The NBA Finals are here and a consistent contender in the San Antonio Spurs, match up with the defending champion, Miami Heat. The Spurs are coming off a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Heat finished off the Indiana Pacers in a grueling 7-game series. Will the Spurs show any rust from the long layoff or will it be much needed rest for their older players? Will the Heat be tired from going the distance with the Pacers or will they find a second wind to go back-to-back. These are only a few of the questions we have before this series starts tonight.
Which Big 3 has the advantage?
The same year Miami's Big 3 were drafted in 2003, San Antonio's Big 3 were coming off their first of three championships together. Long before the term Big 3 was a cliche, the Spurs Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili made up a core that has stuck together for over 10 years. The originators will now take on the latest Big 3 to win a title in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
For the Spurs, Parker seems to have turned back the hands of time and is having arguably the best season of his career. Duncan is having his best season over the past three, whereas Ginobili is have his worst year in the last three seasons. Parker has been the second best player in the playoffs and showed it against Memphis, one of the best defensive teams in the league. Parker had his way with Mike Conley and Tony Allen all series. When his jumper was off in game 2 he dished out 18 assists and in game 4 he poured in 37 points on 15-21 shooting. Duncan has been his fundamental self averaging 17.8 points and 9.2 boards in the playoffs. 20 and 10 is no longer a nightly thing for the 37 year old Duncan, but is still very possible. And after seeing what Roy Hibbert and David West did to Miami's front line, I can see Timmy producing just the same. Ginobili on the other hand could be the wild card. Besides hitting a game winning three in double overtime against Golden State, the Argentinian has been relatively quiet. At 35, he looks to be hitting a wall averaging only 11.5 points in the playoffs. But, the Finals usually bring out the best in players that have proven they don't crack under pressure.
The Heat's Big 3 is in their third year as teammates and have reached the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year. LeBron was named NBA MVP for the fourth time and like Parker, is having one of his best seasons ever. He's also been the best player in the playoffs as well and showed us in the series against the Pacers. Not only was he asked to guard Paul George, Indiana's best perimeter player, but also carry the offense because Wade and Bosh have struggled mightily. Wade has been a shell of himself scoring 14.1 ppg and only reaching 20 points twice this postseason. He missed 13 games during the year with a knee problem so maybe that's still bothering him. Whatever his issue, the Heat will need more production from Wade if they want to get past the Spurs. As for Bosh, he had a really hard time against the bigger and stronger Pacers front line and only managed 11 points and 4.3 rebounds in the series. Playing against Duncan and Tiago Splitter might help Bosh as they aren't as physical and play more of his style.
Miami's Big 3 are all around their prime age but only LeBron is playing like it. Parker and Duncan are definitely holding their own but Ginobili looks like he's lost his game. If I'm going to give an edge I'd have to give it to the Heat, but only slightly. We know LBJ is the best player on the planet, but Wade showed up in game 7 against the Pacers and I think he might have found his groove. I also don't expect Bosh to play as poorly as he has. Against the Spurs during the regular season he put up 41 points and 21 rebounds in two games.
Will LeBron James guard Tony Parker?
This is a huge question and one that could determine the outcome of this series. As we've discussed Parker has been on a tear and hasn't shown signs of slowing down. After dismantling two of the best on ball defenders in Conley and Allen he might have to contend with the most athletic player in the league. But would it be smart for James to take on Parker? For an entire game, no. Parker can run for days and with all the screens he gets it would probably tire LeBron out to be able to produce effectively on offense. There's no question he is the Heat's best defender but with how much they need him to create on offense, they can't afford James to burn himself out chasing Parker all of the court. In late game situations I expect to see this match up, but not from the jump.
Which bench will have the bigger impact?
Bench players always have an impact on every game, either in a positive or negative way. Both teams have key contributors as reserves and will need their help to win the title. Both are also thin with post players and their strongest contributors play on the outside.
San Antonio looks to Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Gary Neal, and Boris Diaw when the starters need a rest. We've talked about Ginobili already but he is the best sixth man in this series even with struggling in the playoffs so far. The reason is because he can effect the game in other ways than scoring (4.5 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.4 spg). Bonner will never "wow" you with athleticism, like this jumpball with Zach Randolph, but he is one of the best three-point shooters in the league at 44%. Neal is a serviceable backup point guard to Parker and when given the minutes he can fill it up, as he's scored 20+ points multiple times this year. Diaw is a big body and if he's going to contribute it will be through rebounding and playmaking at the high post.
