Star time

Anyone with a pair of eyes and half a functioning brain knew that Miami's Dwyane Wade and Cleveland's LeBron James were going to be great players -- probably Hall of Fame players -- early in their respective rookie seasons. But even phenoms need that moment, or moments, of postseason consecration, that time when greatness is once and for all officially bestowed upon them.

That has happened in this postseason to both James, who hit two game-winning shots in leading his Cavaliers to within one win of a berth in the Eastern Conference finals, and Wade, who has been the Heat's leader throughout the playoffs and particularly in forging a 3-2 series lead over the Pistons. And if Dirk Nowitzki's 50-point masterpiece in Game 5 of the West finals hasn't opened plenty of eyes, nothing will.

For this week's five-pack, let's take a quick walk through NBA playoff history to highlight some of those moments when a young player truly became a player. The parameters, remember, are for a young player who went on to become a great player. Please note that this is by no means a comprehensive list.

George Mikan wasn't born old -- it only seems that way from those black-and-white photos showing a kindly-looking bespectacled giant. Mikan was only 24 years old and in his third season with the Minneapolis Lakers (players usually attended college for four years in those ancient days) when he broke his wrist in Game 4 of the five-game championship series. But he put a cast on his wrist and scored 22 points as the Lakers won and captured the first of their five titles with him as the leader and first dominant player in the game. Those points gave him a total of 303 for a 10-game postseason, then a record.

In a way, this was the moment when the entire Boston Celtics dynasty was born. But we'll limit it to rookies Bill Russell and Tommy Heinsohn, because Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman were already established players in the league. While Cousy and Sharman went ice-cold in this thrilling game against Bob Pettit and the St. Louis Hawks, Russell had 19 points, 32 rebounds and a game-winning block, while the hook-shooting Heinsohn, known as Tommy Gun, had 37 points and 23 rebounds in a 125-124 double overtime win in Boston Garden. The entire series was one of the greatest in NBA history -- each of the Hawks' three victories were by two points.

Magic Johnson was either the best or second-best rookie in the NBA that season, depending on which way you fell on the Magic- Larry Bird debate. But there were always questions about Magic. Was he too flashy? Could a rookie lead a Lakers team with the inscrutable Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the post? Was his perimeter shot too undependable? Bird, keep in mind, easily beat out Magic for rookie-of-the-year honors.

But Johnson had the last laugh that season. With Abdul-Jabbar out with a severely sprained ankle for Game 6 in Philadelphia, Johnson moved to center -- point-center, really -- and scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had seven assists to lead the Lakers to the title over the favored 76ers. From that moment on, no one doubted the Magic Man's greatness.

I could do a five-pack of five-packs on Michael Jordan's great playoff moments, of course, but if there ever was a moment that clearly established him among the immortals, this was it. His Chicago Bulls drew the Bird-led Celtics in the first round and all Jordan did was score a ridiculous 63 points in the Garden, forcing the mighty Celtics (the eventual NBA champions that season) into double overtime before Boston finally won 135-131. " Michael Jordan," said Bird after that game, "is God." And that's pretty much what he was over the next decade, though he didn't win his first championship until five years later.

Kobe Bryant was somewhat shy and retiring when he became a Los Angeles Laker at the tender age of 18. Well, maybe that's putting it a bit too strongly. But for the first few years of his career in L.A. he did defer -- on and off the court -- to Shaquille O'Neal

It was in this game against the Indiana Pacers, though, that Bryant truly forged his own identity. After O'Neal fouled out with 2:33 left in overtime, Bryant carried the Lakers, scoring six of the their final eight points and converting a tip-in that proved to be the winning basket. "This was the game I've been dreaming about," said Bryant when it was over.