The 10 Most Valuable Players in 2010-11 post season so far - Part 2
7. Joe Johnson
The Atlanta Hawks are not the most fancied team in the NBA. Once the seeding of the Eastern Conference were decided, they were written off immediately against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. The Hawks won that series in 6 games. They were again written off in the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Derrick Rose inspired Chicago Bulls.
However Atlanta stunned the NBA world again and proceeded to win game-1 against the 1st seeds at the United Center. Their leader and best player has been Joe Johnson. Johnson was the key to Atlanta dumping Dwight Howard and the Magic in round 1. He then outshone league MVP Derrick Rose at the United Center with a 34 point game-1 performance, which included 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
The win was Atlanta’s first in a conference semi-final series for10 years. With Johnson in the side they can be confident that more will follow. The 6-foot-7 guard is averaging 19.8 points and 6 rebounds in the play-offs so far.
Joe’s first game performance forced Chicago to make special plans for the Hawks guard. His value to the Atlanta team can be gauged from the fact that with him off colour, they were held to just 73 points in game-2.
6. Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony had a long drawn out transfer saga that finally saw him leave the Denver Nuggets to join the New York Knicks. The Knicks bore with the media circus and speculation because they knew they were getting a MVP level player.
In a torrid post season for New York, Carmelo has been the lone light. His performances against the Boston Celtics lit up an otherwise dim Madison Square Garden. The height of his heroics however came at the TD Garden in game-2. Carmelo almost won the game single-handedly for the Knicks, who had lost both Amar’e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups to injury. Anthony scored 42 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Boston scrapped the win by 3 points.
The 6-foot-8 forward has averaged a double-double in the playoffs, with 26 points and 10.3 rebounds. His ranking is damaged because of the failure to lead his team to a single victory in the first round. If New York had avoided the sweep, Anthony would have featured higher in the list.
5. Derrick Rose
The league MVP has been impressive in post season. He immediately put his stamp on the play-offs in game-1 of the series against the Indiana Pacers. Rose was at his electrifying best as he willed his team to the win with a 39 point performance. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists.
Rose then braved through an injury in game-5 to lead the Bulls to the win and qualification for the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
His performances in the semi-finals have fallen off a little due to an ankle injury. In the series against the Atlanta Hawks, Rose has had trouble with his shooting. Derrick hit 10-of-27 in the first game and 11-of-27 in the second. Rose’s injury has somewhat reduced the effectiveness of his drives as well, but he continues to inspire and lead his team.
Despite the recent slump, his playoff point’s average is a healthy 26.7 and while he has 7.3 assists per game.
If the Bulls are to win their first NBA championship since the Jordan-Pippen Era, or even reach the NBA finals, Derrick Rose is the man that can get them there. They will be hoping he can shake off his ankle injury and get back to his mesmerizing best, sooner rather than later.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and has nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: