Fresh Prince - Week Four:

MVP Watch

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 26.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 6.7apg)

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 28.2ppg, 7.5rpg, 5.1apg)

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 23.7ppg, 6.3rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 24.3ppg, 13.9rpg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 19.3ppg, 12.5apg)

Paul George. *Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports*

Standouts

Miami Heat

The Heat are now firing on all cylinders and the depth of this squad is scary. They’re currently the hottest team in the NBA at the moment with eight straight wins. Sharing the ball on offense is become a staple for this team and it always helps having the best player on the planet.

John Wall

John Wall recently was awarded the Eastern Conference Player of the week and rightfully so. He’s scored 30 in three straight games and ranks 2nd to Chris Paul in assists at 8.8 per game. One of the quickest players you’ll see on a basketball court is in some fine form and doing a great job in Washington who are on a three game win streak.

Teams on the Rise

Miami Heat

Washington Wizards

Denver Nuggets

Teams on the Slide

New York Knicks

Cleveland Cavaliers

Minnesota Timberwolves

Brooklyn Nets

Performance of the Week

LaMarcus Aldridge. *AP Photo/Ben Margot*

Another week full of stat stuffing performances, my performance of the week this week was LaMarcus Aldridge versus the Golden State Warriors. His final stat line reads 30 points 21 rebounds 3 blocks and 3 steals, going 16 for 19 from the free throw line. While he didn’t shoot the ball from the field well, this performance came in a statement game in the Western conference as Aldridge lead the Blazers in a win over a top contender while also notching up their 10th straight win.

Play of the Week

Play of the week this week fittingly goes to John Wall of the Washington Wizards for this impressive 360 dunk !

Also a special shout-out for Paul George’s emphatic windmill dunk:

Undercover Brother

My undercover brother this week goes to the seven footer from Orlando Nikola Vucevic. The Orlando Magic are a team full of youth and potential and have shown a few glimpses of what they are capable of. Vucevic is currently averaging 15.2 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game and has been solid in the center for the Magic. Another guy who is having a great year in Arron Afflalo has ably assisted him along with the number two draft pick Victor Oladipo. Vucevic doesn’t get as much attention as their talented guards but is a large part of this talent filled Orlando roster.

Storyline Watch/Random Thoughts

Storylines to watch for this week concerns all teams that are considered title contenders. As we start to move out of the starting phase of the season, December is a month where the real contenders will start to stand up. Expect San Antonio, Miami, Indiana and Oklahoma City to separate themselves this month while keeping an eye out on the other potential contenders such as Portland, Golden State and Houston to try and assert themselves as real contenders.

I have to mention to unfortunate injury to Derrick Rose. Like many NBA fans around the world I had a sick feeling when I read of Rose’s knee injury. Injuries are one of the worst things in sport and too see a guy who has worked so hard to get back to where he was being dealt another blow was crushing. The NBA is not the same without Derrick Rose and I hope we see number 1 for the Chicago Bulls back on the court in the future.

What to Watch For (all NZT)

Wizards @ Pacers on Saturday

This week provides a few teams with an opportunity to test themselves against a few of the benchmark teams in the NBA today. First up are the Wizards as they take on the league leading Indiana Pacers. This conference matchup will show us what Washington are capable of as they look to make their case in the East

Warriors @ Clippers on Saturday

It seems like these two play each other every week, lucky for us. The rivalry continues in this western conference matchup and I’m very much looking forward to this one as both teams are sitting in the middle of the competitive western conference and will be hungry for another win.

Rockets @ Spurs on Sunday

The Rockets meet the Spurs in San Antonio in another ‘storyline to watch’ game. The Rockets are looking the part and the Spurs own the west so I expect this to be a statement game for both teams. I’m particularly looking forward to how Dwight Howard asserts himself into this game, with or without James Harden.

Bobcats @ Heat on Monday

Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats meet the Miami Heat on Monday in a game worth watching. The Heat are starting to flex their muscles and the Bobcats finally have some identity in their impressive defense. They’ve managed to keep their opposition under 100 points in their last nine games. What better test than taking on LeBron James and the Miami Heat to see where the Bobcats are sitting in the East.

Pacers @ Clippers on Monday

This time it’s the Clippers against the Indiana Pacers at the Staples Center. A tough road trip for Indiana as they meet two very good teams from the west on back-to-back days (Play the Trailblazers the following day in Portland). I’m looking forward to these two games especially as they pitch two of the stronger offenses against the NBA’s best defensive team. A thing to watch for in this one is how one of the best point guards in the NBA today will try and dissect the formidable Indiana defence.