Coming off the Heat's bench is Ray Allen, Chris Andersen, Norris Cole, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller. Regulated to the bench, Allen has been up and down all year, but mostly down averaging a career low 10 points per game. He was on fire from deep in their first series against the Bucks but has faded badly until game 7 with the Pacers where he was 3-5. That's all that he offers anymore is three-point shooting and if he's off he might as well stay on the bench. Andersen, one of Shaq's favorites, has provided a huge lift for the Heat since joining the team. A friend of mine thinks he's one of the main reasons the Heat were 40-4 after he was signed in late January. There's no doubt he's helped by adding much needed rebounding to a poor rebounding team as well as a rim protector. Cole can provide defensive pressure on Parker as he was able to disrupt George Hill and DJ Augustin of the Pacers, and can knockdown 3's. Battier and Miller are one in the same. Battier might draw a charge or two but their sole responsibility is to hit open three-pointers when James or Wade drives and dishes.
I will give the advantage to the Heat because their bench can provide in more areas. The Spurs bench outside of Ginobili only offers scoring but the Heat get scoring and defense out of their reserves.
Who will control the 3-point line and rebounding?
We know that supplementing Miami's Big 3, they have surrounded them with three-point threats. Along with the bench players I just mentioned, Mario Chalmers is another guy that hit from deep and even Bosh has been knocking down 3's in the playoffs. In their meeting in San Antonio, the Heat made 12 of 28 from downtown helping them win without Wade and LeBron, 88-86. But the Spurs are an underrated three-point shooting team. Bonner, Ginobili, Danny Green, and Kawhi Leonard are all capable of getting hot from long range. Also, in the postseason the Spurs have a better three-point percentage (36.2%) than the Heat (35.6%) and San Antonio also makes more (7.4) than Miami (7.1) per game. So you might not think of the Spurs as deep threats but they have the right players to compliment Duncan and Parker's paint production.
We saw the Pacers decimate the Heat on the boards and it was no different for the Spurs in their two meetings this year. San Antonio held a 94-70 edge combined in the two games. Much like Indiana, the Spurs attack the glass in a team effort not just relying on Duncan and Splitter to grab the rebound. But, Bosh proved he can board with the Spurs and that's a huge plus. Wade also seemed to be rejuvenated in game 7 as he grabbed nine rebounds, including six offensive. It was the only game in which Miami had the rebounding advantage, so maybe that means they solved their problem on the glass.
Both are very similar in both categories but I'm going with the Spurs to control each aspect. They are sneaky good from three-point range and have great size at every position.
Who will win the series?
We still haven't seen these two teams play a legit game this year but the Heat did win both meetings. Although in game one Spurs coach
Gregg Popovich sent Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and Green back to San Antonio after the first game of a back-to-back, and Leonard was hurt. This made NBA Commissioner David Stern pretty upset. So, in the second meeting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra figured he'd sit James, Wade, and Chalmers to get back at Coach Pop. We have two games to look at to determine what will happen in this series but we really don't know what to expect when both teams match up at full strength.
However, to me the Spurs have too much experience and the best coach in the league and will pull this out. Popovich is one of the greatest coaches ever along side Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach. Pop already has four championships and except his first season and a lockout year, his team has won 50+ games every year since 1998. If this is a long series, which I think it will be, there will come a time where Popovich seriously out coaches the young Erik Spoelstra. Also, another title for Tim Duncan will solidify him as the best power forward ever and possibly the best player of his era. Not to mention, Tony Parker has reestablished himself as the best point guard in the NBA. Yes, better than Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Let's not forget that it was Parker who was the Finals MVP in 2007 when the Spurs swept LeBron's Cavs. James is the best player in the NBA and will be the best player in this series. But, San Antonio has the next two best players and the best coach which will be tough for King James to overcome. And don't sleep on the other starters for the Spurs. Green, Leonard, and Splitter will out perform Miami's complimentary players to take home the championship.
Spurs in 6
Showing posts with label Tim Duncan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Duncan. Show all posts
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
NBA Western Conference First Round Predictions
The West is filled with story lines and great matchups. Can James Harden get revenge on his old team? Can the elder Spurs handle the Kobe-less Lakers? Can the short handed Nuggets out run the young Warriors? Will the Clippers and Grizzlies give us another 7-game thriller? If you like watching teams put points on the board these are the games for you as seven of the top eight scoring teams are in the West.
