No matter how much basketball proponents argue that it’s as much a team game as any, the NBA is still a star-driven league. And those stars make their name in the playoffs.

The 2011 NBA Playoffs haven’t really had any unexpected breakout stars, but a number of guys have taken their games to higher levels than ever before.

Without further ado, let’s put together a couple of NBA All-Playoffs Team.

1^st Team

Derrick Rose, PG, Bulls

The newly-crowned NBA MVP – the youngest in the league’s history – has somehow elevated his game after a regular season seemingly played at full-throttle from start to finish. He led a flawed Bulls team to the top of the NBA standings, and now he’s dragging them through a playoff run despite being the only player capable of finding his own shot. He was super-human in the Bulls’ first two games against the Pacers, averaging 37.5 points, 6.5 assists and 7 rebounds. He’s slowed down statistically as guys like Luol Deng and Joakim Noah step up, but he’s still playing out of his mind.

Dwyane Wade, SG, Heat

“Flash” has shared the spotlight in this post-season like he’s never been able to before – easily done when LeBron James is standing alongside you – but has still managed to put up one of his best playoff performances ever (Game 1 against the Celtics). The Heatles are at their best when Wade assumes alpha-dog status and James becomes the best second banana in history, and they seem to be figuring that out. After seven playoff games, six of them wins, D-Wade is averaging 25.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, and chipping in 7.3 rebounds for good measure.

Kevin Durant, SF, Thunder

Durant shared the offensive load with breakout PG Russell Westbrook throughout the regular season, but Westbrook’s erratic, aggressive play has hampered Oklahoma City at times in the playoffs (Game 4 against Denver, for example), while Durant has calmly led every player in the playoffs with 31.6 ppg. His 41-point outburst to close out the Nuggets was one for the ages, and his hanging, twisting scoop shot along the baseline in Game 1 will be on his highlight reel for years.

Zach Randolph, PF, Grizzlies

If there’s one true surprise star of the 2011 Playoffs, it’s Z-Bo. For years he was seen as a clueless malcontent, a defensive sieve and the kind of guy that would launch a 28-foot jumper down five points in a fourth quarter.

But in 2010 he cut down on the lunacy and became one of the most dangerous offensive post players in basketball. He put up scores in bunches against the Spurs, leading the upstart Grizzlies past a veteran San Antonio squad in six games.

Dwight Howard, C, Magic

It’s hard to blame Howard for the Magic’s early exit against the uninspiring Atlanta Hawks. He was surrounded by shooters that couldn’t shoot and playmakers who couldn’t make plays. He put up 46 and 19 in Game 1, one of the most dominant performances you’ll ever see on a losing team. The disparity between Superman and the rest of his squad was so striking that it might’ve spelled the end of Howard’s career in Orlando.

2^nd Team

Chris Paul, PG, Hornets

Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers

LeBron James, SF, Heat

Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Mavs

Marc Gasol, C, Grizzlies

-So the Lakers, at the top of the NBA Finals odds all season long, put away Orlando in five. Good on ‘em. Kobe gets his Shaqless ring and his Finals MVP, Phil’s got 10 and has to be the best coach ever now, and Trevor Ariza will be rich. Like, “way more than he deserves” rich.

-How much are you betting management of the Lakers will try to get Odom to take a paycut to stay, so they can keep Ariza?

-Turkoglu wasn’t even back in the dressing room before it was announced that he would be a free agent.

-Why was Kobe’s wife all up in the mix right after the game? She’s cute and all, but shoot…..give the man a second to breathe. He surely can’t cheat on you in the middle of an arena.

-NBA odds on whether Phil comes back: Not bloody likely.

-And that’s why Orlando isn’t favored by NBA Finals odds to win the championship. Their play late in the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 4′s 99-91 loss is remarkable. I know the Lakers did it the game before, but the Magic have done it a number of times in these playoffs (giving up big leads, etc). It was bound to happen.

-Derek Fisher probably extended his career another year with those two treys he made. It’s like he’s Robert Horry 2009.

-Dwight Howard….poor, poor Superman. NBA Finals odds players everywhere cursed your inability to make foul shots. One foul shot would have sealed it, but noooooooooooooo…..

-Pietrus with the big double-ax handle to Gasol. Ric Flair would have been proud. Speaking of Ric Flair:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

NBA Finals odds for Game 5 have the Magic as a 3-point favorite, and they should be able to pull out the win, due to desperation. No one wants to see the other team celebrate on their home court (as the Lakers know all too well), and that should be enough to get them back to L.A……where they’ll be destroyed.

Don’t forget to do some UFC betting and boxing betting this weekend. Just don’t fight anyone.

