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It may be slightly early to breakdown NBA Playoff Heroes, but there were so many incredible games over the first few evenings of the 2011 postseason. There have been upsets, there have been blowouts and there have been nip-and-tuck games that make the NBA’s postseason great.

Of course, along with the fantastic games incredible individual performances are the norm. However, with all due respect to Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard’s incredible Game One—in which he scored 46 points to go along with his 19 rebounds— in order to make this list your team has to have won at least a single game through last night.

Here are some of the most notable heroic players in early postseason play.

Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
After an up-and-down season for the Hornets, they secured the seventh spot in the playoffs and a first-round matchup with the two-time reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant and company were beginning their postseason journey to their third straight NBA Championship, sending Phil Jackson off with his fourth three-peat. Yet all Chris Paul did was go into the Lakers’ house and score the ball at a fever pitch as well as getting his teammates involved, leading the Hornets to a victory in Game One.

At the tune of 33 points and 14 assists with only two turnovers in 40 minutes of play, Paul is quickly solidifying himself as a great postseason player. Already holding incredible postseason numbers, Paul could make even more of a name for himself when the games count if he can continue to lead his team as he did in Game One.

Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
One of the many reasons the Boston Celtics limped into the playoffs was their lack of getting the ball to Ray Allen down the stretch. As surprising as that fact is, Allen demanded the ball in the first game of the playoffs for Boston, leading the team with 24 big points. Of course, none of those points were as important as the three-pointer Allen hit with 11.6 seconds remaining as the Celtics trailed by a point at home at the time.

The NBA’s all-time leader in three-point shots and one of a few unofficial all-time top clutch players, Allen continues to add to his Hall of Fame career with shots like he hit in the Celtics’ first Playoff game. If Boston can continue to get Allen the ball in pressure situations, they just might be shooting—pun intended—for their second championship since Allen put on Celtic green.

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies
With an honorable mention to Marc Gasol, who scored 24 points to go along with his nine rebounds, the heart and soul of the Memphis Grizzlies is Zach Randolph. Yes, the San Antonio Spurs played the first game without Manu Ginobili, but they are the number one seed in the Western Conference, were at home and are playoff—and championship—tested. However, the Memphis Grizzlies went into the game confident, even as a team which had never won a playoff game.

{AUTHOR_BOX}After infusing the Grizzlies with the confidence needed to win, especially against a championship-level team like the Spurs, the team announced a contract extension for Randolph. He may have had a few issues in the past, but Zach Randolph has righted himself and become a franchise player in the right situation. Guess what? The right situation for Zach Randolph is being a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dwyane Wade, Miami HEAT
You can identify LeBron James as a player who deserves to be on this list, but it was Wade who fought through a migraine to help the HEAT to a Game Two victory last night. Although his statistics in this individual game (14 points and six rebounds) weren’t remarkable, he did what was needed to get the win against the Philadelphia 76ers, which wasn’t much with how badly the Sixers played in Miami.

Make no mistake about it, Dwyane Wade is the one player the HEAT must have to win the NBA Championship. Certainly, this wasn’t a Michael Jordan flu moment, but Wade showed his commitment to his team and, more importantly, allowed the HEAT to continue towards a potential sweep to rest up for what will be a crazy second round matchup.

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
The Indiana Pacers don’t know they are supposed to lose, do they? Through the first two games of the Pacers/Chicago Bulls series, Indiana is making Derrick Rose and the Bulls work hard for each win. Rose is stepping up big time and, as a soon-to-be-MVP, Rose continues to add to his incredible season.

Down 10 points with less than four minutes remaining in the first game, Rose led the Bulls charge to victory in front of a generous and loving Chicago crowd. When the Pacers licked their wounds and gave Chicago another scare in the second game, Rose was the calming force for his team down the stretch. In the end, the fight the Pacers are putting up against the Bulls may be best for Chicago, as it will continue to prepare them for what lies ahead. That is, if they can learn from these early games and utilize the lessons learned.

In any list, there are always omissions, but this is one list of five players who have led their teams to Playoff victories early in the postseason, and their teams very well may not have achieved victory without them.

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