DAVID ALDRIDGE: Key guys in the NBA who can hold the fort

justasking? said:

PHILADELPHIA - You know all about the NBA's superstars, the Kobes and Shaqs and J Kidds; the MVP talents like Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash; the blossoming games of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Gilbert Arenas.

But to win in the postseason, you can't just count on your stars. Good teams with good coaches and good defenses often figure out ways to diffuse the talents of the game's elite players. So to have success in the playoffs, somebody else on your squad has to often take up the slack. Somebody has to step in and be Lou Gehrig when Wally Pipp has a headache. (Kids! Look up Wally Pipp on Wikipedia.) Somebody who is normally in the shadows has to embrace his moment in the sun.

So here are 10 lunchpail guys who are going to have to become Superman at one point or another in the playoffs to keep their teams from coming apart at the seams.

Nenad Krstic, Nets

This third-year forward has come on with a burst this season, refining his low-post game - which makes his perimeter game that much more effective. Teammates now have confidence giving him the ball. And that spacing makes New Jersey's three-man attack of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson almost impossible to stop in the halfcourt.

Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14186861.htm

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