National Basketball Association

Melissa Rohlin delivers 10 playoff superlatives as an intriguing NBA postseason begins

Updated May. 22, 2021 10:42 a.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

What a season.

For many players and coaches, it was the strangest. It was the weirdest. And it was the hardest amid all of the health and safety protocols and uncertainties during a global pandemic.

In the spirit of superlatives, we've come up with a list of the players and teams to look out for – or who will be sorely missed – as we head into the NBA's postseason.

Let the fun begin.

Most Feared Player: LeBron James

Nobody inspires more terror come playoff time than James. He could be playing alongside four 10-pound Chihuahuas, and his team would still be favored to win most series. He's a four-time NBA champion who led the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers to a combined eight straight NBA Finals.

During that time, he headed one of the most stunning comebacks in NBA history, helping the Cavaliers claw their way back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals to win the franchise's first championship. Last season, he proved he had the mental fortitude to stay focused during a nearly 100-day stay in the NBA Bubble, leading the Lakers to their first championship in a decade.

Sure, he's a bit banged up right now and out of rhythm after missing 26 games because of a sprained ankle. But James knows when to turn it on. Heck, even after having his eye gouged in Wednesday's play-in game against the Warriors, he went ahead and won it with a 34-foot 3-pointer – despite his vision being so blurry that he claimed he saw three rims.

The quickest way to lose your money is to bet against this guy in the postseason. And unfortunately for the rest of the league, his teammates are far from Chihuahuas.

Player With The Most To Prove: Chris Paul

They said he's old. He's washed up. He isn't even a superstar anymore. Paul heard his critics, and he silenced them. The 36-year-old led the Phoenix Suns to the second-best record in the NBA at 51-21, only one game behind the Utah Jazz (52-20).

Paul isn't a finalist for the MVP award, even though he had one of the most efficient seasons of his career, shooting 49.9% from the field, 39.5% from beyond the arc and an NBA-best 93.4% from the free-throw line. He has been to the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, but he has never reached the NBA Finals. His Suns aren't even favored in the upcoming first-round playoff series against the seventh-seeded Lakers. Paul is used to being underrated, and he's ready to shatter some ceilings.

Most Underappreciated MVP Front-Runner Ever: Nikola Jokic

Aside from perhaps LeBron James, most people think Jokic should win the MVP award. But even though he is heavily favored to become the first center to win the honor since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000, many people remain dubious. He plays at a slow pace. He can't jump high. He doesn't look like a typical superstar. In fact, "First Things First" host Nick Wright recently said that if Jokic wins MVP, "he'd be the worst one we've had in 35 years."

But Jokic's stats tell another story. He had one of the top offensive seasons in NBA history, averaging 26.4 points on 56% shooting from the field and 38.3% shooting from beyond the 3-point line, with 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists a game. Why all the controversy?

Most Interesting Team: Brooklyn Nets

Any and all predictions about the Nets are absurd. We don't even know who they are or what they're capable of, with their three superstars shuffling in and out of the lineup more quickly than country dancers at a Texas bar. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden played together in only eight of 59 games this season after the Nets acquired Harden in January. They're finally all healthy and available, but it will take them some time to develop chemistry and rhythm.

Then again, with their talent, even if two superstars are off on any given night, the Nets are still one of the top teams in the league. There have been questions about their defense, which ranked 22nd in the regular season, but they showed that when they choose to tighten up on that end, they can. They just don't have to do it often with such incredible offensive firepower.

That said, only one team in the past 24 seasons has ranked lower than 11th on the defensive end and gone on to win a championship: the 2000-01 Lakers, who ranked 22nd on defense. Even so, for the star-studded Nets, anything short of a championship would be considered a failure.

Biggest Surprise of the Season: New York Knicks

The Knicks finished with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference and are hosting a first-round playoff series. Who guessed that? No one. Only those mad geniuses who invested early in Apple or Bitcoin could've predicted such a wild outcome.

Things came together in a totally unexpected way for the perpetually flailing Knicks this season, with Tom Thibodeau transforming a defense that ranked 23rd last season into fourth this season. That combined with Julius Randle's massive improvement and RJ Barrett's success in his second year have skyrocketed the Knicks into relevance. Before this incredible run, the Knicks hadn't made the playoffs since 2013 and were basically known for being a revolving door for front-office leaders and coaching staffs. Now, they're becoming a destination team once again.

Player/Team Under Most Pressure: Paul George and the Clippers

Both George and the Clippers had epic collapses last postseason. George's nickname, "Playoff P," was distorted and mocked by fans as "Pandemic P" after he went through a stretch in which he shot a combined 10-for-47 from the field and 4-for-25 from beyond the arc in Games 2, 3 and 4 of his team's first-round series against Dallas. He turned things around in Game 5, scoring 35 points. But the Clippers fell apart in their second-round series against Denver, blowing a 3-1 series lead. In Game 7 of that series, George went 4-for-16.

The Clippers have never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs in their 50-year history and desperately need to change that, especially with Kawhi Leonard having a player option for the 2021-22 season. Leonard is widely expected to re-sign with the team, but if things fall apart and George struggles yet again this postseason, who knows what could happen?

Most Hyped Playoff Player: Rajon Rondo

The Lakers swear by the legend. Now the Clippers are hoping it's true.

Rondo, who is widely considered one of the most intelligent players in the league, is known for having lackluster regular seasons and then transforming into a postseason game-changer. It's a phenomenon known as "Playoff Rondo." The Clippers, who very much need a postseason boost, traded Lou Williams, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, to Atlanta in exchange for Rondo in hopes that the transformation could happen once again. No man has more pressure to live up to his nickname.

Most Exciting Player We Won't Get To See: Steph Curry

Has there ever been a player who is more fun to watch? When Curry gets rolling, it's like watching a flower bloom in fast motion, with the beauty of the spectacle taking your breath away.

Curry led the league in scoring this season, with 32 points per game, besting his previous scoring title in 2015-16, when he averaged 30.1 points and was unanimously voted MVP. He broke so many records this season at age 33 and seems to be getting better, stronger and quicker with age. Without Klay Thompson this season, Curry nearly single-handedly kept the Warriors afloat, defying everyone's expectations.

The play-in tournament was incredibly fun, but it's a shame we won't get to see Curry work his magic in the playoffs after Memphis booted the Warriors out of the eighth seed with a 117-112 overtime win Friday.

Most Missed Postseason Presence: Gregg Popovich

After making the playoffs a record-tying 22 straight seasons, the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs for their second straight season. They were eliminated Wednesday by losing their play-in game against Memphis 100-96.

The most heartbreaking part of the Spurs' heading to summer break early is that we won't get to hear our favorite 72-year-old man go off on reporters during the playoffs. Everyone will miss Popovich's cantankerous charm. When reporters ask questions that he deems less-than-stellar, he's famous for glaring at them and quipping, "Did you stay up all night thinking of that?" Popovich can deliver monosyllabic responses during interviews, or he can be the most articulate man in the country, depending on his mood. Those sessions were as dramatic and interesting as the games themselves.

Player Not To Be Overlooked: Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat struggled this season amid injuries and health and safety protocols, slipping to sixth in the East and setting up a first-round playoff series with the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. It will be a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, which the Heat won in five games.

The Heat exceeded everyone's expectations last season, reaching the NBA Finals behind Butler. Can they do it again? In the bubble, Butler sold coffee off the court and played as though he had a caffeine high on it, pouring himself into almost leading his team to its first title since 2013. Butler made a name for himself in the bubble and showed everyone that he should never be counted out.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.