1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 8 Houston Rockets
The Thunder and Rockets pulled off the biggest trade of the year before the season even started when OKC shipped James Harden and others to Houston in exchange for Kevin Martin and draft picks. When the trade went down back in November we discussed it here and thought that it worked out great for both sides and it turns out, it did. And wouldn't you know, they get matched up in the first round of the playoffs. With the move to Houston, Harden put up career bests across the board including 25.9 points, good for 5th in the league. In their first meeting Harden had a tough time in his return to OKC going 3-16 with 17 points. But in the Rockets lone win against the Thunder, Harden went off for 46 on 14-19 shooting with seven 3s. Also in that game Kevin Durant recorded his 2nd triple-double of the year in the 122-119 loss. With the departure of Harden, Serge Ibaka hit a career high with 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. As for Martin, he saw his points drop to 14 a game but 3-point percentage was his best at 42%. Both of these teams can score as they were second and third in the league in points. But OKC plays better defense, giving up six fewer points a game. The Thunder were the best in point differential at +9.2 and have the players to slow down the Rockets. Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, and Ibaka can all play lockdown defense and Westbrook and Durant have improved from a year ago. The Rockets are just in a bad matchup with a team that is similar but better. Houston can score but they don't have the weapons to match the Thunder. They might get one game in Houston but that's it.
Prediction: Thunder in 5
2 San Antonio Spurs vs 7 Los Angeles Lakers
After Kobe Bryant went down with only three games left in the year with a torn Achilles the playoff picture didn't look bright. However, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol seem to be rejuvenated. In their last two games, against San Antonio and Houston, Howard looked like back in his Magic days dominating at both ends of the court and Gasol posted a monster triple-double against the Rockets with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists. Also, with Steve Nash still out, Steve Blake scored 23 and 24 points in both of those games. Bryant won't be back this year and it didn't take long for the new look Lakers to mesh and come up with big wins when they needed them most. If LAL lost either of those games we would have seen the Utah Jazz in the playoffs instead. But the Lakers reward for barely squeaking in is a chance to play the Spurs. Speaking of rejuvenation, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are having their best seasons in the past three or four years. Duncan (17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.7 bpg) looks like Timmy that played with David Robinson, and Parker (20.3 ppg, 7.6 apg) is carving up defenses more than ever, averaging 20 for the second time in his career. But Manu Ginobili on the other hand is have his worst season (11.8 ppg) since his rookie year. We've seen Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green step up in his stead as both of them are putting up double-digits for the first time. The Spurs have more experience than any other team in the playoffs with Kobe now out. It's interesting to see how Gasol has now become the playmaker which has opened the lane up for Howard to do what he does best, dunk. It will be a battle down low with them and the Spurs Duncan and Tiago Splitter. So to me it's going to come down to guard play and even though Blake has played well lately, including getting the better of the Frenchman in their recent matchup, Parker is too good and too experienced to let that happen over a 7-game series. I do think this will be a great series even without Kobe, but the Spurs are too deep for the Lakers.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
3 Denver Nuggets vs 6 Golden State Warriors
I hope you can keep up if you're going to watch this series as these might be the two fastest teams in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets come into the playoffs short-handed with their second leading scorer Danilo Gallinari out for the season with a torn ACL and Kenneth Faried, their leading rebounder, questionable with a sore ankle. The Nuggets have done well all year without a superstar player but unless Faried can get back in the lineup soon they might have some problems. One thing Denver has going for it is their great home court advantage. The Nuggets had the best home record in the NBA at 38-3. With Gallinari out, Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer have seen more minutes and both have played well. Denver has so many weapons, nine players average between eight and 16 points, which is a main reason they led the league in scoring. But for the Golden State Warriors, they rely heavily on their three main guns of Stephen Curry, David Lee, and Klay Thompson. Curry averaged a career high 22.9 points while setting a NBA record 3-pointers made with 272, breaking Ray Allen's old mark by three. Curry is the best shooter in the league and his backcourt mate, Thompson, also likes to let it fly from deep. In only his second year, Thompson averaged 16.6 a game and hit 40% from downtown. But their most consistent player was Lee who put up 18.5 points and 11.2 boards a game and gives the Warriors an inside presence to go with their great guard play. Both these teams will run and gun as this might be the most entertaining series in the first round. But while GS likes to shoot from beyond the arc, Denver scored more points in the paint than anybody. It's because of that, I think the Nuggets will take this series easily. The fact that they get easy buckets and the Warriors need to be hitting jumpers bodes well for the rich and creamy's.
