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While some players excel on the biggest of the stages, others fold under the spotlight as a result of the increased pressure that comes along with postseason play. With the second round matchups now set, lets take a look at some of the most forgettable performances of the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

Pau Gasol — Game Two — Eight points, 2-10 shooting, five rebounds, one assist, and three turnovers in 36 minutes.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ big man, so pivotal in L.A.’s recent run of championships, had a first round to forget against the New Orleans Hornets. After averaging nearly 19 points on 53 percent shooting and pulling down 10 boards per game during the regular season, Gasol’s averages dropped significantly in the playoffs — 13.5 points on 42 percent shooting and 6.8 rebounds per — especially over the first two games of the series.

Game Two, the worst of the bunch, saw Gasol commit more turnovers (3) than made field goals (2) as he tied a season-low in made baskets, while setting a new season-worst in shooting just 20 percent from the field. The Lakers still won Game Two, 87-78, no thanks to Gasol’s miniature play.

The only player to make this dubious list with a team that actually advanced to the second round, Gasol rebounded nicely scoring double digits in each of the last four games as the Lakers won four of the final five games of the series to take down the Hornets. After scoring a total of 16 points in the first two games of the series, Gasol scored at least 16 in each of the final four contests.

Amar’e Stoudemire — Game Three — Seven points, 25 percent shooting,  three rebounds and one turnover in 33 minutes.

After scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in Game One, back spasms sustained in the first half of Game Two in the first round series between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics limited Stoudemire for the rest of the series. Stoudemire would shoot 25 percent or less from the field over the final three games of the Celtics sweep, culminating in a Game Three to forget.

In Game Three, the Knicks were blown out for the first time all series, 113-96, and it’s no coincidence that the Knicks’ center was merely a shell of his regular-season, All-Star self. In 33 minutes of action, Stoudemire attempted just eight field goals (making two) and didn’t exude the relentlessness around the basket that makes him such a dominant player.

Boston was the only team to sweep an opening round series.

Richard Jefferson — Game Four — 0 points, 0-4 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and three fouls in 27 minutes.

When a number one seed loses to an eighth seed in a seven-game series, there’s bound to be plenty of poor individual performances — but Jefferson’s brutal play takes the cake. After coming out strong (for him a least) for the San Antonio Spurs in the first two games of the series, scoring at least 13 points in each while shooting over 65 percent from the field; Jefferson struggled mightily over the final four.

While you could pretty much take your pick to choose a worst performance in those final four games, as he scored six points or fewer as a complete non-factor in each contest, I chose Game Four because of it’s significance. The Memphis Grizzlies made a statement at home in Game Four, demolishing the once mighty Spurs 104-86 en route to taking the series in six games.

San Antonio needed something from Jefferson to stay afloat in that game, and in the series. Unfortunately for the Spurs, all they received was a donut in the scoring column as apart of an all-around insignificant effort.

Andre Iguodala — Game Two — Five points, 25 percent shooting and five turnovers in 36 minutes.

Iggy and the Philadelphia 76ers came into the 2011 NBA Playoffs looking to cause the higher-seeds fits in the first round. However, the Miami HEAT had other plans in bouncing the 76ers in five games, and Iguodala’s slow start in the series played a large role in Philly’s demise.

The 6ers swingman amassed just nine points over the first two games, including the aforementioned dreadful Game Two. Philadelphia was dismantled, 94-73 in Miami, and Iguodala folded against the HEAT in the 76ers lowest-scoring game of the series.

Jason Richardson — Game One — Four points, 25 percent shooting, one rebound, one assist and one turnover in 41 minutes.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Really, you could give the worst performance to the Orlando Magic’s entire supporting cast around Dwight Howard, but the Magic’s second-leading scorer during the regular season’s Game One might have been the most dismal of the bunch. Richardson managed a measly four points in the series opener as the Atlanta Hawks throttled the Magic 103-93 in Orlando.

Orlando’s mid-December acquisition jacked up four 3′s in the contests, missing all of them, and Game One set the tone for Atlanta’s renewed physicality throughout the series. The Hawks got their revenge after last season’s embarrassing second round stomping at the hands of Orlando and took down the Magic in six games.

Chris Johnson — Game Six — Two points and two fouls, including one flagrant foul that "poked the dog" and led to the Blazers getting bounced from the playoffs.

Johnson’s on the list not so much for his performance statistically in a particular game, but more for instigating a spectacular performance from the other team. The Portland Trail Blazers power forward "poked the dog" as TNT’s Charles Barkley referred to it at halftime, agitating the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki with a face tug with 8:38 left in the second quarter.

Nowitzki would score 10 points to end the half as Dallas took a nine-point lead going into the locker room that they would not relinquish. The Mavericks’ power forward would finish with 33 points (11 of 17 from the field), 11 rebounds and four assists to close out Portland in Game Six.

Johnson warmed the bench for the Blazers the entire second half.

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