Phoenix has to be one of the funniest teams in the NBA in terms of comedy, but of course, that doesn’t do much for your NBA Finals odds. First, Shaq tried to steal Lebron’s thunder with:

Then, I stumbled upon this back in April while going through my offshore sportsbook (it’s amazing what pops up when you type “Steve Nash” into Youtube):

I still have no idea what to think about that. But this is probably the best of the bunch. Nash did Letterman a couple of nights ago:

I swear, if comedy was pick-and-roll defense (actually, just all-around defense), the Suns would be the Pistons of the “Bad Boy” era, and their NBA odds would be through the roof.

Oh yeah, tonight’s NBA championship odds pick hasn’t changed. Kobe’s gon’ go OFF.

Well, Orlando didn’t beat the NBA Finals odds of 6.5 points against the Lakers in Game 3, but they certainly made it interesting with a record-setting performance.

The Magic shot a Finals-record 62.5% from the floor, including an insane 75% in the first half, of their 108-104 victory, and as I said, the guard play would be crucial. Rafer Alston, after being shook by Jameer Nelson’s return to the lineup, dropped 20 points of 8-of-12 shooting, while Mickael Pietrus woke up to score 18 off the bench for the Magic. It was obvious from the beginning that the Magic were much more comfortable at home than they were in L.A., as noticed by their shooting and lack of turnovers, and they managed to make a series out of a matchup that many of those who bet on sports thought was over.

The Lakers still should have won this game, but 10 missed foul shots and an uncharacteristic performance by Kobe Bryant down the stretch sealed the Lakers’ fate. Although Bryant had 31, he missed 11 of his last 15 shots, missed five of those free throws, and he had a couple of late turnovers that killed his team. Pau Gasol added 23 for the Lakers, who are still the favorites in your offshore sportsbook to take the series.

Game 4 should be a barnburner, as the Lakers will want to put Game 3 behind them (especially Bryant), and the Magic will hope they can shoot like they did on Tuesday. If they can’t, their NBA Finals odds are in a world of trouble.

Chris Bosh has been taking a beating this year. First, Toronto’s NBA odds went right down the tubes early in the season, then Shaq called him “the RuPaul of big men” after Bosh accused him of flopping. Then, this:

Back in New York, ESPN Radio’s Brandon Tierney had Amare Stoudemire on this morning and reiterated remarks about his desire to play for Mike D’Antoni in 2010 while boasting about being better than Chris Bosh. Stoudemire told The Post similar stuff during All-Star Weekend.

When Tierney asked Stoudemire if he’s better than Bosh, the Suns forward said, “Oooh man, are you kidding me? Ask Chris Bosh that question.”

“No doubt about it, I’m better than Chris Bosh”

It’s an interesting statement, as both will be free agents next year and are probably the best big men on the market. Offensively, Bosh is more polished, but Stoudamire is far more explosive and catching up rapidly in terms of technique. The problem with Stoudamire, though, is that he pays less than no attention to defense if he isn’t getting the ball on the offensive end, while Bosh will at least pretend to care. Either player could boost the NBA odds for a new team, and if you could combine them, you’d have the new MVP of the league. Bosh isn’t saying anything in reply, which isn’t surprising as he’s not as arrogant as Stoudamire. But maybe some arrogance is what CB4 needs.

As for tonight’s NBA Finals odds pick, I’m sticking with the Magic in my sportsbook. They’ll be going on
adrenaline, if anything, and the home crowd has to give them some energy. They can’t shoot any worse than they did in L.A…….can they?

NBA Finals odds are giving Orlando a chance to get back in the series when it goes back to Orlando, but they’ll need much-better guard play than they received in Los Angeles.

Lakers Magic odds – Tuesday, June 9, 9:00 PM ET

Simply put, the Magic guards were awful in the first two games of the series, and Courtney Lee’s missed (and open) layup at the end of regulation of Game 2′s 101-96 overtime loss sums up the way Orlando’s guards have started. Lee and Rafer Alston were a combined 2-of-11 for six points, and they never pressured the Lakers’ guards.  Shoot, even Derek Fisher outscored them by himself with 12 points.

You gotta be good to be lucky, and the Lakers earned some luch when Lee missed that last-second alley-oop. Kobe Bryant dropped 29 points, while Pau Gasol added 24 points and 10 boards, but the Lakers also earned their luck on the defensive end of the floor, forcing 20 Orlando turnovers. Also, Lamar Odom outscored the entire Orlando bench by himself with 19 points.