Prediction: Nuggets in 5
4 Los Angeles Clippers vs 5 Memphis Grizzlies
In the first round of last years playoffs these two teams met and gave us an exciting 7-game series. The Clippers were also the 4-seed a season ago and benefited from having the deciding game at home. Both teams have new editions, but the Clippers have gotten more production out of theirs. LAC added Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Lamar Odom in the off-season and all have contributed in their own right. But, none more than Crawford. His last four years he's provided instant offense from the bench and has given the Clips 16.5 a game in his first season with the team. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have seen their points go down from last year but they are getting help from all over as they are scoring more as a team. DeAndre Jordan has provided an offensive lift to lob city and has the poster of the year, sorry Brandon Knight. For the Memphis Grizzlies, they traded away their leading scorer, Rudy Gay, midway through the year. Along with Gay, the other main guy sent away was Marreese Speights and in return they received Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis to fill those voids. Prince stepped into the starting lineup and added more defense to an already great defensive team. The Grizzlies score the least out of any West playoff team with 93.4, but give up the fewest points in the NBA at 89.3. With getting rid of their leading scorer, the offense falls on the shoulders of Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol. Randolph and Gasol are a load inside for anybody. In a league that is starting to play smaller, the Grizzlies are one of the few teams that still like to play big. Conley has improved and raised his production, putting up 14.6 points, which is a career high. This series going to come down to who controls the tempo of the game. Paul likes to get the Clippers in transition and Conley wants to slow things down to take advantage to Memphis' bigs. But LAC is a team that can handle the Grizz down low. Jordan and Griffin have the size to matchup with Randolph and Gasol. But can Conley and Tony Allen slow down Paul and Crawford? That's the biggest question and also to me the Clippers are just too deep. They have too many scoring threats and even though Memphis is one of the best defensive teams, the Clippers will still find ways to put points on the board.
Prediction: Clippers in 7
1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 8 Houston Rockets
The Thunder and Rockets pulled off the biggest trade of the year before the season even started when OKC shipped James Harden and others to Houston in exchange for Kevin Martin and draft picks. When the trade went down back in November we discussed it here and thought that it worked out great for both sides and it turns out, it did. And wouldn't you know, they get matched up in the first round of the playoffs. With the move to Houston, Harden put up career bests across the board including 25.9 points, good for 5th in the league. In their first meeting Harden had a tough time in his return to OKC going 3-16 with 17 points. But in the Rockets lone win against the Thunder, Harden went off for 46 on 14-19 shooting with seven 3s. Also in that game Kevin Durant recorded his 2nd triple-double of the year in the 122-119 loss. With the departure of Harden, Serge Ibaka hit a career high with 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. As for Martin, he saw his points drop to 14 a game but 3-point percentage was his best at 42%. Both of these teams can score as they were second and third in the league in points. But OKC plays better defense, giving up six fewer points a game. The Thunder were the best in point differential at +9.2 and have the players to slow down the Rockets. Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, and Ibaka can all play lockdown defense and Westbrook and Durant have improved from a year ago. The Rockets are just in a bad matchup with a team that is similar but better. Houston can score but they don't have the weapons to match the Thunder. They might get one game in Houston but that's it.
