, Griffin
did not commit a foul in 30 minutes, scoring a playoff career-high 35 points to
lead a 138-98 blowout victory.
With the Warriors front line diminished because of injury, Griffin
should be able to have his way offensively. Neither David Lee nor Draymond
Green present much of a challenge in slowing down the explosive Griffin,
who has expanded his offensive game this season. Jermaine O’Neal could give Griffin
problems in spurts, but at his age he cannot compete with Griffin
for an extended period of time.
The only thing that can slow
Griffin
down against what the Warriors are capable of throwing at him is himself. In
Game 1 he did not use his head, committing six fouls and not being able to help
his team. In Game 2 he adapted much better to how the referees were calling the
game, committing zero fouls. If
Griffin
is able to continue with the smart and explosive play he had in Game 2, the
Clippers should be able to make easy work of the Warriors. But playing in
Oracle Arena presents new challenges for
Griffin
and the Clippers. For their sake, hopefully he is ready for what will be a raucous
crowd.
Terrence Ross, Shooting Guard, Toronto Raptors – The Raptors dropped the
first game of this series, as Paul Pierce took over in the fourth quarter and
willed the Brooklyn Nets to a victory. In Game 2, DeMar DeRozan looked like
Kobe Bryant, scoring 17 in the fourth quarter to get the Raptors a victory and
split the first two games.
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| Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images |
If the Raptors are to take any games in Brooklyn,
they will need another player to step up, and that player is Ross. Through two
games, he has given little production, shooting 2-12 and scoring only five
points. He is 1-9 from the three point line, enabling the Nets to just pack it
in and dare the Raptors and Ross to shoot it from deep.
Ross epitomizes what this series truly is; youngsters with
little experience vs. veterans with tons of playoff experience. Ross, like any
young player making his first playoff experience, will struggle a little and
will need to get adjusted to the new atmosphere. In Game 1, the whole Raptors
team looked a little shell-shocked, 39.4 percent from the field while playoff
savvy Net players such as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Pierce excelled.
In Game 2, the roles were reversed a bit, as DeRozan put
together a monster game, getting help from one of the few Raptors with playoff
experience in Amir Johnson. The Nets, on the other hand, were let down by the
same veterans that carried them in Game 1.
This series will ultimately come down to the Raptors
youngsters growing up fast, or the Nets veterans finally running out of gas.
Right now, it looks like a toss up, as they have split the regular season and
playoff series in half thus far. Ross and the younger Raptors stepping up would
push them past the Nets.
Jose Calderon, Point Guard, Dallas Mavericks – Calderon was a non-factor
in Game 1, as Devin Harris came up big off the bench, but the Mavericks lost as
they allowed the Spurs to go on a 18-3 run to end the game. In Game 2, Calderon
played more minutes, and Mavericks picked up a victory, with Harris once again
putting up good numbers.
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| Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports |
With Harris performing the way that he has been, it enables
Calderon to go full facilitator mode. The Mavericks can rotate Harris as the
backup point guard, but also give Monta Ellis some rest and be the scoring
guard next to Calderon.
With Calderon on the court, things are also more opened up
for Dirk Nowitzki. Calderon is a master in the pick-and-roll, as he has a
devastating outside jump shot and is automatic from 18-feet. The threat he is
from the perimeter to knock down jumpers forces opposing defenses to watch him,
allowing Nowitzki to go to work.
Calderon has his deficiencies, namely the defensive end of
the court, which is why he lands on this list. Having to defend another point
guard in Tony Parker who excels in the pick-and-roll himself presents problems
for Calderon and the Mavericks defensively. Calderon is essentially a swinging
gate on defense, as he offers very little resistance. This puts immense
pressure on the Mavericks bigs, which outside of Samuel Dalembert are not
exactly defensive anchors either.
So for this series to swing either way, it will come down to
how the Mavericks manage Calderon. The offense runs much smoother with him on
the court, but the defense suffers. It is hard to imagine Harris continuing to
play that well for three more victories in the series, as he didn’t put
together production like this consecutively all season. The Mavericks are
arguably the best eight seed to take on a top-seeded team, but at the same time
there is a reason that they are an eight seed and the dilemma they face with
their point guard position is a driving factor why.