NBA odds are backing the Magic by four points at home, and their supporting cast, particularly their guards, will play better at Amway Arena. Also, Odom won’t play that well on the road (unless he eats a bowl of Skittles for breakfast again). Look for Bryant to go into “Black Mamba” mode when his teammates tighten up in Orlando, which gives the nod to the Magic. 

Lakers Magic odds pick: Orlando

Well, if the Magic were a Belmont Stakes betting option, they definitely pulled up lame out of the gate. 

Lakers Magic betting – Lakers -6.5, Sunday, June 5, 9:00 PM ET

The Magic were beaten all over the court in a 100-75 mauling at the hands of the Lakers, as they shot 29.9% from the field, and were outrebounded 55-41. Mickael Pietrus was the high scorer with 14 points off the bench, but the Magic’s big three of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu were a combined 6-of-27 from the field. Orlando was also 8-of-23 from beyond the arc, which is their key to the series. Jameer Nelson made his return but didn’t really do much,  adding six points and four assists in 23 minutes.

For the Lakers, it was all Kobe, all day. Bryant had a game-high 40 points to go with eight boards and eight assists, with 18 points coming in the third quarter to put the Magic away. Pau Gasol had 16 and eight boards for the Lakers, who usually look to get everyone involved, but when your star is feeling it like Kobe was, you gotta let him go.

NBA Finals odds are backing the Lakers by 6.5 points to take a 2-0 series lead to Orlando, and this game will be much, much closer. The Magic looked like a deer in headlights on Thursday, and now the nerves are out of their system. Bryant likely won’t go for 40 again, but he knew how important it was for the Lakers to win Game 1, as the Magic won the first game of their series with both Boston and Cleveland. The Magic will make it closer, but the Lakers just want it more.

Lakers Magic betting pick: Lakers to cover

Still going over tonight’s NBA Finals odds, and I’m sticking with my “Lakers won’t cover” pick. Something tells me Orlando will shoot the lights out, but fall just short. 

Speaking of falling short, who are the best players to go ringless in a sterling career? I wonder who would get the last shot on this team. I’m going with the point guard.

C – Patrick Ewing

The big man who was the face of the Knicks for so long ran into the problem that so many other teams had: Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. When he finally got to the Finals (when Jordan “retired”), Ewing’s Knicks were beaten in seven games by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in 1994. He’s now an assistant coach with the Magic, tutoring Dwight Howard.

PF – Karl Malone

This was probably the closest of all the positions, as Malone edged out Charles Barkley. Malone won a pair of MVPs and went to two Finals, but they were beaten by Jordan and the Bulls, who probably would have been a Belmont Stakes betting favorite if they tried. He also tried to win a ring with the Lakers, and failed befiore retiring in 2005.

SF – Bernard King 

King beat out Dominique Wilkins and LeBron James for this spot (the James thing was just funny to me…way to spoil this year’s NBA championship odds, Cleveland), and he never really came close to the Finals, but there aren’t many better “pure” scorers than King. He’s 22nd on the all-time scoring list.

SG – Pete Maravich

The first truly “flashy” player, “Pistol Pete” is the highest-scoring college player of all-time (without a three-point line, might I add), and he made the All-NBA team in 1976 and 1978. The players on the “And 1″ tour would be jealous of Maravich, as he did his moves in games where people actually played defense against him.

PG – John Stockton

The other half of the Stockton/Malone duo in Utah, Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals by a wide margin, and he may have been the toughest point guard to ever play the game with his legendary elbows and screens. He’ll go into the Hall of Fame this year, and if Deron Williams can be even half as good as Stockton, the Jazz could have decent NBA Finals odds in the future.

Looks like I’ll have to make a different French Open finals betting pick. Thanks, Serena.

I picked the Lakers to win the NBA finals, but it won’t be easy. The Magic opened their meetings with Boston and Cleveland on the road, and came away with a win to steal homecourt advantage. This takes pressure off them, because you lose the first game, the second game virtually becomes a must-win. They also have won their last two trips to Los Angles, but they’re still a 6-point favorite at the Staples Center tomorrow night according to NBA Finals odds. 

The Lakers have won eight of their 10 playoff games at home, where the supporting cast plays much better, and it doesn’t become a shotfest from Kobe Bryant. The Lakers will have to do a better job on the Magic’s three-point gunners, who shot 42.9% from long distance in a 109-103 victory in Los Angeles in January. Dwight Howard went off for 25 points and 20 boards, but the Lakers and their NBA odds stand a much better chance of winning if they can keep the likes of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Rafer Alston quiet. 

No one, myself included, have given the Magic much credit during the playoffs. Think that’s not fueling them? 

NBA championship odds pick: Lakers to win, but not to cover