As a whole the 2016 NBA Playoffs have been quite dull to say the least. It was either injuries hampering certain teams from playing up to their potential or just some questionable and disappointing play on the part of some other teams.
Nonetheless, the Western Conference and particularly the Oklahoma City Thunder saved the league with its post-season. First, by eliminating a 67 win team, the San Antonio Spurs, in the Conference Semis and then pushing the record setting 73 win Golden State Warriors team to seven games in one of the most historic series in Western Conference Finals history.
In the East, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers progressed to their second straight NBA Finals without any hiccups, losing just two games, beating the Toronto Raptors in the East Finals.
Playoffs is the time for the superstars to shine but ultimately every championship team has those one or two unexpected role players, who step up, and help their team in their Playoff run.
Here is one unsung hero from each team in the Conference Finals:
#1 Andre Roberson – Oklahoma City Thunder
Last year the Golden State Warriors during their Conference Semis series with the Memphis Grizzlies totally disregarded Tony Allen, who is not known for his shooting, allowing them to put more pressure on the rest of Allen’s team in the paint. So despite being among the elite defenders in the league, Allen ultimately had to play reduced minutes so his team could play more freely on offense.
Despite his impressive perimeter defending, Andre Roberson was not known for his shooting and the Oklahoma City Thunder were well aware that he could get such treatment in the latter stages of the Playoffs. As predicted Roberson was left on an island on offense against the Spurs and the Warriors.
However, OKC Head Coach Billy Donovan had a counter ready against such a tactic and when called upon, Roberson applied it to perfection. Coach Donovan asked Roberson to be aggressive and drive to the basket, forcing the defense to react to him which would then open up passing lanes.
Another wrinkle coach added was to use Roberson as a screener when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have the ball. Being among the league’s top players, the defense have to double up on Durant and Westbrook, and on almost every such play Roberson has been able to make the right decision on such 4 on 3 situations as he drives towards the rim.
His positive activity on offense to go along with his suffocating perimeter defense made him a huge part of Thunder’s long and successful post-season.
#2 Andre Iguodala – Golden State Warriors
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala showed this season why he is Warriors’ Dark Knight. All season he stayed away from the limelight and let the team’s All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green bask in the glory and carry the team but when the team needed him the most, he responded.
With their backs against the wall and facing a long, athletic Thunder team, the Warriors needed the veteran’s calm leadership on the floor. Iguodala stepped up, made crucial plays on both ends of the floor in the team’s two most important games of the season – Games 6 & 7 of the West Finals against OKC.
''He's always kind of our unsung hero. He never has the numbers that jump out at you in the box score, so people don't write about him or show him much on the highlights,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''But he's a phenomenal defensive player and he's an incredibly intelligent player. He settles us down on offense and takes the toughest assignment on defense.''
The Warriors didn’t need much of him in the first two rounds against the Houston Rockets and Portland Trailblazers, winning both series comfortably 4-1. However, when the time came the team looked to Iguodala and he answered the call.
From averaging 26 minutes in the regular season and 29 in the first two rounds of the Playoffs, Iguodala averaged 37 in the Warriors’ last three games. In Game 7 of the Conference Finals, he played 43 minutes, a season high for the 12-year veteran.
Heading into their second straight Finals, the Warriors will once again look to their veteran defender to carry the responsibility of blocking LeBron James.
#3 Channing Frye – Cleveland Cavaliers
Channing Frye is the only member of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Finals roster that wasn’t on their squad at the beginning of the season. All year Cleveland focused on trying to return to the Finals with the same team they had last time around. He was acquired just before the mid-season trade deadline from the Orlando Magic, as part of a three-team trade.
Frye and the Cavaliers both took tiny steps towards understanding each other as the regular season progressed. However, once the Playoffs set in, Cleveland Head Coach used more of Frye as a big man shooter and he’s answered the call, shooting lights out from the field especially beyond the three-point line.
Although his average minutes per game was just 15.7, he’s been the player the Coach looks to when he needs some instant offense. Frye averages 9 points on 62.1% shooting from the field and 57.8% from beyond the arc. To provide that kind of shooting at his size, Frye allows the Cavaliers to field different line-ups and helps can create mismatches, which the team can take advantage of.
#4 Bismack Biyombo – Toronto Raptors
Given the injuries and disappointing play from their key players, it’s fair to say that the Toronto Raptors underachieved when their campaign ended in the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
By no means is that an insult to their play, it’s instead an appreciation of how the team has battled together to win. They were the only team in the NBA Playoffs to hand the Cavaliers a loss and their back up center Bismack Biyombo is a huge reason behind that.
In their two games at home, that the Raptors won, Biyombo used the crowd’s energy as a weapon and manned the paint, an area Cleveland was scoring baskets at will in Games 1 & 2. In the first two games of the series, Biyombo had combined for just 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots where as in Games 3 & 4 at home, he registered 40 rebounds and 7 blocks.
He couldn’t produce that kind of numbers in the series again but his activity and positive attitude in the paint on defense during those two games were a huge reason for Toronto winning. DeMar Derozan and Kyle Lowry did produce offensively but at some point the Raptors had to stop the Cavaliers’ offense rather than try to match it and that’s where Biyombo stepped up, after starting center Jonas Valanciunas was ruled out of the series.
