What player(s) have the most pressure in the 2011 NBA Playoffs

I'm going to cheat and also call out a coach and GM.

LeBron, Bosh and Spoelstra... but not so much on Wade

Yeah, if KD and Westbrook don't get to the 2nd round the talking heads will go wild comparing him to TMac.

Jeff Green has more than any of the other Boston players, but Ainge definitely >>> Celtics players.

 

Dirk has a lot riding on his shoulders. He has to step it up and play at a very high level against an athletic Blazers team. If the Mavs fall in the first round, he'll likely take almost all the blame.

Dwight Howard has some pressure. They clearly need to beat the Hawks, but they also need to at least make a second round series against the Bulls competitive. If they bow out in 4 or 5 games to the Bulls or even worse lose to the Hawks, it's going to be mighty dismal for the Magic. Not that they can do much to that roster for a while. I think Stan Van Gundy might get fired if they underachieve.

Not a player, but I think if the Celtics flame out in the first round or getting massacred by the Heat in round 2, Danny Ainge will be under siege from criticism for that Perkins trade. They didn't have much of a window left, but he certainly appears to have nailed it shut at the trading deadline when the team was on pace for the top seed in the east and maybe the whole league considering the Spurs implosion.

 

Dirk Nowitzki.

This will probably be his last run as the primary option of his team.

Derrick Rose.

MVPs are always expected to perform well in the playoffs.

Chris Bosh.

Everyone is looking at him to be the weakest link in the Heat. He has the least playoff experience the Superfriends. I have a feeling if the Heat loses in a playoff series, a large portion of blame will be shifted towards Bosh.

Kobe Bryant.

Like Nowitzki, Bryant's tenure as the first option is coming to an end. After this season, with Phil Jackson gone, I don't think he will get another ring unless there is some drastic roster change or a shift in offensive focus.

 

it's only lebron james. and he brought it on himself. let's see how he does.

 

I would say the Heat big three, I mean they are expected to at least go to the finals when the team formed. If anything happens, the public will rip Lebron apart.

And D-Rose for sure, the entire MVP season wouldn't mean much with an early exit

 

Two and a Half Men, obviously. I think they'll have the most pressure by default now, and in subsequent playoffs, until they win the title, and everyone's foaming at the mouth to watch them fall short.

And I doubt anyone's forgotten Bron's spiel over the summer... "Not one, not two, not three, not four.... and when I say that, I really believe it."

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When was the last time the MVP won the championship? Maybe Duncan years ago? I don't think Rose has any pressure on him because no one expected the Bulls to be this good and even now most people are picking Lakers or Heat over them.

Least pressure has to be the Spurs... I've never seen a #1 seed more disrespected. Losing to the Grizzlies? Get out of here.

Most pressure on LeBron, no doubt. Wade & Bosh... not so much. Also, everyone expects the Lakers to be in the Finals at least so I guess they have some pressure should things get tight.

 

Are you kidding? All blame will go to LeBron.

 

Bosh has received the most criticism over the course of the season because of his poor play. Of all the superfriends, Bosh is the only liability.

Lebron will get a ton of blame for sure, but depending on how Bosh plays, he could become an absolute laughing stock.

 

rose...big disappointment if they win 60+ games, have the mvp, and don't get far in the playoffs...at least conf finals. Maybe it's not fair for an inexperienced team with such a young leader, but that's the way it works...

 

I agree with you, but it's kind of funny that Wade hasn't really faced much criticism even though he hasn't won a playoff series since the refs gifted him the Finals against Dallas five years ago.

 

Why would he? He didn't leave a 60 win team because he though he could do better. That's basically what it comes down to and why Lebron is always going to take most of the blame and/or hate.

 

I'm not really talking about the pressure on him this year. I'm talking about the fact that nobody has been criticizing him for the past few years when his team has been one and done in the playoffs (or missed altogether). Every other superstar player who gets knocked out in the first round multiple years in a row catches a lot of criticism.

 

Just to go a little further: in 2006, Wade led his team to the Finals. If not for the interference of the refs, they would have most likely been swept. They certainly should not have won that series. Since then his team hasn't advanced past the first round.

The following year, Lebron led his team to the Finals. He wasn't fortunate enough to have the trophy handed to him by a combination of choke job and game fixing. He's still advanced in the playoffs every year since then, but he's been more criticized than Wade, who hasn't won a thing. And I really don't think Lebron's teams have been that much more talented than Wade's.

 

Kobe, it's always win it all or lose it all. I don't think any other player in the league is measured in that standard.

 

funny you mention that. nowadays, everytime when people talk about the lakers on national TV and why they have a chance to go all the way, kobe is the 3RD reason why they might repeat.

#1 - their size: gasol and bynum
#2 - lamar odom being the best 6th man giving them depth

then they talk about kobe

it's funny don't you think?

 

Not a player, but Danny Ainge. The Celtics were primed for championship run earlier this season, but now questions are everywhere. Jeff Green is also pressured heavily. The Celtics playoff hopes also depends on an injured Shaq

 

Lakers, being the defending champs, will always have pressure on them.

Since the beginning of the season, it has always been the Heat with the pressure. They're a bunch of cocky sumbitches and now is the time for them to nut up or shut up. In all likelihood, the Bulls will knock them down a notch.

However, since the deadline, Boston has an incredible amount of pressure since they've traded Perkins. They've gone from going to the Finals yet again to a team questioning whether they can make it past the semifinals.

Carmelo has to prove that he can be a real star in New York, getting them past the first round. Plus, with how much better Denver is playing, he has to prove his team is better then theirs, showing his worth.