Player Notes

Garnett will not require off-season surgery to correct his foot/ankle issues, the Boston Herald reports.
Recommendation: Garnett dealt with a number of injuries last season and rarely played at 100 percent. The Celtics' medical staff believes rest will alleviate the veteran's issues, but only time will tell whether that will indeed be the case.

Copeland will "absolutely" play increased minutes going forward, according to Coach Mike Woodson.
Recommendation: Copeland scarcely played in the Knicks' first round series against Boston and played a playoff-high 19 minutes in Thursday's Game 5 victory over the Pacers. The 29-year-old rookie scored 13 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3 Pt) and made some key hustle plays to spark a run in the second half. More time for Copeland will likely mean less for Jason Kidd and Amare Stoudemire.

Leonard is currently being bothered by a knee injury, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Recommendation: Leonard should be able to play through the injury, as he scored in double digits in every game of the second round against the Warriors. There is only mild cause for concern here, barring a setback.

Thompson struggled in Thursday's Game 6 loss to the Spurs, scoring just 10 points on 4-for-12 from the field.
Recommendation: Thompson has been hit-or-miss in the series against the Spurs, playing rather inconsistently even for his standards. The Warriors could have used his offensive firepower, but the sophomore wing failed to shoot better than 39 percent over the Warriors' last four games. Hopefully, he will head into the offseason working on other aspects of his game, so that he can find a way to contribute, even when his shot isn't falling.

Anthony scored 28 points (12-28 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT) to go with six rebounds and one steal in Thursday's Game 5 victory against the Pacers.
Recommendation: Anthony has been struggling from the field in the series, as he is shooting just 41 percent compared to his season mark of 45 percent. In the Knicks' two wins, he shot 43 percent or better, and it is evident that the Knicks relied on his offense to secure the win.

George scored 23 points (7-18 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-10 FT) to go with six rebounds, six assists and one steal in Thursday's Game 5 loss to the Knicks.
Recommendation: The Pacers had an opportunity to close out the series, but George's struggles on offense handicapped the Pacers on the road. Look for George to bounce back strong in Game 6.

Smith (illness) scored just 13 points on 4-for-11 from the field in Thursday's Game 5 win against the Pacers. He added six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block.
Recommendation: While Smith has not missed a game in the series due to his illness, it is evident that he is being affected by it. He has yet to have a game shooting better than 37 percent from the field and has failed to reach 20 points in a single game so far. He will need to find his rhythm if the Knicks hope to advance.

Duncan scored 19 points (7-13 FG, 5-5 FT) and added six rebounds, two assists, and three blocks en route to Thursday's Game 6 closeout victory against the Warriors.
Recommendation: Duncan has displayed his dominance all throughout his career, and this year is no exception. While the Spurs' window is possibly closing sooner rather than later, Duncan appears to be giving his all for perhaps one last chance to add to his championship total.

Martin missed Wednesday's practice due to a sore right wrist, the New York Post reports.
Recommendation: Martin, who is also dealing with the flu, was seen wearing some sort of wrap on the wrist after Tuesday's Game 4 against the Pacers. However, the wrap is considered "precautionary," as the injury is not considered serious. Martin is not listed on the injury report for Thursday's Game 5.

Randolph was once again too much for the Thunder, scoring 28 points (8-17 FG, 12-16 FT) to go with 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 41 minutes Wednesday as the Grizzlies closed out the Thunder in Game 5.
Recommendation: Randolph averaged 25.5 points and 13 boards over the final two games of the second round series, and will undoubtedly be a handful for whichever team Memphis faces in the Western Conference Finals.

Shumpert (knee) said he feels "fine" and he didn't feel any pain in Game 4, ESPN New York reports.
Recommendation: The Knicks are facing elimination in Game 5, so look for Shumpert to play without restrictions as the Knicks struggle to stay alive in the series.

Deng (illness) did not travel with the Bulls and will miss Wednesday's Game 5 at Miami, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Recommendation: The absence marks Deng's seventh consecutive in what will likely be the Bulls' final contest of the season. It's unfortunate that a random illness derailed his postseason as well as Chicago's attempts to pull a massive upset over Miami, but he'll look to regain strength as the offseason progresses.

Lee (hip) increased his on-court time to 12 minutes Tuesday night in Golden State's loss to San Antonio in Game 5 of their playoff series.
Recommendation: Lee finished with six points, one rebound, one steal and one assist in the loss. With the Warriors facing elimination Thursday night, we suspect Lee will give what he can to stay alive.

