When "Role Players" Step Up

WHEN "ROLE PLAYERS" STEP UP

Jalen Rose called Giannis Antetokounmpo?"the best player on the planet", and promised that he would carry his team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Rose said this at half time when the Celtics had taken the lead just before the break As usual Jalen Rose was wrong. The Celtics won just as I said they would, but they even surprised me, put on the gas, and did it by 28 points!!!

In addition, virtually every commentator said "How Luka Doncic goes the Mavs go." At half time Doncic had as many points as the Phoenix Suns team. Before you jump to conclusions, the commentators were not really correct either.

Luka Doncic had 27 points at half time, which is a strong individual outing, but so did the Suns. The Suns only scored 27 points, and they were down by 30 points because of the Dallas team DEFENSE. If you watch basketball regularly,?then you know that Doncic plays James Harden caliber defense (@ss), so it was not "The Don" that made the big difference. Doncic finished with 35 points, the Mavs won by 33, and they led by as many as 46 during the blowout. This time the Mavs team carried Luka.

The Celtic "role player" that stepped up the most was Grant Williams. All series long Williams has had the responsibility of guarding Giannis, and he got pounded. In game seven the Celtic coaching staff told Williams to shoot the three pointer because "they are disrespecting you". Williams started off slow but finished 7/18 (38%), and scored a career high 27 points for the game. Williams shot over 40% from deep this season so this could very well happen again if given the opportunity.

The Maverick's "role players"?that stepped up were Spencer Dinwiddie (30 points) and Jalen Brunson (24). They both scored TWICE as many points as all three of the Suns double figure scorers!!! Furthermore, no Phoenix Sun player scored more than 12 points in the entire game. Luka Doncic will get the credit for this victory, but everyone that knows the game knows better. The Mavericks have already won multiple playoff games without Doncic, and his teammates are the real deal.

As the playoffs continue on casual fans will be looking at the points only and listening to commentators that are influenced by emotions as opposed to being objective. The informed fans, wise coaches, and sports betters will be looking at the stats for advantages or anomilies as well as defensive effectiveness. These have determined who advances, and they will continue to because winning a NBA playoff series is a marathon, not a sprint.??