With the 2012 NBA playoffs comes an incredible amount of pressure that can make even the most talented players squirm and the best role players rise to the occasion.
There is certainly no shortage of great players to watch this NBA postseason, and it'll be interesting to see how specific players handle the pressure of playing in some of the biggest games of their careers.
Here are some players NBA fans can't wait to see in a pressure-packed situation.
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Melo has been scoring the ball at an incredible rate since coach Mike Woodson took over, and I don't expect that to change going into the playoffs.
It seems Anthony does better when the pressure is at its peak, and if you don't believe that, just ask the Chicago Bulls, who were victims of a Melo game-winning shot from beyond the arc.
He almost single-handedly won a game for the New York Knicks against the Boston Celtics during the first round of the playoffs last season, and it'll be interesting to see when Melo puts his team on his back again.
While I'm not sure Anthony can do that for the Knicks, it'll certainly be interesting to watch him try.
LeBron James, Miami Heat
This is an easy one.
We all know the struggles of LeBron James down the stretch of games, and those struggles will only be magnified during the playoffs.
It's championship or bust, and you have to figure that James will have the ball in his hands at an important point during some game during the Heat's projected deep playoff run. It just remains to be seen whether he passes it up again, or if James will take big shot himself.
James will have a lot to prove to himself this NBA postseason and doing that starts with hitting a basket under the most pressure-packed, game-ending situations. It's time for the best player on the planet to finish out games as well as he starts them.
Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
Despite not having Gay in their lineup last postseason, the Memphis Grizzlies were just a game away from playing in the Western Conference Finals.
Now, the Grizz will have much of their team back this season with the addition of their best player. Gay could be the piece that puts this promising team over the top and into the next round of the playoffs.
In tight spots, a player like Gay is vital to Memphis in order to score when it's tough to do so down the stretch of games. I'll be looking to see how Gay will respond without any experience in pressure situations and if he can lead his team to the NBA Finals.
We'll truly find out just how good Gay is in these playoffs.
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