Lee played 25 minutes per game during the regular season but saw a total of just 19 minutes in the Celtics' final five playoff games.
Recommendation: Lee ceded minutes to Jordan Crawford and Terrence Williams, neither of whom played well. Lee, who has a tendency to completely disappear on offense, at least knows his limitations as a scorer and limits his shot selection to the most efficient opportunities. Players like Crawford and Jason Terry are far more skilled offensively, although Terry was arguably more disappointing than Lee - at least before the playoffs started. The Celtics have a number of options this offseason, and there is a chance that Lee could end up on his fifth team in six years if the right trade emerges.

Landry finished Tuesday's Game 5 loss to the Spurs with 16 points (4-7 FG, 8-12 FT), six rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Recommendation: Landry started for the third game in a row and chipped in with a solid performance after struggling in Game 4. His per-game numbers during the playoffs -- 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists -- are similar to what he produced during the regular season.

Barnes turned in another huge performance in Tuesday's Game 5, finishing with 25 points (10-18 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, an assist, and a block.
Recommendation: Barnes surprisingly led the Warriors in field-goal attempts for the second game in a row, while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled all night. Barnes' performance wasn't enough to capture a victory, but his stock is clearly on the rise. He'll try to keep the momentum going in Thursday's Game 6 as the Warriors face elimination.

Ibaka had a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a Game 4 loss to the Grizzlies. He added one assist and three blocks in 37 minutes of action.
Recommendation: Ibaka has not been playing spectacularly offensively in the series against the Grizzlies so far. He is averaging 11.5 points on 35 percent shooting from the field. It is evident that the strong Grizzlies frontcourt has been affecting his confidence. Still, he has been consistent in post defense as he has been all season. The Thunder will need Ibaka to score more efficiently if they hope to stay alive in the playoffs.

Bass finished with 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.5 steals in the regular season.
Recommendation: Anyone waiting for Bass to make a leap will be sorely disappointed, but the Celtics can usually count on him to log heavy minutes without hurting the team too much. It will be interesting to see if a healthy Jared Sullinger is capable of eating into Bass' minutes in 2013-14. At the moment, nobody really knows what next year's team will look like.

Novak could earn a bit more run in Tuesday's Game 4 at Indiana, as coach Mike Woodson is disappointed with the low number of three-point attempts from Saturday's loss, the New York Post reports.
Recommendation: Novak has garnered just seven garbage minutes in the first three outings of the second-round series, missing both of his attempts from beyond the arc. After attempting just 11 shots as a team from deep Saturday, Woodson may in fact trot Novak out there Tuesday to jump start a stagnant Knicks' offense.

Durant scored 27 points (10-27 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT) to go with seven rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block, but failed to carry the Thunder to a victory in a Game 4 loss to the Grizzlies.
Recommendation: Durant managed to find help offensively in this game, with three other teammates scoring at least 15 points (Kevin Martin 18, Serge Ibaka 17, Reggie Jackson 15). Still, the star was unable to close the game in overtime. The Thunder will need to make some adjustments offensively if they hope to stay alive in the series.

James had another very good performance in Game 4 Monday against the Bulls as he scored 27 points to go along with eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one three-pointer.
Recommendation: James has led the Heat to a 3-1 series lead by scoring at least 24 points in three of the four games of the series. He has also been a great distributor throughout the series as he has recorded at least seven assists in each of the four games.

Boozer posted a double-double in Game 4 Monday against the Heat as he scored 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds, three steals and one assist.
Recommendation: Boozer had solid counting stats Monday, but he was only 3-for-14 from the field as the Bulls struggled mightily offensively. Boozer will need to put up a better performance Wednesday in Game 5 if the Bulls are going to extend the series.

Stoudemire stated Sunday that his surgically-repaired right knee felt fine, after playing his first game Saturday in over two months, New York Newsday reports.
Recommendation: Stoudemire, who posted seven points (3-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt) and two boards in nine minutes in his first game back in the fold, will continue to log 10-to-12 minutes in the Knicks' frontcourt. However, with Kenyon Martin dealing with an illness heading into Tuesday's Game 4 at Indiana, it'll be interesting to see if coach Mike Woodson adds a bit more run to Stoudemire's plate. No matter how many minutes he gathers, Stoudemire will provide a punch to an occasionally listless offense.