MVP Watch

Fresh Prince

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 24.9ppg, 7.8rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 26.4ppg, 15.0rpg)

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 30.2ppg, 7.3rpg)

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 25.5ppg, 7.3apg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 21.3ppg, 12.4apg)

His Airness

Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Paul George and Chris Paul

Anthony Davis is emerging as one of the top big men in the league, averaging 21.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and an impressive 3.8 blocks per game in only his second season, Davis is working his way into the MVP race.

Kevin Love is another big man on the rise currently averaging 26.4 points per game which is second in the league and leading the league in rebounds per game 15, Love’s very impressive start to the season has helped his team to a 5-3 start to the season

Standouts

FP - DeMarcus Cousins (23.5ppg, 9.7rpg)

Cousins has had some great performances this week and while they haven’t translated into wins, he has been a standout for the Sacramento Kings.

Houston Rockets (James Harden/Dwight Howard)

The Rockets haven’t had the greatest of weeks but their two superstars are beginning to warrant the exceedingly high expectations for this team. Harden (24.9ppg, 5.1apg) and Howard (17.6ppg, 14.9rpg) are leading the Rockets and will only improve the further we get into the season.

Anthony Davis (21.7ppg, 11.6rpg, 3.9bpg)

I didn’t mention Anthony Davis last week and I should have. He is playing some great basketball for the Pelicans and putting up some impressive numbers. He’s looking a lot stronger and more refined on the NBA stage and will continue to be a talented defensive presence for New Orleans.

Teams on the rise

FP - Indiana Pacers

San Antonio Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder

Boston Celtics

HA - Phoenix have had a impressive start to the season, lead by Eric Bledsoe this team has surprised many people going 5-2 to start the season. However, I am not sure if they can keep this up.

Atlanta are another surprising team on the rise this week currently leading the Southeast division ahead of Miami and with upcoming games against the struggling Knicks and hosting Philly at home the

Hawks could easily improve to 7-3.

Teams on the slide

FP - Utah Jazz

Sacramento Kings

Los Angeles Lakers

Detroit Pistons

HA - The Knicks have made a poor start to the season, currently 2-4 they are not looking like the team that made it to the playoffs last year.

Utah Jazz are the only team without a win this season, a team with really no stars you would think they will continue to struggle this season. There losing streak might be extended over the next week as they have tough games coming up against the Pelicans, Spurs and Warriors. Look for them to be a strong candidate for picking up college star Andrew Wiggins in next years draft.

Performance of the week

For me there were two performances of the week, the first was by Kevin Love versus Dallas last Thursday, 32 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists in a 116-108 victory. The second was a performance by another superstar named Kevin, in a game that also featured Steven Adams’ posting his first double-double. Kevin Durant posted 37 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the 119-110 victory over Detroit. Both Kevin’s are playing at MVP levels and performances like these are not uncommon for either player.

Play of the week

FP - In a week of game winners there was one that stood above all… Against the two-time defending champion, on the road, over the best player on the planet with 0.6 remaining.

HA - Got to love this, Miami at home losing to arguably one of the worst teams in the NBA at the moment.

Undercover Brother

FP - Kevin Martin (Minnesota Timberwolves)

The other Kevin in Minnesota has been on a scoring tear, putting up 32, 27 and 30 point performances over the past week. Having always being a volume scorer Martin is playing well in Minnesota and filling a vital scoring role alongside Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

HA - Damien Lillard (Portland Trailblazers)

Damian Lillard has been a significant reason why Portland are currently 5-2, averaging 21 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Lillard has been impressive and look for him to continue this throughout the season.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

Once again, who can challenge the Indiana Pacers?

The growth of the Harden/Howard combination in Houston

How the New York Knicks perform without Tyson Chandler?

What to watch for (all NZT)

Rockets @ Knicks on Friday

Two of the teams to watch this week are the Rockets and Knicks. The Rockets are starting to find out their identity and are looking stronger each outing. The Knicks are struggling at 2-4 and now are without their defensive specialist Tyson Chandler due to injury. It gets harder before it gets easier for the Knicks as Dwight Howard will be in town.

Thunder @ Warriors on Friday

The Thunder have quietly rattled off a four game win streak last week and head into Golden State second in the west. Kevin Durant is at his best and Russell Westbrook is as explosive as ever as he looks to settle back in. Another thing to look out for is the NBA’s own trans-tasman battle of big men as Steven Adams meets Australia’s Andrew Bogut.

Pacers @ Bulls on Sunday

The Pacers meet the Bulls once again this time in Chicago. Indiana is the best team in basketball right now and the Bulls (3-3) are yet to perform, as we’ve been accustomed to seeing. I expect this too be the Pacers biggest challenge yet and after they handled the Bulls in the 4th quarter last week leading too a 97-80 victory, this is the perfect stage for Chicago to send a message.

Hawks @ Heat on Wednesday

The Atlanta Hawks have been a surprise, currently sitting 3rd in the East at (4-3). They meet LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Wednesday in Miami and will provide them with an opportunity to establish themselves as a contender in the East. Miami currently 5-3 will be looking to put a strong week together after losing to the Celtics at Home and questions about their defence.