Wade and the Heat are looking to roll past the Bulls and into the finals
As we observed for years in Cleveland, a superstar can not win a ring on his own. The playoffs have provided several epic performances , but from a night-in night-out perspective, both series will be riding on match-ups. LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, and Dirk Nowitzki will be counting on these players to help propel their respective squads to the 2011 NBA Finals. These are the types of fantasy basketball performances that can turn mere mortals into legends.
Chris Bosh – Miami Heat – PF
The term “X-Factor” does not usually include NBA all-stars, however; when you play alongside King James it is championship or bust. Bosh was the only Heat player that showed up in game one, dropping 30 points on 12/18 FG and 6/6 FT. More importantly, he snatched a respectable 9 rebounds in 37 minutes. Banging with both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah will force Bosh to perform at a high level on the glass.
Dwayne Wade – Miami Heat – SG
Although Bulls Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has experience shutting down LeBron James, shooting guard is the weakest position for Chicago. Veterans Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer limited “Flash” Wade to 18 points on 7/17 FG with 4 TO last game. Wade and James combined for three more points than Bosh (33), and matched his rebound total at nine. The Heat closed out the Boston Celtics with 30+ point performances from Wade & James, they need at least two of the big three to excel in order to pull out a victory. FYI, Wade was a horrid -22 on the +/- scale in game one.
Taj Gibson – Chicago Bulls – PF
Even Dwayne Wade’s son is giving him a hard time after being absolutely posterized by USC standout Taj Gibson. Women lie, men lie – but numbers don’t lie. Gibson logged 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in only 23 minutes against the Heat. He was +17 over those minutes, however; will have to step up his defensive play if he plans to limit Chris Bosh. Gibson was only two rebounds shy of Bosh’s nine, playing in 16 less minutes throughout game one. He looks to be a viable fantasy baseketball option.
Luol Deng – Chicago Bulls – SF
After dismantling the Celtics in the Semifinals, this question remained on the minds of many, “Who, if anybody, can stop LeBron James? The answer thus far, Luol Deng. Not only did he outscore LeBron (21-15), but had more rebounds (7-6), steals (4-2), and committed four less turnovers (4-0). Deng was a pest all night and probably learned a thing or two from Rajon Rondo last round. If Deng can keep up the defensive intensity and remain hot from behind the arc (4/6) the Bulls should be in good shape.
James Harden – Oklahoma City Thunder – SG
The departure of Jeff Green opened the door for the potent and offensively gifted Harden this postseason. The problem is just that – he is only dangerous as a scoring option. As a sophomore in the league, he has not had enough time to develop into a multi-dimensional player. Harden played 36 minutes in game one, registering a -13 +/-, however; he did score 12 points and stuffed the stat sheet without committing a turnover. If Harden can limit the success of Jason Terry this series will be competitive.
Serge Ibaka – Oklahoma City Thunder – PF
We can all agree that Dirk’s performance in game one of the Western Conference Finals was both historic and epic. One player that may disagree, Kendrick Perkins, another – Serge Ibaka. “Air Congo” committed five fouls that sent Dirk to the line on most. The referees did call an absurd amount of touch fouls for a playoff game, however; you need to give Nowitzki credit. 24/24 FTs is not only impressive, but unheard of. Oklahoma City was confident in the play of Ibaka by sending Green to Boston, let’s see if he can limit the damage and continue his strong play on both sides of the ball throughout the series.
Shawn Marion – Dallas Mavericks – SF
While one could make a good case for Chicago, Dallas is the most complete team left in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Dirk did not need much help in game one, as the rest of the team rode him like a stallion. After receiving an elbow to the nose from Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, Shawn Marion sparked Dallas to a 16-3 run, bloodied gauze and all. “The Matrix” started the game, playing 27 minutes and finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists after fouling out.
Jason Terry – Dallas Mavericks – SG
“Jet Terry” has been doing his thing all playoffs, as we here at Weekly Fantasy Sportal covered his “make it rain” performance last round. The University of Arizona product had another efficient game scoring 24 points, going 4/8 from downtown. He is an X-Factor for the simple fact that he is a match-up nightmare. He’s too tall for point guards and too fast shooting guards. Furthermore, throwing Jose Juan Barea into the mix alongside Hall of Fame worthy Jason Kidd makes an interesting backcourt.
