Saturday, 18 June 2011

NBA: Playoff Highlights

Looking back on the NBA Playoffs, there was no shortage of thrills and spills. In no particular order, here's the top 10:

1) Number eight seed Memphis Grizzlies eliminate number one seed San Antonio in six games: Combining speed and stifling defense with the inside double act of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, Memphis pulled off one of the biggest upsets in league history.

2) LeBron and Wade gun down Celtics: It was the series everyone was waiting for - the true test of how far the Miami Heat had come. And Miami passed with flying colours as James and Wade turned it on at both ends of the court.

3) Memphis Grizzlies-Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 4: A turning point in the series, this triple overtime thriller saw the Thunder prevail but the fans were the biggest winners. A glimpse of the future as two young, athletic teams went toe-to-toe.

4) Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic finish off Lakers with the 3: The Dallas Mavericks completed a staggering 4-0 sweep of the two-time defending champs thanks to red hot 3-point shooting. Stojakovic hit all six of his 3s while Terry connected on 9 of 10.

5) Dallas stun Heat in Finals Game 2: With a 15-point lead, Miami were cruising to a 2-0 series lead before a furious Mavericks fightback. Terry led the charge and Dirk Nowitzki was an assassin down the stretch with a massive 3-pointer and then the game-winning lay-up.

6) Rose puts Hawks to the sword: Derrick Rose didn't much help in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. He took over, scoring 44 points as the Chicago Bulls regained control of the Conference Semi-Final. Atlanta had no answer as Rose attacked the rim and shot 16-of-27.

7) Dirk, Terry and Jason Kidd finally get their ring: Three class acts finally removed the asterisk from their careers by going all the way. After a rough first half, Nowitzki recovered to hit the clutch shots while Terry had a game-high 27 points and Kidd quarterbacked his team expertly. Feel good moment of the season.

8) Mavs comeback against Thunder: Dallas' ability to shake off double-digit deficits was a feature of their run to the championship. The Thunder seemed ready to square the series at 2-2, leading by 15 with 5:04 to play. Then came a 17-2 Mavs run, sparked by Nowitzki, to force overtime. Dirk finished with 40 points as Dallas pushed Durant and company to the brink of elimination.

9) Chris Paul puts on a show: Injuries had dropped Paul out of the top 5 players in the league discussion but his masterclass against the Lakers in the first round of the Playoffs put him right back in the mix. Without second best player David West, the Hornets relied heavily on Paul, who shot well and made plays to stretch the series to six games.

10) Wade in the Finals: With LeBron struggling, Wade took over as the Heat's "go to guy" and, after the first three games, seemed destined for another ring and the Finals MVP trophy. It didn't work out that way but Wade reminded everyone that he is an assassin in crunch time and that Miami is very much his team.

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