Prediction: Thunder in 5
2 San Antonio Spurs vs 7 Los Angeles Lakers
After Kobe Bryant went down with only three games left in the year with a torn Achilles the playoff picture didn't look bright. However, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol seem to be rejuvenated. In their last two games, against San Antonio and Houston, Howard looked like back in his Magic days dominating at both ends of the court and Gasol posted a monster triple-double against the Rockets with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists. Also, with Steve Nash still out, Steve Blake scored 23 and 24 points in both of those games. Bryant won't be back this year and it didn't take long for the new look Lakers to mesh and come up with big wins when they needed them most. If LAL lost either of those games we would have seen the Utah Jazz in the playoffs instead. But the Lakers reward for barely squeaking in is a chance to play the Spurs. Speaking of rejuvenation, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are having their best seasons in the past three or four years. Duncan (17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.7 bpg) looks like Timmy that played with David Robinson, and Parker (20.3 ppg, 7.6 apg) is carving up defenses more than ever, averaging 20 for the second time in his career. But Manu Ginobili on the other hand is have his worst season (11.8 ppg) since his rookie year. We've seen Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green step up in his stead as both of them are putting up double-digits for the first time. The Spurs have more experience than any other team in the playoffs with Kobe now out. It's interesting to see how Gasol has now become the playmaker which has opened the lane up for Howard to do what he does best, dunk. It will be a battle down low with them and the Spurs Duncan and Tiago Splitter. So to me it's going to come down to guard play and even though Blake has played well lately, including getting the better of the Frenchman in their recent matchup, Parker is too good and too experienced to let that happen over a 7-game series. I do think this will be a great series even without Kobe, but the Spurs are too deep for the Lakers.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
3 Denver Nuggets vs 6 Golden State Warriors
I hope you can keep up if you're going to watch this series as these might be the two fastest teams in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets come into the playoffs short-handed with their second leading scorer Danilo Gallinari out for the season with a torn ACL and Kenneth Faried, their leading rebounder, questionable with a sore ankle. The Nuggets have done well all year without a superstar player but unless Faried can get back in the lineup soon they might have some problems. One thing Denver has going for it is their great home court advantage. The Nuggets had the best home record in the NBA at 38-3. With Gallinari out, Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer have seen more minutes and both have played well. Denver has so many weapons, nine players average between eight and 16 points, which is a main reason they led the league in scoring. But for the Golden State Warriors, they rely heavily on their three main guns of Stephen Curry, David Lee, and Klay Thompson. Curry averaged a career high 22.9 points while setting a NBA record 3-pointers made with 272, breaking Ray Allen's old mark by three. Curry is the best shooter in the league and his backcourt mate, Thompson, also likes to let it fly from deep. In only his second year, Thompson averaged 16.6 a game and hit 40% from downtown. But their most consistent player was Lee who put up 18.5 points and 11.2 boards a game and gives the Warriors an inside presence to go with their great guard play. Both these teams will run and gun as this might be the most entertaining series in the first round. But while GS likes to shoot from beyond the arc, Denver scored more points in the paint than anybody. It's because of that, I think the Nuggets will take this series easily. The fact that they get easy buckets and the Warriors need to be hitting jumpers bodes well for the rich and creamy's.
Prediction: Nuggets in 5
4 Los Angeles Clippers vs 5 Memphis Grizzlies
In the first round of last years playoffs these two teams met and gave us an exciting 7-game series. The Clippers were also the 4-seed a season ago and benefited from having the deciding game at home. Both teams have new editions, but the Clippers have gotten more production out of theirs. LAC added Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Lamar Odom in the off-season and all have contributed in their own right. But, none more than Crawford. His last four years he's provided instant offense from the bench and has given the Clips 16.5 a game in his first season with the team. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have seen their points go down from last year but they are getting help from all over as they are scoring more as a team. DeAndre Jordan has provided an offensive lift to lob city and has the poster of the year, sorry Brandon Knight. For the Memphis Grizzlies, they traded away their leading scorer, Rudy Gay, midway through the year. Along with Gay, the other main guy sent away was Marreese Speights and in return they received Tayshaun Prince and Ed Davis to fill those voids. Prince stepped into the starting lineup and added more defense to an already great defensive team. The Grizzlies score the least out of any West playoff team with 93.4, but give up the fewest points in the NBA at 89.3. With getting rid of their leading scorer, the offense falls on the shoulders of Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol. Randolph and Gasol are a load inside for anybody. In a league that is starting to play smaller, the Grizzlies are one of the few teams that still like to play big. Conley has improved and raised his production, putting up 14.6 points, which is a career high. This series going to come down to who controls the tempo of the game. Paul likes to get the Clippers in transition and Conley wants to slow things down to take advantage to Memphis' bigs. But LAC is a team that can handle the Grizz down low. Jordan and Griffin have the size to matchup with Randolph and Gasol. But can Conley and Tony Allen slow down Paul and Crawford? That's the biggest question and also to me the Clippers are just too deep. They have too many scoring threats and even though Memphis is one of the best defensive teams, the Clippers will still find ways to put points on the board.
