I didn't post after Games 3 and 4, because due to traveling, I only saw bits and pieces of Games 3 and 4. I did watch all of Games 1, 2 and 5 and between that, box scores, recaps and the parts I saw, I feel good about writing a Finals Power Rankings.
1. Lebron James
He finally did it. He finally put it all together with a dominant 30-10-6 postseason and a 29-10-7 Finals - not to mention superb defense and showing signs of maturation as a person and a player. We can NOW call him one of the all-time greats after putting together a Finals and Playoffs on par with you know who. The real question is, can he win more? The Thunder clearly aren't going anywhere and have demonstrated the ability to learn from their defeats. Wade is still excellent but is slowing down, Bosh is clearly a glorified role player and they don't have the ability to add anything more than a mid-level exception player. In their next 2-3 drafts, it will be pivotal for them to get solid role players and how Chalmers develops will also be crucial.
2. Russell Westbrook
Before this decision (no pun intended) gets dissected (and let's face it - you're either out or all in on Westbrook), let me pose a few questions if you think Wade or Durant should be here:
A) How many games can you make a case that Wade was the best player on the floor? How about Durant? Westbrook? I score it 0, 1, 2 in that order.
B) Why on earth would you pick Wade when Westbrook outscored, rebounded and assisted him over the course of these Finals?
C) How does Durant impact the game besides scoring? How does Westbrook?
D) If we're really supposed to put Durant here, why can he still not get to his spots any time he wants against an aging Shane Battier?
I get that Westbrook is highly polarizing and that he definitely takes some stuff off the table but those are some tough questions to answer for a Durant or Wade supporter.
3. Kevin Durant
A mildly disappointing first Finals, of what I'm sure will be many for Durant. He demonstrated that he is the best scorer bar none in the league, but we already knew that (31 PPG on 55% shooting???!!!!). Durant has the ability to ascend from a great player to one of the all-time greats by:
A) Getting stronger so he's not getting pushed around so far out from the basket.
B) Learning to influence the game in ways beyond scoring.
C) Learning when to say 'guys, I got this' more consistently.
Again, not a total disaster or anything, but he should have done more.
4. Dwayne Wade
Miami winning the series may mask this, but Father Time is slowly catching up to Wade. Westbrook clearly established superiority vs Wade in these Finals and Wade's offensive game has devolved into barreling towards the basket and hoping the refs bail you out.
Think I'm being too harsh? This is the 3rd straight year where his gross production per minute has declined and he submitted the lowest % of free throw attempts: 2 point attempts of his career. I'd make the trades I proposed following Game 1 in a heartbeat.
5. Chris Bosh
This was a nice series for Mr. Bosh because I think he's finally figured out his role on this Heat team:
Hit open jumpers, rebound, defend the paint (albeit more through ball denial), be a versatile enough defender where you can guard anyone 3-5, and be able to carry the offense in short spurts to make life easier for James and Wade.
Is that worth $16 M a year? Hell no. Does that make him more of a role player than a star? Unfortunately, yes. But if the Heat are to win multiple championships, Bosh is going to have to continue his evolution towards Kevin Garnett, Circa Boston and less like the confused guy we saw last year.
6. Shane Battier
This was his destiny: Be the ultimate glue guy, knock down 3 pointers, play superb defense and do the little things. Any good team can use him - now the question is, can he repeat this effort next year.
7. Mario Chalmers
A nice little mini-coming out party for Chalmers where he showed us new pieces of his game (great, not just good Defense, the ability to beat people off the dribble and carry the offense for stretches). The downside? What did he do to have Lebron and Dwayne always bitching at him? Did he sleep with Lebron's mom? Will he get so pissed off that he does sleep with Lebron's mom? Regardless how he handles his place and how he is treated by the bigger stars on the team will be interesting to watch. There are several good teams where he would make a nice fit should the Heat decide they need to trade him (Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles (both Lakers and Clippers), OKC.
8. Erik Spoelstra
His job is safe and we don't have to hear anymore 'these guys are CRYING in this locker room!' jokes anymore or Riley conspiracy theories. He also clearly got the better of Scott Brooks, realizing who needed to play in this series and who didn't - something Brooks totally missed the boat on and helped the Heat maintain their composure long enough to avoid elimination 3 times after falling behind and making the appropriate adjustments.
9. Serge Ibaka
This series wasn't exactly Ibaka's shining moment, although he played better than Kendrick Perkins, and like Durant, it wasn't a total disaster. One would have liked to see him own the paint a little bit more than he did and aggressively step up to the challenge of containing Lebron single-handedly. Still, if nothing else, he proved to be a more reliable offensive weapon than Perkins and has at least developed his offensive game to the point where you're not playing 4 on 5 with him out there.
10. James Harden
Speaking of disappointments, this series was a huge letdown for Harden who had the worst performance vs expectations of any Thunder player coming into the series and may have cost the Thunder the series given that Durant averaged 31 ppg on 55% shooting and Westbrook at minimum, acquitted himself well (that boy COMPETED!). Harden should have been the X factor for the Thunder; outside of Durant and Westbrook they just don't have enough other ways to generate offense and Harden should have been that 3rd scoring threat, but he was too inconsistent.
No comments:
Post a Comment