How do we make sense of small samples and outlier signals in the playoffs? How much should specifically good or bad matchups influence playoff “performance?” We discuss some titanic big men, their coaches, environments, teammate synergies and how much we should care about their individual scoring numbers in the postseason. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Previously discussed players and their ranges:

Jason Kidd [21-32]

Jayson Tatum [20-28]

Dwight Howard [17-28]

Draymond Green [18-26]

Manu Ginobili [17-24]

James Harden [13-25]

Luka Doncic [12-24]

Tracy McGrady [10-24]

Anthony Davis [12-23]

Joel Embiid [10-23]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]

Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]

Chris Paul [6-17]

Steve Nash [8-19]

Kawhi Leonard [7-16]

Kevin Durant [7-15]

Giannis Antetokounmpo [6-15]

Kobe Bryant [6-15]

Dwyane Wade [4-11]

We discuss two of the most dominant downhill penetrators in league history, and the critical ways in which they're different. First, the strengths and weaknesses of Giannis's battering ram approach and how that influences his playoff impact. Then, Dwyane Wade's unique balance between slicing through traffic and passing through traffic. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Previously discussed players and their ranges:

25 Jason Kidd [21-32]

24 Jayson Tatum [20-28]

23 Dwight Howard [17-28]

22 Draymond Green [18-26]

21 Manu Ginobili [17-24]

20 James Harden [13-25]

19 Luka Doncic [12-24]

18 Tracy McGrady [10-24]

17 Anthony Davis [12-23]

16 Joel Embiid [10-23]

15 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [7-20]

14 Dirk Nowitzki [7-19]

13 Chris Paul [6-17]

12 Steve Nash [8-19]

11 Kawhi Leonard [7-16]

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant were both voluminous score on and off-ball. We discuss Durant's playoff scoring, the impact of his gravity, his floor-raising in Oklahoma City and his more mobile Thunder defense. Then, we upend Kobe Bryant's “inefficiency” narrative, contextualize his problem-solving and huge scoring numbers without dominating the ball. Support atwww.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

We tackle Chris Paul's “floor general” approach to offense and the pros and cons of how he pressured defenses (and his turnover suppression). Also, how did he change defensively from 2008 in New Orleans to his Clippers tenure? Where does he rank among small defenders? Then we make sense of Kawhi Leonard's historic scoring numbers and shooting, and the surprising heights of his team's offenses, along with his fluctuating defensive signals. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Steve Nash was an early “heliocentric” star. Dirk Nowitzki was a big man who played on the perimeter and off the ball. We discuss team building around them, how big of a concern their defense is, exactly how and why they imparted so much value on an offense and whether they were beneficiaries of a fortunate system. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid are all-time level scorers with a ton of midrange shots. We discuss their unique (and concerning?) geometric footprints on the entire team, the concept of influencing stats for the entire team, and then the conundrum of evaluating Anthony Davis. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Would Shaq's Lakers have won 3 titles with T-Mac instead of Kobe Bryant? We tackle this question and more discussing Tracy McGrady's magical but brief peak in 2003. Then we discuss Luka Doncic's improvements in the playoffs, how hard he is to scheme for, and he polarizing defense. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Harden and Ginobili had nearly opposite roles and box score stats. We discuss Manu's underrated defense, his role filling in the gaps in San Antonio, what to make of his more pedestrian numbers, and then dissect James Harden's offensive environment with Mike D'Antoni and what changes with him from the regular season to the playoffs and the tradeoffs of extreme heliocenstrism. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Draymond Green and Dwight Howard were defensive superstars, but how good were they offensively? We discuss their fairly unique roles, and the progressive context of each player in Golden State and Orlando respectively, the “system player” idea and more. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball

Jason Kidd was one of the best defensive point guards ever, but what about his lower scoring offense? How valuable is his pace and passing despite his problematic shooting reputation? How valuable are all of the little things he does and guard rebounding? We also discuss Jayson Tatum's lack of superpowers. Support at www.patreon.com/thinkingbasketball