Prediction: Clippers in 7
Friday, February 8, 2013
Early NBA MVP Race
We are a little past the midway point in the NBA season and a
few weeks away from the All-Star break so it's time to take a look at
the MVP race. The last five years the debate has been dominated by
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, with Derrick Rose winning two years ago and Kevin Durant's name coming into the mix last year.
Until a few weeks ago there were multiple guys that you could make an argument for to win the MVP. But injuries have taken Chris Paul and Tim Duncan out of the conversation. Paul has missed nine straight games and 12 out of the last 14 for the Clippers. Paul still ranks second in assists (9.7) and first in steals (2.56) but his Clippers have dropped six of the last nine he's been out. As for Duncan, he's missed six of the last eight for the Spurs due to a sore left knee and now a sprained ankle. Timmy has his best numbers over the past three seasons (17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks) but even with him out of the lineup the Spurs have been able to run their winning streak to eleven.
Let's first talk about Kobe and my question is where are all of his fans? The past five years, Kobe fans have been loud and proud saying that he is the best player in the league, but this year they've been quiet. That's mainly in part because his team is currently four games under .500 but his numbers are no different than any of the last five season. Actually you can make the argument that they are better because he has a higher field goal percentage at 46% and more assists at 5.3. But still nothing from the little mambas. And the argument about Kobe being better because he has more rings than other players is the worst argument to make. Rings don't make one player better than another. If that was the case here is a list of all the players better than Kobe (who has 5 rings) with how many rings they've won. Bill Russell (11), Sam Jones (10), John Havlicek (8), Tom Heinson (8), K.C. Jones (8), Tom Sanders (8), Robert Horry (7), Frank Ramsey (7), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(6), Bob Cousy (6), Michael Jordan (6), Jim Loscutoff (6), Scottie Pippen (6).
Now on to the actual MVP candidates. Like I said earlier, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul have been playing great for title contending teams but their recent injuries have knocked them out of the top three. So, Carmelo Anthony has moved into that spot as he's guided the New York Knicks to a 31-16 record and second place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are one the surprise teams this year as they only managed to finish seventh in the East last season, Melo's first full season with the team. In the first game this year, NY smashed the defending champions Miami Heat 104-84 behind Anthony's 30 points and 10 boards. We weren't sure if it was a fluke but it became a trend as the Knicks have consistently won. Carmelo himself is having his best scoring season since 2006-07 with Denver as he is second in the league at 28.5. His field goal percentage is only at 45% but that is partly because he's taking 6.6 three pointers per game but he is shooting a career best 41.5% from distance.
Coming in at #2 is Kevin Durant. Durant is making the strongest case of his career for MVP as he's leading the league is scoring for the fourth straight season. He is undoubtedly the best scorer and offensive player in the league. This year he is on pace to be the only player ever to lead the league in scoring while shooting 50% from the field (51.7), 40% from three (42.2), and 90% from the free throw line (90.2). Aside from all that offense he's averaging 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and over a block and steal per game. All of this while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the second best record in the league at 37-12, only behind San Antonio. The fact of him putting up those offensive numbers and his team challenging for the best record in the league makes him a top candidate. By the end of the year, Durant could very well come out as the MVP and I would have no problem at all with it. His efficiency on the offensive end has been amazing to watch and he's improved his game every year he's been in the league. If he doesn't get it this year, he definitely will sometime in the near future.
My MVP right now though, is LeBron James. LeBron has won three of the last four MVP awards and if you thought his numbers were good in those years, this season they are even better. He's fourth in scoring at 26.8, pulling down a career best 8.2 rebounds, and dishing out 7.0 assists. He's also leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating while shooting 55.6% from the field and 40.8% from deep, both career highs. LeBron has steadily improved since joining the Heat but he does so many great things on the basketball court every night that we almost take it for granted. He's the only player in the league to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He has the Heat in first place in the East at 32-14, positioned to make a run at a third straight NBA Finals appearance. One thing I know is that voters like to share the wealth, they don't like voting for the same guy every year. It's even less likely when Durant might do something for the first time in the history of the NBA. But a good question to ask your self, if we are voting for the Most Valuable Player, which team would still be contending if these players were taken off their respective squads? I would have to say OKC is more likely to still be in the mix. I'll definitely take Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and Kevin Martin over Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen. It's really hard for me to make this call because Durant is my favorite player to watch and I'll never be a fan of LeBron after what he did to the Pistons in the 2007 playoffs. It's kind of like Michael Jordan, I'll never cheer for the guy but I totally respect his game. And ultimately, right now my vote goes to LBJ.
