We knew that Ron Artest would play physical, man defence on the bigger wing players in the league. Just like we knew Thabo Sefolosha and Kirk Hinrich would keep better offensive players on the bench in their Round 1 matchups to play good, hustling, perimeter defence. And that players like Grant Hill, Anderson Varejao, and Kurt Thomas would slide their feet, take charges and rotate in the interior. But there have been some players behind the scenes not normally thought of as defenders that have stepped it up and put on their best James Posey impression. Generally, they have to step up as the defensive stopper on the floor, so their work is cut out for them. And no, even though he didn't show up for the regular season and went for approximately 47 straight games without a blocked shot, Kevin Garnett's defensive resurgence these playoffs does not make the list.
