RealGM Analysis
The eight Game 1's saw a collection of superstar performances from unexpected sources.
Rasheed Wallace has transformed himself from one of the NBA?s most talented but volatile players to one of the NBA?s most talented and consistent players. His 29 points helped Detroit comeback from a first quarter where Philadelphia was red hot, outscoring the Pistons 28-16.
With his three consecutive 3-pointers in the 4th quarter, which buried the 76ers, he showed once again that it his outside shot which separates him from other lesser power forwards.
LaFrentz was perfect from 3-point territory, making all five of his attempts, finishing the game with a team-high 21 points. LaFrentz?s ability to hit the outside shot has always made life difficult for 7 footers accustomed to toughing it out in the low post.
The game LaFrrentz turned in on Saturday caught Indiana completely off-guard. They figured if they could contain the tandem of Pierce and Walker that they would be able to easily run with the Celtics, but when LaFrentz began hitting those 3-pointers, everything opened up for Boston.
James started where he left off in last season?s playoffs where he won a championship with the Detroit Pistons by giving the Rockets 16 points off the bench.
Tracy McGrady gave Jeff Van Gundy his usual 30+points, but getting scoring from another source has been a source of problems for the Rockets? coach throughout the season.
The Mavericks shot just 35% from the field, so they will need another solid performance from James in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead back to Houston.
Seattle will score and they will score in bunches, particularly from the perimeter, but the unknown each and every time they play is what kind of production they can get from their frontcourt.
On Saturday, Jerome James turned in one of his finest performances of his career, scoring 17 points to go with 15 rebounds and 5 blocks.
At 7-1, James is capable of so much more than his 4.9 points and 3 rebounds per game indicate. James has a history of underachieving, but his output is like it was in Game 1, there is no reason why Seattle won?t be able to match-up with any team in the playoffs.
With all the backcourt attention squarely focused on Dwyane Wade this season, Jones has been a forgotten member of the Heat, but after scoring 30 points in Game 1, he will surely be a man that New Jersey must make adjustments upon if they want to steal a win in Miami.
Lawrence Frank expected Wade to score 32 and he counted on Shaq being in the same neighborhood, but when Damon Jones scores 30 points, including 7-9 from the 3-point stripe, there is no way that the Heat can be beaten.
In 48 minutes of play, Nocioni turned in a performance reminiscent of Dennis Rodman, finishing with 18 rebounds, though on the offensive end he exceeded a typical Rodman performance by scoring 25 points. His 18 rebounds were the most by a rookie in playoff history.
Over the last few weeks Nocioni has been labeled a dirty player, but in Game 1, he proved to be more of a blue-collar worker than the former. Surely he is an annoying nuisance to opponents, but his play on Sunday was something that one rarely sees from a rookie and gave the Bulls their rock that they could rely on all game long.
Miller bested his previous playoff-high by 10 points, scoring 31 to lead the Nuggets to a Game 1 win at San Antonio.
He outplayed Tony Parker who scored just 12 points.
With the Nuggets having great depth in the frontcourt, the backcourt match-up of Miller and Parker, as well as DerMarr Johnson and Manu Ginobili is what gave George Karl most worry heading into this series. Miller is a player who disappears when his confidence his lost, and after his performance Sunday, his confidence is at an all-time high.
On an off night from Amare Stoudemire, Steven Hunter scored 16 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in just 20 minutes of play.
The knock on Phoenix is their frontcourt depth and with Hunter, a solid 7-footer, Mike D'Antoni can afford to give Stoudemire and Marion ample rest over their playoff run.
The columnist may be reached at Christopher.Reina@RealGM.com.
