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3 players who have become stars in the playoffs

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

Teams go through the motions in the regular season. It's about more than just high-quality lineups every night, as factors like health, depth, and organization come into play.

The postseason is the ultimate test. Teams don't have to worry about anything else other than the opponent before them, and coaches earn their salaries by drafting up intricate schemes to pick apart the star players.

Some wilt under the pressure, while the true stars elevate their games.

Isaiah Thomas

All season long, questions of legitimacy have dogged Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics. Thomas faced criticism for being a defensively defunct guard that hogged the ball, while the Celtics wore the label of being the worst No. 1 seed ever, especially after dropping two games to the Chicago Bulls to start the playoffs.

Most of the criticism was rooted in their lack of playoff success. Coming into this year, Thomas shot 37.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep in the postseason. That coincided with two first-round exits for Boston.

The Celtics have eventually come to win everyone's respect, thanks in large part to Thomas, who put forth an inspirational playoff push before getting knocked out with a hip injury. Battling loud doubters and a heavy heart, Thomas produced one of the greatest playoff performances in team history with a 53-point showing against the Washington Wizards, while leading the Celtics to two series victories.

Thomas will always be limited by his height, and all three of Boston's opponents exploited the 5-foot-8 guard's diminutive frame. But he was able to make up for it on offense despite a steady diet of double teams. He created 40 points per game between his individual scoring and assists, a mark comparable to Stephen Curry's (43.0).

John Wall

Sports are about moments, not necessarily wins and losses.

It doesn't matter that Washington couldn't advance past the second round for the umpteenth time. What matters is that John Wall gave the Wizards one jubilant moment after decades of mediocrity.

His pull-up triple to win Game 6 not only staved off elimination, it was also the rare exception in D.C. where a star player actually delivered in the clutch. The Celtics came dressed for a funeral, led for most of the match, and left with egg on their faces. They can thank Wall for that.

The Wizards ultimately fell short of their goal of reaching the conference finals, but Wall can hold his head high about a fantastic performance. He was arguably the best player of the first round, and finished the playoffs with averages of 27.2 points, 10.3 assists, and 1.7 steals.

Jonathon Simmons

Perhaps "star" is too far, but the latest chapter in the unlikely story of Jonathon Simmons was nothing short of unbelievable.

Here was a player who paid $150 of his own money to try out for the Austin Toros four years ago after going undrafted. He took his lumps for two years in the D-League, and only finally earned a big-league shot after winning Las Vegas Summer League MVP in 2015.

Fast forward to the playoffs, and Simmons is shutting down James Harden while scoring 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting in a closeout game on the road. He wasn't in the rotation during the Memphis series, but Simmons became a core fixture for Gregg Popovich in the final two rounds.

Simmons had big shoes to fill as he took the injured Kawhi Leonard's spot in the rotation, but he rose to the challenge. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.4 assists, and played stellar defense in the five games where Leonard missed time. He not only proved to be a capable bench player - he was often the second- or third-best player on the floor for the Spurs.

Now it's time for San Antonio to repay that $150 tryout fee, and then some. Simmons will be a restricted free agent this summer, and he is set for a massive, well-deserved raise.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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