The NBA playoffs are officially underway. A time when no-names become household ones, stars become superstars, and superstars become legends.
The playoffs can also be a detriment if said star or superstar fails to deliver, so today we highlight five All Star point guards facing the biggest pressure to deliver this year.
5. Damian Lillard - Portland
The perennial All Star has not only been the face of the Portland Trailblazers since being drafted in 2012, but he is also the face of the entire northwestern region of the country.
With Lillard at the helm, the Portland Trailblazers have enjoyed plenty of regular season success, reaching the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. But not only have they failed to reach the Conference Finals, but they have been swept out of the first round the last two seasons.
This season the Trailblazers draw a tough first round match up with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and a third straight first round exit could spell the end for Portland as we know it. Seeing the window closing with Lillard, and their inability to attract a top-notch free agent during his tenure there, Portland could be forced to rebuild with Lillard being the bargaining chip.
4. Ben Simmons - Philadelphia
Simmons entered the league with as much fanfare as one could hope for, drawing early comparisons to Magic Johnson with his size and ability to distribute the basketball. His propensity for triple doubles has even drawn comparisons to LeBron James.
Last year's Rookie of the Year and current All Star, Simmons has been a key cog in the Sixers' turnaround from process to playoffs.
But in last year's playoffs, Simmons' Achilles Heel, his ineffectiveness shooting from long range, was exposed by the Boston Celtics. Teams are now daring Simmons to shoot from deep, and remarkably enough, he is not making them pay to the tune of zero three point makes in his career.
That's ZERO, y'all.
Even with the addition of sharp shooters Tabias Harris and Jimmy Butler, it will still be imperative for Simmons to make teams play him honest, or the Sixers' quest for a spot in the NBA Finals will come up short, again.
In today's opening round match up against the underdog Brooklyn Nets, Simmons was dreadful. So much so that Philly had to move him to the post, just so Brooklyn would have to guard him. That, in turn, moved big Joel Embiid to the perimiter, where he was 0-for from behind the arc. Butler dropped a playoff career-high 36 points, and the Sixers still lost.
3. Kyrie Irving - Boston
Irving forced his way out of Cleveland last season to be the main guy on a young Celtics team last season, but an injury late in the regular season caused him to miss the entire postseason.
Irving sat idly by and watched his young and inexperienced team reach game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without him.
Boston was predicted to run through the Eastern Conference this season with Kyrie back in the fold, but the team actually had a better record when he didn't play this season.
Couple that with Irving's icy relationship with his teammates throughout the season, and you have a pressure-packed road ahead for Uncle Drew and Company.
2. James Harden - Houston
The Beard has been the league's most unstoppable offensive force the last three NBA seasons, but the postseason has been a different story.
Last year's MVP and current front runner for this year's coveted award, Harden has dazzled NBA fans with his eye-popping shooting, averaging 36 points per game in this year's regular season.
But after a couple of high-profile meltdown the last few postseasons, none of that matters when his playoff push starts Sunday.
Behind Harden, CP3, and a scrappy group of wing defenders, the Rockets had Golden State on the ropes last season before squandering a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Chris Paul's absence in game 7 gave The Beard a mulligan.
But in order to have his name mentioned with the pantheon greats of this game, Harden MUST get to the Finals this season, with or without Chris Paul.
1. Russell Westbrook - OKC
You know you have something to prove when you averaged a triple double the last three seasons, earned league MVP honors, and was still voted the most overrated player by your peers this season.
Such is the life of Russell Westbrook.
While his mannerisms and style of play may be a turnoff to his colleagues and casual fans, there's no denying the elephant in the room....his lack of playoff success post Kevin Durant.
Last season the OKC Thunder were eliminated in the first round by a less-talented Utah Jazz team, leaving many of his detractors with plenty of ammo that you can not win with Westbrook's stat-padding style of play.
And if the Thunder fail to advance past the first round with a favorable match up with the Portland Trailblazers this season, then you can expect more of the same criticism of Russ's game next year....fourth straight triple double season or not.
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