Allen, Paul and Roy: They could be a trio at your local mechanic's shop or maybe a triumvirate that run a barber shop in the center of a small town. Instead, they're three players — (Ray) Allen, (Chris) Paul and (Brandon) Roy — that are leaving their mark on the first round of the NBA playoffs, all in very different ways.
Roy's performance in Game 4 of Portland's series against the Mavericks has been the highlight of the playoffs so far. After Roy made headlines between Games 2 and 3 for voicing his frustration to a reporter about a lack of playing time, the former Rookie of the Year dominated the fourth quarter of Game 4, scoring 18 points and leading the Blazers all the way back from what was at one point a 23-point deficit. Roy, who has battled knee injuries all season and had many thinking that his promising career might end extremely prematurely, made a dazzling array of shots, including a four-point play after nailing an off-balance three-pointer and getting fouled in the process, to lead the Blazers back. The Mavericks, for reasons still unclear, seemed reluctant to double Roy or force him to pass, so he simply kept shooting, and the ball kept going in. When it was all over, and the Blazers had secured an 84-82 win, Roy finished the fourth quarter alone shooting 8-for-10 and chipping in four assists. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Roy either scored or assisted on 14 of the Blazers' final 17 made field goals and accounted for 33 of the team's final 43 points. Not bad for a guy with no cartilage left in his knees.
In a very different way, Ray Allen has put together an incredible first round for the Celtics, who completed a sweep of the hapless Knicks on Sunday. It's no surprise that the all-time leader in three-pointers would be shooting well from downtown, but 65 percent (17-26) isn't just shooting well, it's mind-boggling. Allen has nailed treys from all over the court, and has made them when he's wide-open standing still and when he's double teamed and dribbling to his right. Whatever the Knicks threw at Allen, which often wasn't that much, New York could do nothing to stop his stroke. Allen has also done it inside the arc, knocking down jumper after jumper when he curls off the foul-line screen that is so integral to the Celtics offense.
But Allen's offensive efficiency (and efficiency is an understatement for a player averaging 22 points on just 13 shots per game this postseason) means more than just the former UConn star scoring points, it means the Celtics offense is operating at its highest rate. Allen's off-the-ball movement is often the first option for a number of Celtics offensive sets. If he's able to get open, and he often has in this series, Allen knocks down the shot. But when the defense collapses on him as he comes off the screen, Allen dishes the ball off to either the screener, usually Kevin Garnett, for an open mid-range jump shot, or to a cutting Rajon Rondo or Paul Pierce, allowing those two All-Stars to attack the rim against an open lane. When Allen is hitting shots at the rate he did in the Knicks series, everything begins to open up for the Celtics offense.
But while Allen's offense works to open up the rest of his teammates, his importance on the court pales in comparison to what Chris Paul means to his Hornets squad.
New Orleans being tied 2-2 in their series with the Lakers is nothing less than Paul willing his team to victory. Paul leads his team in scoring (25.5 points per game), assists (11.5) and steals (2) and is second in rebounds (7). If you look at Hornets playing minutes in crunch time, you see the likes of Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack: not exactly a crew that puts fear into an opponent's eyes. Yet Paul has dominated every facet of the game. In Game 4, more or less a must win for the Hornets, who would have gone down 3-1 heading to L.A. with the loss, Paul was everywhere. He was crossing over Andrew Bynum about 1,400 times before dropping an arching jumper over the center's out-stretched arms. He was stealing the ball from Derek Fisher mid-crossover and taking it the other way for an assist. And, yes, he was knocking down threes as he has all-series, shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. The final line for Paul in Game 4: 27 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, one bloody eye, one series tied at two heading back to L.A.
They've done it in different ways, but Allen, Paul, and Roy — not your average owners of a deli and sandwich shop — are serving up memorable starts to the 2011 playoffs.
