The unsung heroes left in the 2016 NBA playoffs

Monday night we were treated to perhaps the best night of playoff basketball we’ve seen thus far this NBA postseason. The shorthanded Miami Heat, via the heroics of Dwyane Wade, defeated the Toronto Raptors in yet another overtime game to tie the series at two games apiece. Then, on the West Coast, the Golden State Warriors took down the Portland Trail Blazers in an overtime game of their own, in which Stephen Curry proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he is rightfully the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.

That being said, it shouldn’t be shocking to us anymore when players like Curry and Wade elevate their levels of play. Both of them will go down as a couple of the NBA’s all-time greats. Playing at their best when their teams need them most is what they do.

So with that in mind, let’s go to the opposite end of the spectrum and take a look at a few players whose contributions to their teams' playoff success are being overlooked. Here are of the unsung heroes of 2016 NBA playoffs:

1) J.R. Smith

You want to know what we as basketball fans don’t do nearly often enough? Sing the praises of J.R. Smith!

“You mean that clown starting at shooting guard out in Cleveland?” Something to that effect is probably what popped into your head next. Yes, that “clown” is where we’re starting this off, because he’s been fantastic for the Cavaliers thus far this postseason and deserves some recognition.

In eight games, Smith has shot nearly 51 percent from beyond the arc, making 31 three balls already this postseason; that’s almost four three-pointers a night. As if the three-headed monster of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love wasn’t already enough, a red-hot J.R. Smith makes the Cavs essentially unbeatable out East and just might give them a shot against a team like the Warriors in the NBA Finals.

2) Shaun Livingston

Quickly, let’s talk about Shaun Livingston before he recedes back onto the Golden State bench and out of the spotlight. In the seven playoff games Livingston started in Steph Curry’s absence, the 10-year NBA veteran averaged 11.2 points, five assists and shot 51.9 percent from the field. In other words, Livingston was an efficient and effective replacement while Curry was sidelined with his knee injury. And Golden State went 5-2 in the seven games he started.

Heck, even on the night Curry returned to the court, Livingston was smart enough to get himself ejected, giving head coach Steve Kerr no choice but to abandon Curry’s minutes limit and let him obliterate the Trail Blazers! Having Livingston as their backup point guard is a luxury Warriors fans should appreciate a bit more.

3) Justise Winslow

If you were watching last night’s Game 4 matchup between the Heat and Raptors during the fourth quarter and overtime, you might have noticed someone unusual playing center for Miami. Or, you might not have, because Justise Winslow isn’t exactly as tall as your typical NBA center — because he’s not a center! But with both Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside injured, don’t tell head coach Erik Spoelstra that.

In what was a risky but ultimately successful decision, coach Spoelstra went completely small, playing his five best healthy players in crunch time against Toronto. This meant that the Heat played the fourth quarter and overtime last night without a power forward or center, forcing the 20-year-old rookie swingman to guard opposing players much larger than him.

For this, Winslow, who didn't even play in Game 3, deserves a ton of credit. The rookie from Duke did an admirable job against Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo, and even got the best of them at times. With Whiteside and Bosh not expected to return to the lineup anytime soon, we will likely see the Heat deploy Winslow in this "pseudo-center" role again.

4) Steven Adams

Off the top of your head, who would you say is the third best player on the Oklahoma City Thunder? If any name other than Steven Adams left your lips, you would be incorrect. No, he’s not a flashy player, but outside of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the 22-year-old center from New Zealand is the only other consistent and reliable player for OKC.

Adams is nearly averaging a double-double so far this postseason, and unlike teammate and fellow center Enes Kanter, he can actually play defense. In fact, Adams is pretty darn good at it, as the Spurs have largely avoided challenging Adams through the first four games of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup.

Adams will never put up gaudy numbers, but his overall impact on the court never goes unnoticed by the players around him.

5) Cory Joseph

Given Kyle Lowry’s recent struggles, the Toronto Raptors would be lost this postseason without Cory Joseph. Another one of the NBA’s better backup point guards, Joseph is averaging 10 points on 53 percent shooting off the bench for “We the North.” Throw in DeMar DeRozan’s poor shooting and the loss of Jonas Valanciunas, and every one of Joseph’s postseason points looks even more precious for Dwane Casey’s squad.

Originally from Toronto, Joseph, who shot just 43 percent from the field in the regular season, sure did pick a good time to play his best basketball.

6) Danny Green

Lost amid the San Antonio Spurs' 67 regular-season wins was the fact that shooting guard Danny Green had been downright awful. Well, that was the regular season, and this is the postseason.

Since the playoffs began, Green has shot 48.5 percent from beyond the arc, a full 15 percentage points better than what he shot in the regular season. Green has also doubled his number of steals per game and is finally looking like the reliable “three and D” player from years past. Getting consistent, quality play from Danny Green should go a long way in San Antonio’s pursuit of its sixth championship of the Duncan-Popovich era.

7) Mason Plumlee

The 2016 NBA Playoffs have finally provided an answer to the age-old question: Who is the best Plumlee brother? We can finally say with some certainty it’s Mason. The third-year pro out of Duke has been rock-solid setting screens and playing in the low post for Portland head coach Terry Stotts. The 26-year-old is averaging 12.4 rebound per game for the Trail Blazers this postseason, best for any player still playing out West.

Although he hasn’t been shooting well, Plumlee has been serviceable enough on defense for the Blazers to get this far, and he’s also been averaging an impressive 4.9 assists per game. Additionally, Plumlee has also shown he’s capable of throwing down a momentum-shifting dunk at any moment.

Surely, Coach K is smiling.