MVP watch

Fresh Prince

-Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 28.6ppg, 8.2rpg, 4.8apg

 -LeBron James (Miami Heat, 25.2ppg, 6.8rpg, 6.5apg)

-Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 23.8ppg, 5.8rpg)

-Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 19.5ppg, 11.3apg, 4.7rpg)

 -Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 25.2ppg, 13.7rpg, 4.2apg)

-Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs 17.5ppg, 6.1apg)

-Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 24.3ppg, 9.0apg, 4.2rpg)

-LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers, 23.3, 11.1rpg

His Airness

·  LeBron James (Miami Heat, 25.2ppg, 6.8rpg, 6.5apg)

·  Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 23.8ppg, 5.8rpg)

· Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 25.2ppg, 13.7rpg, 4.2apg)

· Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 28.6ppg, 8.2rpg, 4.8apg

Nighthawk

-Kevin Durant (OKC) – 28.6pts , 8.2reb , 4.8ast

-Lebron James (MIA) – 25.2pts , 6.8reb , 6.5ast

-Paul George (IND) – 23.8pts , 5.8reb , 3.6ast

-LaMarcus Alridge (POR) – 23.3pts , 11.1reb , 2.8ast

Standouts

FP - Phoenix Suns

The Suns are a team we haven’t heard much from since the Steve Nash-Amare Stoudemire days but the young Phoenix squad are playing some great basketball. While a 14-10 record may not seem that impressive they were on a 5 game win streak before their loss to the Spurs today. Eric Bledsoe has been exactly what the Suns expected when they traded for him this offseason and they now have a solid backcourt pairing with Goran Dragic. This team is exceeding expectations and I’ve been impressed with the new look Phoenix Suns.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Is there any stopping Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? The Oklahoma City Thunder duo are firing on all cylinders leading the Thunder on a seven game win streak and are now leading the Western Conference. Still unbeaten on their home court this Thunder squad has all the tools required to win a championship right now and yet they are still improving.

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are another team who are exceeding expectations and are currently in some good form sitting third in the Eastern Conference. While this position has changed hands a number of times over the past few weeks the Hawks are now above .500 at 14-12 on the season. Led by big man Al Horford and point guard Jeff Teague (who is having a career defining year) the Hawks are a team on the rise who continue to surprise.

Teams on the rise

FP

·        Oklahoma City Thunder

·        Phoenix Suns

·        Miami Heat

·        Atlanta Hawks

HA

Detroit Pistons – The Eastern Conference is currently wide open and despite the Piston’s current losing record they remain a team on the rise. With so much potential in the likes of Andre Drummond, look for them to get back to .500 and challenge some of the top teams.

NH

Phoenix Suns – The Suns are one of the biggest surprises in the NBA thus far, they currently hold a 14-10 record which sits them 7th in the competitive Western Conference and had a five game win streak which ended today in their loss to the Spurs. They have been a team that was considered destined for the lottery, almost considered favourites in the ‘Riggin for Wiggins” sweepstakes but they have silenced those critics. They are showing that they are a team ready to compete and have even shown new interest in trading some of their future 1st round draft picks to try and pair a current star with their offseason acquisition of young gun Eric Bledsoe.

Detroit Pistons – The Pistons are a team quietly playing well in the weak Eastern Conference currently sitting nicely in 5th place with a 13-14 record. They have had an up and down season thus far, showing the inconsistency of a new team which is expected but now they are slowly gaining momentum with their big win against the Pacers on the road this week. They are showing that they're are a team which matches up extremely well against the Eastern Conference top dogs - the Pacers and Heat but will need to continue to win the so called smaller games to really show they are ready for a playoff run.

Boston Celtics – The Celtics were considered one of the worst teams if not the worst team in the league before the season began. Having lost Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo to injury their early season form reflected this, however after a slow start with young head coach Brad Stevens (who is now proving why they signed him for 6 years) they are showing some strength and are sitting right in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff contention. They hold a 12-15 record, which is good for 4th in the conference and with Rondo nearing a return you would only think they will get better.

Teams on the slide

FP

·        Philadelphia 76ers

·        Memphis Grizzlies

·        Milwaukee Bucks

·        Sacramento Kings

HA

Philadelphia 76ers – currently on a seven game losing sreak, the 76ers are struggling and it appears that there is little hope for them in the future. The only positive news is that rookie Nerlens Noel could possibly make his debut this season.

Performance of the week

FP - LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Rockets 31 points, 25 rounds (12/22 FG)

There were a number of players this week who are worthy of the performance of the week but in a week where we saw a number of duels between great players and teams - LaMarcus Aldridge’s performance against Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets earns my performance of the week. A matchup of two of the top big men in the league, both players played well challenging one another in the paint and leading their teams in the points, rebounds and blocked shots.

Notable performances

Dwight Howard vs. Trailblazers 32 points, 17 rebounds (14/22 FG)

Al Horford (Hawks) vs. Wizards 34 points, 15 rebounds

Chris Paul vs. Wizards 38 points, 12 assists (11-14 FG, 5-7 3Pt, 11-11 FT)

LeBron James vs. Jazz 30 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists

Joe Johnson (Nets) vs. 76ers 37 points, 7 rebounds (13-20 FG, 10-14 3Pt)

Damian Lillard vs. Cavaliers 36 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds (8-12 3pt + Game winning 3 pointer)

Kevin Love vs. Trailblazers 29 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists

Play of the week

Both the Fresh Prince and His Airness agree that Damian Lillard’s clutch works perfectly fine.

FP - Play(s) of the week this week go to Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard for his back-to-back game winning buckets. Lillard has been one the best players in the clutch this year and the nickname of  ‘the silent assassin’ is warranted.

 Oooops and again....

 Notables..

Andre Igoudala’s almost play of the week

 DeAndre Jordan defense to offense

 Undercover Brother

FP - Undercover brother this week isn’t that undercover but deserves another mention. Damian Lillard has been playing at an all-star level in Portland and is a large reason why the Blazers are currently sitting 2nd in the West. The second year point guard is currently averaging 21.3 points per game and 5.9 assists per game. As I mentioned before he is one of the best performers in the clutch and to put it simply has superstar potential.

HA – Andre Drummond is currently a double-double machine having recorded 18 this year. He’s super efficient and can explode with a flurry of points at any time, as he did getting 31 points the other day.

Rookie Watch

NH - Victor Oladipo - 13.3pts , 4.5reb , 3.4ast

Michael Cater Williams – 17.7pts , 5.8reb , 7.3ast

Trey Burke – 13.5pts , 3.6reb , 5.1ast

Trey Burke has been creating buzz after returning from injuring and showing that he is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year and with MCW still out with injuring and Oladipo’s up and down performances he is narrowing the gap that MCW and Oladipo have created from the rest of the pack.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

FP - The NBA really starts to heat up over the Christmas period with a number of key matchups coming on Christmas Day in the US. (Boxing day in NZ) Trade rumors start to grow as teams start to get a feel for what direction they’re headed in for the remainder of the season. Some teams will be looking to strengthen their squads while others will be shopping for players and draft picks to build a future team around. With the competition being so close this year in each respective conference it will be hard to get a gauge on what the owners and general managers are thinking so keep an eye out as I suspect there are a few teams looking to make big moves before the February trade deadline.  

What to watch for (all NZT)

Spurs @ Warriors on Friday

Rockets @ Pacers on Saturday

Thunder @ Spurs on Sunday

Christmas Day Games (Boxing day in NZ)