Fansided

NBA Playoffs: How much does a good bench matter?

By FanSided Staff

Feb 22, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) comes off the bench reacting to guard J.R. Smith (5) reverse dunk during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Cleveland Cavaliers won 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) comes off the bench reacting to guard J.R. Smith (5) reverse dunk during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Cleveland Cavaliers won 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 18, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 118-108. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 118-108. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

You Never Know When Overtime Will Happen

In the playoffs, stamina plays a key role in who can come through down the stretch. If you don’t have a good bench, you might as well kiss any hopes of making a late game push goodbye. Especially if an overtime game pops up here and there. The NBA playoffs are already so grueling on the body to begin with, but if you play extra minutes due to overtime and don’t have the bench players to help you get through that, you will probably be dead in your tracks.

We saw this in the 2006 NBA playoffs as the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat met in the NBA finals after a long journey there that saw many overtime games for the Mavericks. Dallas played in three overtime games throughout the first three rounds winning them all in dramatic fashion. The star studded forward Dirk Nowitzki proved to be too much for any team to handle down the stretch, that is until they played in the NBA Finals against the Heat.

Even though the Mavericks did win three overtime games that postseason, they had an awful bench. Their best two bench players were Keith Van Horn and Devin Harris, but even these two only averaged around 20 minutes a game. Coach Avery Johnson just couldn’t trust anyone but his starters that year. Which led to a worn out Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse.

In the finals, the Macs did end up stealing the first two games of the series. But once they got to game three, they were in no shape to face the bench had been flourishing all post season for the Heat. Miami’s bench was fueled by former NBA stars such as Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, and Antoine Walker. They proved to be too much against the Mavericks.

In a critical game five that ultimately would shift the momentum of the series, the Heat took the Mavs to overtime. The bench play of the Heat provided the starters with fresh legs down the stretch giving the advantage to the Heat. The significant minutes the bench played in this series was huge. Just another reason why having a solid bench is necessary in the post season. Especially if you plan on running into a few overtime games here and there.

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