The NBA Postseason “Matty” Awards

In the "what have you done for me lately" world that is today's professional sports scene, we, as fans, are quick to anoint our athletic heroes and foils with titles and monikers befitting of their emotional impact on our individual psyches.

As a case-in-point, based on his 2011 postseason performance, fans of the Dallas Mavericks have christened their own Dirk Nowitzki as an all-time top-10 player and those less compelled to root for the Dallas ballers have been just as quick to damn Nowitzki as nothing more than a great shooter, but overrated overall basketball player. The most telling aspect of these disparate assessments is Dirk is one three-game collapse away from being damned by those very same fans who have hastily glorified his performance to date. We are a fickle bunch, to say the least, when it comes to our rooting interests and our perception of those for whom we root.

Truth is, Dirk falls somewhere in the middle of those two extreme groups, but that example is repeated throughout all sports and across all teams. That said, as far as the 2011 NBA playoffs are concerned, our reality is there are four teams left, which leaves precious few arbitrary assessments to assign to various players on those last-standing teams. In the spirit of both the uniqueness of being one of those 60 remaining players still suiting up in the NBA and America's propensity to jump to a merit-based rewards system to quantify an individuals' value, I have decided to offer up my own assessments for your consumption.

Rather than just spew my own perceptions in an unoriginal stream-of-consciousness, I've decided to spice my own assessments up a bit by creating twelve unique postseason awards that I am naming the "Matty's". The ground rules are simple; to qualify for a "Matty", you need only be on an active roster for one of the four remaining NBA playoff teams. The 12 categories in which individual players can qualify for range from the sublime ("Most Trustworthy Shooter in Crunch-Time") to the ridiculous ("Most Likely to Celebrate a Meaningless Basket"), but rest assured that any winner of a prestigious "Matty" will anxiously (and perpetually) await his trophy, which will most certainly be mailed in the coming days.

On to the awards...

Most Underrated Superstar as a Result of Having a Superstar Teammate — Dwyane Wade, Heat

Considering Wade's legacy in the league to date, this may be a tough pill for some of you to swallow. That said, the reality is that Wade is Miami's MVP. So few want to give D-Wade the credit for Miami's previous championship (he deserves most of it) that it has gone largely unnoticed that the Heat's success in 2011 is largely tied to Wade's performance, not LeBron's. I'm not talking simply about offensive stats here ... Wade offers so much more than that in his ability to throw even the most tenacious defenses into a tizzy by his slashing, high-speed style. His on-the-ball defense allows players like Chris Bosh and LeBron to play to their strengths on defense, which is to say they can fly around and help at their own leisure.

Most Overrated Superstar as a Result of Having a Superstar Teammate — Carlos Boozer, Bulls

You had to see this one coming. While Boozer's status as a "superstar" is certainly in question, the bottom line is the guy is credited for far too much of the Bulls' success. His own ability to score is tied directly to his superstar teammate's ability to disrupt a defense and his own propensity to find open spots in said disrupted defense. It was this way at Duke, it was this way in Utah, and it is this way now. In fact, in the future, I may well name this "Matty" after Mr. Boozer.

Most Trustworthy Shooter in Crunch-Time – Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

Any arguments? Didn't think so. Moving on...

Least Trustworthy Shooter in Crunch-Time — Russell Westbrook, Thunder

Perhaps Westbrook loses additional points here because he plays alongside a dude that should, quite literally, never pass the ball in end-game situations. Regardless, it isn't often that I've seen an all-star-caliber player consistently suck in clutch situations as Westbrook has throughout his young career. Don't go citing specific instances where he actually succeeded here; watch some tape of the last six close games OKC has played and then come back to me with any dissension with this selection ... I dare you. As an aside, Westbrook is shooting 39% from the field in the postseason ... yikes.

Most Likely to Celebrate a Meaningless Basket — LeBron James, Heat

LeBron is the truth, no doubt, but have you ever seen a superstar get so jazzed over a breakaway layup late in a game with his team leading by 8 points or more than LeBron? I'm okay with intensity and even enjoy some good old-fashioned self-glorification, but c'mon, LeBron. No need to beat your chest after making a "game-saving" steal and jam in those games where the outcome is already decided. Let's try not getting a charge called on you in a tie game with less than 30 seconds left before you force the world to celebrate your kingliness next time.

Best Shooter, Dudes Who Look Like They Can't Shoot Division — Peja Stojakovic, Mavericks

If you watch him prep for a shot, he looks like he's about to pass a kidney stone. His hands are jacked up, his legs do some funky bend thing that can't be described effectively, and he looks like he just walked out of a smoke shop (you know the type, shaggy pseudo-beard, pasty white, sheepish grin). But when he is on, he is money.

Worst Shooter, Dudes Who Look Like They Can Shoot Division — Mike Miller, Heat

If you walked into a gym and had to pick one guy from all of the teams that you just knew would hit a 30-foot jumper (allowing for the stretch that you've never seen any of these guys play before), you have to admit that Miller would be a serious contender. He's white, he certainly looks the part, and he walks with an air of confidence that belies his utter lameness. Now, knowing what you do know about all the players in play here, who is the one guy (not counting the big dudes of course, they are disqualified from this assessment) that looks like a shooter that you would absolutely not trust to take that 30-foot jumper. Exactly.

Most Useless Starter — Keith Bogans, Bulls

Seriously, Keith Bogans is a starter? Who knew?

Most Valuable Non-Starter — Jason Terry, Mavericks

While Terry is only a non-starter in the box score (in Game 4, Terry netted 42 minutes to starting SG DeShawn Stevenson's 13), he does qualify. Terry is clutch, hard-working, and savvy and is the anchor of the NBA's most potent bench attack.

Most Underrated Non-Superstar — Serge Ibaka, Thunder

Serge's playoff numbers are stunningly adequate: 10.3 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 blocks. And those numbers are collected in less than 30 minutes per night.

Most Overrated Non-Superstar — Shawn Marion, Mavericks

Marion plays 31 minutes a night, yet is averaging 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per contest. He's giving the ball away more frequently than he is taking it away (1.1 SPG versus 1.4 TOPG) and his defense hasn't been any great shakes, either. While his contributions have been helpful, if you were to do nothing except listen to the announcers during Mavericks' games this postseason, you'd think Marion was a key factor. He hasn't been.

Least Likely to Take a Bad Last-Second Shot Because He Isn't Self-Glorifying Enough — Kevin Durant, Thunder

Durant is Dirk Nowitzki without the swagger. Nowitzki, for his part, relishes the moments when he can over-dribble, double-fake, and launch a poorly-devised shot when it matters most ... and he typically makes good on those offerings. Conversely, Durant is far too willing to defer what would be a tougher shot for himself in favor of an open teammate ... which is commendable, but not the path for OKC title hopes.

Most Likely to Take a Bad Last-Second Shot Because He is Self-Glorifying — Derrick Rose, Bulls

I love me some D-Rose, but for a lightning-quick, slippery-as-an-eel ball handler, he sure settles for a lot of weak-nut fade-away jump shots late in games. For my money, I'd like to see the league's MVP break down a defense a bit more frequently in these situations and take a higher percentage (for him) teardrop or dish to one of his capable mid-range shooting teammates for a wide open offering.

There you have it ... the first annual "Matty" Award recipients! For posterity — and to help ensure that this article carries with it at least a tiny bit of relevance — as an added bonus I'm going to share with you my fearless NBA Finals prediction:

Dallas Mavericks over Chicago Bulls, 4 games to 2. And yes, I am aware that the Heat are currently up 3 games to 1.