Until a few weeks ago there were multiple guys that you could make an argument for to win the MVP. But injuries have taken Chris Paul and Tim Duncan out of the conversation. Paul has missed nine straight games and 12 out of the last 14 for the Clippers. Paul still ranks second in assists (9.7) and first in steals (2.56) but his Clippers have dropped six of the last nine he's been out. As for Duncan, he's missed six of the last eight for the Spurs due to a sore left knee and now a sprained ankle. Timmy has his best numbers over the past three seasons (17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks) but even with him out of the lineup the Spurs have been able to run their winning streak to eleven.
Let's first talk about Kobe and my question is where are all of his fans? The past five years, Kobe fans have been loud and proud saying that he is the best player in the league, but this year they've been quiet. That's mainly in part because his team is currently four games under .500 but his numbers are no different than any of the last five season. Actually you can make the argument that they are better because he has a higher field goal percentage at 46% and more assists at 5.3. But still nothing from the little mambas. And the argument about Kobe being better because he has more rings than other players is the worst argument to make. Rings don't make one player better than another. If that was the case here is a list of all the players better than Kobe (who has 5 rings) with how many rings they've won. Bill Russell (11), Sam Jones (10), John Havlicek (8), Tom Heinson (8), K.C. Jones (8), Tom Sanders (8), Robert Horry (7), Frank Ramsey (7), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(6), Bob Cousy (6), Michael Jordan (6), Jim Loscutoff (6), Scottie Pippen (6).
Now on to the actual MVP candidates. Like I said earlier, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul have been playing great for title contending teams but their recent injuries have knocked them out of the top three. So, Carmelo Anthony has moved into that spot as he's guided the New York Knicks to a 31-16 record and second place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are one the surprise teams this year as they only managed to finish seventh in the East last season, Melo's first full season with the team. In the first game this year, NY smashed the defending champions Miami Heat 104-84 behind Anthony's 30 points and 10 boards. We weren't sure if it was a fluke but it became a trend as the Knicks have consistently won. Carmelo himself is having his best scoring season since 2006-07 with Denver as he is second in the league at 28.5. His field goal percentage is only at 45% but that is partly because he's taking 6.6 three pointers per game but he is shooting a career best 41.5% from distance.
Coming in at #2 is Kevin Durant. Durant is making the strongest case of his career for MVP as he's leading the league is scoring for the fourth straight season. He is undoubtedly the best scorer and offensive player in the league. This year he is on pace to be the only player ever to lead the league in scoring while shooting 50% from the field (51.7), 40% from three (42.2), and 90% from the free throw line (90.2). Aside from all that offense he's averaging 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and over a block and steal per game. All of this while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the second best record in the league at 37-12, only behind San Antonio. The fact of him putting up those offensive numbers and his team challenging for the best record in the league makes him a top candidate. By the end of the year, Durant could very well come out as the MVP and I would have no problem at all with it. His efficiency on the offensive end has been amazing to watch and he's improved his game every year he's been in the league. If he doesn't get it this year, he definitely will sometime in the near future.
My MVP right now though, is LeBron James. LeBron has won three of the last four MVP awards and if you thought his numbers were good in those years, this season they are even better. He's fourth in scoring at 26.8, pulling down a career best 8.2 rebounds, and dishing out 7.0 assists. He's also leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating while shooting 55.6% from the field and 40.8% from deep, both career highs. LeBron has steadily improved since joining the Heat but he does so many great things on the basketball court every night that we almost take it for granted. He's the only player in the league to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He has the Heat in first place in the East at 32-14, positioned to make a run at a third straight NBA Finals appearance. One thing I know is that voters like to share the wealth, they don't like voting for the same guy every year. It's even less likely when Durant might do something for the first time in the history of the NBA. But a good question to ask your self, if we are voting for the Most Valuable Player, which team would still be contending if these players were taken off their respective squads? I would have to say OKC is more likely to still be in the mix. I'll definitely take Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and Kevin Martin over Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen. It's really hard for me to make this call because Durant is my favorite player to watch and I'll never be a fan of LeBron after what he did to the Pistons in the 2007 playoffs. It's kind of like Michael Jordan, I'll never cheer for the guy but I totally respect his game. And ultimately, right now my vote goes to LBJ.
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