Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 reasons they’re still legitimate contenders

2. Star power

In the playoffs, games are officiated slightly differently. The pace of the game slows down, scoring in the half-court becomes more important and lineups are shortened. With this being the case, it is extremely important to have star players on your roster in the playoffs.

Although sometimes frustrating, down the stretch in the playoffs, the stars of the NBA get fouls called in their favor. There are many important games in playoff history in which the best players in the league cash in from the line in their high-scoring individual games. With the game slowing down, and isolation basketball becoming more important, having an All-NBA caliber player who can get a bucket in a half-court set is extremely valuable.

Although depth is important in the regular season, in the playoffs, rotations shrink and lineups become top-heavy. The best players on each respective team are asked to step up and play more minutes on the floor. Due to this, depth becomes slightly less important as rotations get much shorter and some teams only play their best 7-8 players. Having a top-heavy team with two All-Stars like Russell Westbrook and Paul George will pay off.