The NBA Playoffs are underway, pitting the games top players against one another on a quest to capture the ever-elusive Larry O'Brien trophy.
It takes 16 victories to claim the NBA championship and the first weekend is in the books. There were some surprises to tip things off, like the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics losing to the Chicago Bulls, and some amazing performances across the board.
The 82-game season has boiled down to these 16 wins, and eight teams were able to claim their first. With that said, instead of ranking performances, why not make a starting lineup featuring the best performers at each position? Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Point Guard - John Wall
There were some great performances at point guard, but John Wall was making magic for the Washington Wizards this weekend. He dropped 32 points, which alone would put him in the mix, but dishing 14 assists was the cherry on top.
The Wizards rode his great performance to a 114-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, and with two of the top Eastern Conference seeds dropping games, Washington is looking better and better with Wall shining brighter than ever right now.
Shooting Guard - James Harden
This one was a bit tougher, with a crazy scoring outburst from C.J. McCollum competing with James Harden's near triple-double. The Beard notched 37 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Houston Rockets trounced Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It's a tough one, but we'll give the nod to Harden with his team actually winning on top of it. McCollum is just as deserving, especially since putting up 41 points against the Golden State Warriors is no small feat, but Harden's playing on another level right now.
Small Forward - LeBron James
Que the LeBron James kid here, we'll be seeing a lot of LeBron leading this lineup:
The King was as dominant as ever holding session in his courtyard. The Cleveland Cavaliers may have been inconsistent to close the season, but the playoffs are here and LeBron is up for them.
He dropped 32 points, 13 assists, six rebounds and three steals in a surprisingly-competitive 109-108 victory over the Indiana Pacers. King James opened the NBA playoffs in style, but that win was definitely too close for comfort.
Power Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the feel-good teams in the playoffs, and that all falls squarely on the massive shoulders of Giannis Antetokoumpo. The Greek Freak is on his way to stardom one insane play at a time.
A huge win for the Bucks, led by Giannis' 28 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one massive block that had the Internet buzzing. More like DeNied DeRozan:
Center - Marc Gasol
The Memphis Grizzlies and Marc Gasol are synonymous with one another, and did anyone expect anything less than excellence from the younger Gasol brother? He's been a matchup nightmare for years and remains as one of the most productive centers in the NBA.
The 32 points and five rebounds were nice, but two assists were a bit un-Marc like. That's not all on him, of course, but the Grizzlies are going to need every little shred they can muster to oust the machine that is the San Antonio Spurs.
Marc has been the leading man for Memphis for quite some time, but he'll have to carry like never before to pull of this first-round upset.
Sixth Man - Isaiah Thomas
There were plenty of phenomenal individual performances through the weekend, but Isaiah Thomas' 33 points in the Celtics opener were about more than basketball.
Tragic news broke before Game 1 that Thomas' younger sister had been killed in a car accident in Washington, and the Celtics guard was still committed to giving his team what he could no matter how emotional he may have felt.
Leading the team in scoring while also dishing out six assists and five rebounds was quite a performance under these circumstances, but the Celtics will need to do more to avoid a massive upset in the first round.
Still, the heart Thomas showed by putting on his game face was heroic, especially with how emotional he was before the game: