With the NBA playoffs in progress, basketball fans will be hoping to witness players pushing the limits to carry their respective teams one step closer to the Championship. It is a perfect opportunity for players to step up and show their true mettle under what would be immense pressure to qualify for the next round of the playoffs.
Here we will take a look at five players, who in the last two decades, have always stepped up and raised their games during the playoffs. This list includes a few current players as well as few of those who have finished their careers.
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Only players whose careers have spanned the last 20 years are taken into consideration, hence, legends like Michael Jordan miss out on this.
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#5 – Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)
The German Sensation is one of the best power forwards of all time and has been with the Mavs since the start of his career in 1998/99. In the 19 seasons, he has played so far in the NBA, Nowitzki has featured in the playoffs for 15 of those seasons. The 38-year-old is the top-scoring foreign player ever in the NBA, sixth in the all-time list, only behind the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.
Nowitzki has played 145 games in NBA Playoffs and scored over 3000 points in all. His regular season averages are 21.7 PPG (points per game), 7.8 RPG (rebounds per game) and 2.5 APG (assists per game). However, when it comes to the playoffs, he averages 25.3 points and 10 rebounds in a game, while the APG remains the same.
In the 2010/11 season, Nowitzki won his only NBA Championship as he led the Mavs valiantly against a superstar Miami Heat team that included the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The Dunking Deutschman was also named the Finals MVP for his brilliant performance in helping the Mavs win their first NBA Championship.
#4 –Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Steph Curry is arguably the best NBA player currently, winning fans all over the world with his fluid style of play. The last couple of years have been the best ever for the Golden State Warriors, who have been led ably by Curry. Although the 29-year-old has only made it to five NBA Playoffs, he is eight in the all-time list of post-season scoring average.
In the 62 playoff games Curry has played, he averages 25.9 PPG, a good three points over his regular season average. In the four playoff games he has featured in this season, he seems to have stepped up his game as he averages 29.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.3 steals per game and 0.8 blocks per game.
Maybe the disappointment from last season where they botched a 3-1 NBA Finals lead is still looming and Curry will want to lead his superteam, which includes a now-fit Kevin Durant, to their second NBA Championship this year and many more in the years to come.
#3 – Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Kobe Bryant is one of the most celebrated NBA stars of all time. Following a barrage of injuries, Bryant bid adieu to the game at the end of last season and it truly was the end of an era. Since his debut season in 1996/97, Bryant has won 5 NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 15 playoffs he has played.
Although he was named as Season MVP only once, in 2007/08, Bryant was named the Finals MVP on two occasions – in 2008/09 and 2009/10, the last two Championships that he won and that the Lakers won. His playoff game average of 25.64 PPG places him 11th in the all-time list of post-season averages. He is also fourth in the list of points scored in playoffs, only behind LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan.
Black Mamba is without doubt one of the best clutch players in NBA history, as he won the Lakers many matches with his timely and perfect shooting ability. Perhaps, the Lakers might never have gotten close to the Boston Celtics’ record of most NBA championships if not for KB24. In the 7 NBA Finals Bryant featured in, Lakers won 5 and lost 2.
#2 – Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Tim Duncan exuded San Antonio Spurs throughout from the time he was picked in the 1997 NBA Draft. Duncan played 19 seasons for the Spurs and was a part of 18 playoffs. The Spurs have won five NBA Championships in their history and all five have come after the arrival of Duncan until his retirement in 2015/16.
In only his second season in 1998/99, the Spurs won the Championship with 23-year-old Duncan winning the first of his three Finals MVP award. He went on to win Finals MVP awards in the Championship-winning seasons of 2002/03 and 2004/05.
The power forward/center always stepped up his game when it came to the playoffs averaging 20.6 PPG and 11.4 RPG in the playoffs as opposed to 19 PPG and 10.8 RPG in the regular season. The Big Fundamental is sixth in the all-time list of total points scored in the playoffs with over 5000 points to his name.
#1 – LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
There is no doubt as to who should top this list. King James is easily the best player of his generation and even at the age of 32 he continues to show why he is named the King. After joining the Miami Heat from Cleveland in 2010/11, he won the first two of his three NBA Championships in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
In the 2013/14 season, James and the Heat lost in the NBA Finals to the Spurs, thus missing out on a hat-trick of Championships. The following season, James moved back to Cleveland, as if almost to prove a point.In the two seasons since his return to Cleveland, the Cavs have made the NBA Finals on both occasions and look favourites to make it again this season.
Last season, a James-led Cavs staged one of the best Finals comebacks as they overturned a 3-1 deficit against the Warriors to win their first ever NBA Championship.James won the Finals MVP in all three of his Championship winning seasons, proving how vital a player he is on the big stage.
He averages 28.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.8 steals per game and 1.0 block per game in the playoff in comparison to 27.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.6 steals per game and 0.8 blocks per game in the regular season.
James is third in the list of all-time playoff points leaders, breathing down the neck of second-placed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It could just be a matter of a couple of games before James takes over the second spot. Going by the form that the Cavs are in right now, James could also challenge Michael Jordan who is only 284 points ahead.
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