The 2009 NBA Playoffs came to a conclusion on Sunday night when the Los Angeles Lakers finished off the Orlando Magic with a 99-86 victory in Game Five of the Finals.  Each and every year, the playoffs are a proving ground for NBA players to distinguish themselves as prime time players when the lights are shining brightest and this post-season was no different.  While some of the biggest stars of this post-season are already household names, others used these playoffs to announce their presence as the future of the NBA.

With all that in mind, today HOOPSWORLD names its 2009 All-Postseason Team:

First Team

Point Guard – Rajon Rondo: There are a few guys who certainly deserve mention here but I find it impossible to ignore the remarkable play of Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo.  In 13 playoff games the former University of Kentucky star averaged 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game while leading the short-handed Celtics to within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Shooting Guard - Kobe Bryant: After last year's embarrassing loss in Game Six of the 2008 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics few players had more to prove in this post-season than Kobe Bryant and he delivered.  Bryant, the 2009 NBA Finals MVP, averaged over 30 points, five rebounds and five assists throughout the playoffs as the Lakers won their fourth NBA title this decade.  The 11-time All-Star led the Lakers in scoring in 20 of the teams 23 playoff games.

Small Forward - LeBron James: Perhaps no player in the 2009 Playoffs put on a one-man show as impressive as that of Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.  King James got very little help from his teammates as the Cavaliers, who finished the regular season with the best record in the league, were upset in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic.  James averaged 35.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists in the playoffs while shooting .510 from the field. 

Power Forward - Paul Gasol: As much as Kobe Bryant had to prove coming into this post-season, no player in the playoffs had a bigger chip on his shoulder than L.A. Lakers forward Pau Gasol.  Once the cornerstone of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise, Gasol was pushed around in last year's finals by Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins, raising questions about the Spaniard's toughness.  Throughout these playoffs, however, Gasol matched the physical intensity of each opponent's front line, averaging over 18 points and ten rebounds and nearly two blocks per game. 

Center - Dwight Howard: After being named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic continued to emerge as one of the game's brightest young stars in the 2009 playoffs.  Howard's 22 double-doubles tied Charles Barkley and Tim Duncan for the most in a single playoff since 1991.  Only four other players in NBA history have recorded 20 or more double-doubles in a playoff: Hall of Famers Moses Malone and Charles Barkley, and future HOFer's Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan.  Howard's 352 playoff rebounds were the third-most since the 1977 merger. 

Second Team

Point Guard - Chauncey Billups: With respect to Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Derrick Rose, I can't see any way to leave Chauncey Billups off this team.  Billups' play in the playoffs was certainly commendable, averaging 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game, but his leadership outshines even his stellar, consistent performance on the court.  The Nuggets bowed out of the playoffs in the first round in each of the past five seasons before adding Billups to the team early in the season and, not so coincidentally, the Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1978 with Mr. Big Shot in the lineup. 

Shooting Guard - Dwyane Wade: I find it hard to name someone to the team that failed to get out of the first round, but Dwyane Wade's play in the Miami HEAT's series with the Atlanta Hawks couldn't be ignored.  Without much help from a thin HEAT roster, Wade pushed the Hawks to seven games just one year removed from finishing with the worst record in the NBA, averaging 29.1 points, five rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

Small Forward - Carmelo Anthony: Few players in the NBA get overlooked as regularly as Carmelo Anthony.  The Nuggets small forward came into the league with fellow All-Stars Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James and, to a certain extent, has lived in their collective shadow since despite his stellar play in both the NBA and the international competition.  Anthony helped the Nuggets emerge as a contender in the Western Conference and averaged 27.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the playoffs. 

Power Forward - Rashard Lewis: While it was difficult to leave Dirk Nowitzki off the team, it would be absurd to ignore the play of Rashard Lewis of the Orlando Magic.  Lewis' ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor helped the Magic advance to the Finals for the first time since 1995 when Shaquille O'Neal, Anfernee Hardaway and company were swept by the Houston Rockets.  Lewis' 52 three-pointers was the most of any player in the post-season and spread the floor, allowing Dwight Howard to work one-on-one in the paint.

Center - Yao Ming: Had it not been for a season-ending injury suffered in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Yao Ming might have supplanted Howard on the first team.  Yao averaged 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and shot .545 from the field as the Rockets advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997.