MVP watch

Fresh Prince

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder31.0ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.1apg)

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 26.2ppg, 6.7rpg, 6.5apg)

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers, 24.2ppg, 11.2rpg),g

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 23.3ppg, 6.2rpg)

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs 18.4ppg, 6.3apg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 19.6ppg, 11.2apg)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 23.5ppg, 9.2apg, 4.6rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 25.0ppg, 13.0rpg, 4.1apg)

It’s been a while since my last entry but not much has changed atop the MVP watch. Kevin Durant has been sublime averaging 31.0 points per game and nearly averaging 50-40-90 (percentages for field goals, 3 pointers and free throws). It would also be rude not to mention his ridiculous form, scoring 30+ in his past nine games including a NBA season high 54 point game against the Warriors. The best player in the world continues to get better however I think we are still yet too see the best out of LeBron this year. LaMarcus Aldridge has led the Trailblazers to a 31-11 record, sitting 3rd in the Western Conference. There is no doubt the all star has been imperative to their success and rightfully a MVP contender. Paul George is a strong candidate for MVP and his continued improvement on offense and stout defense has led the Pacers to a league leading 33-8 record.

His Airness

Kevin Durant: 31 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists. Durant has to be the leading candidate for MVP this season; his recent outburst over the month of January has been simply remarkable. From his pull-up three pointers to his impressive finishes in traffic he is showing us why he is the best offensive player in the game at the moment. He’s been averaging an unbelievable 37 points over the last ten games.

LeBron James: 26.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists. After revealing his jealously over Durant’s amount of shot attempts LeBron has increased his averaging shot attempts to 19 over the last five games. This however, has had almost no impact on his average points per game and makes you wonder if he really can shoot the ball more while still making over 50% of his shots.

Stephen Curry: 23.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.2 assists. Curry continues to be impressive this season nearly averaging a double-double. Curry places third on the MVP ladder because he is such a vital part of his team. Curry has one of the biggest on-off court differentials meaning that without him on the court the Warriors turn the ball over more, score less points and simply are not a team that looks like it could challenge for a title. Miami have the big three, the Thunder have Durant and Westbrook (when healthy) and the Warriors have Curry.

Standouts

FP -Oklahoma City Thunder + Kevin Durant

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won five games straight, one would assume Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook must both be playing well. However the Thunder are without their standout point guard and the ‘Durantula’ has been in ominous form. Nine straight 30+ point performances includingthree 40 point games and one 54 point performance. Durant has been playing at an MVP level and leading the Thunder who are now atop the western conference.

Brooklyn Nets

Finally Brooklyn are starting to play some good basketball going 8-2 in their past 10 games. Due to the mediocrity of the eastern conference, their 18-22 record is good for 7th in the East. Jason Kidd is finally getting a handle on his role as head coach and with the experience of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce this could be one dangerous team come playoff time.

Teams on the rise

FP - Brooklyn Nets

Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets

Chicago Bulls

HA - Oklahoma City Thunder. You can’t go past the Thunder this week, over the last week they have beat four of the top eight teams in the Western Conference putting them back on top of the West. When Westbrook whet down things did not look good for the Thunder but with Durant leading the way they are looking better than ever.

Phoenix Suns. With injuries to Eric Bledsoe and Emeka Okafor you wouldn’t expect much out of the Suns, however, it has been the complete opposite. They dominated the Pacers today and with a current record over .500 (24-17) the Suns could well be a contender to make the post season in the West.

Teams on the slide

FP - New York Knicks

New Orleans Pelicans

Orlando Magic

Milwaukee Bucks

HA- New York Knicks. The Knicks looked like they were getting back on track a week ago, however, this has all changed with a shocking five loss streak. This was capped off by a dismal performance against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Performance of the week

Durant vs Warriors (54pts, 6ast, 19-28 FG, 5-9 3PT, 11-13FT)

I know I’ve already mentioned this man a few times already this week but his performance against the Golden State Warriors was a memorable one. 54 points while matched up against one of the best perimeter defenders in the game in Andre Igoudala. Durant has been fun to watch and doesn’t look like slowly up anytime soon.

Play of the week

Play of the week this week goes to Paul George for his 360 windmill dunk versus the Clippers. There have been many impressive dunks this year but in my mind this is the best one so far.

Undercover Brother

FP - DeMarDeRozan

If you asked most basketball pundits who the top five scoring guards are in the NBA very few would mention DeMarDeRozan. The shooting guard from the Raptors is playing well for Toronto averaging 21.3 points per game. The Raptors are often overlooked and although their 21-20 record sounds ordinary it is good enough for 4th in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan is still very young and the highflyer is certainly one to watch!

HA - LaMarcus Aldridge

If you didn’t follow the NBA closely you probably wouldn’t know much about Aldridge. He’s averaging 24.2 points and 11.6 rebounds he has earned his place on many MVP watch lists. Despite this he is still my undercover brother.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

There are plenty of things to watch for in the upcoming weeks as we approach All-Star weekend (February 14-16) and also the trade deadline (February 21). Trade rumors are starting to pop up and often become hard to follow but I expect a few big trades as playoff contenders look to fill holes in their roster and non-playoff contenders either look to reload to make a run for the playoffs or cut their losses and unload salaries or acquire draft picks. In terms of All-Star weekend, fringe all-stars will be looking to make their case for selection. In case you hadn’t heard Rajon Rondo is being bled back into action for the Boston Celtics after he tore his ACL nearly a year ago now.

What to watch for (all NZT)

Spurs @ Hawks on Saturday

Clippers @ Raptors on Sunday

Spurs @ Heat on Monday

Trailblazers @ Warriors on Monday

Spurs @ Rockets on Wednesday

Thunder @ Heat on Thursday

A number of games to watch in this upcoming week, but there are three in particular to add to your schedule.

The San Antonio Spurs travel to Miami on Monday to take on LeBron James and the Heat. This will be a good indicator of how good each squad as, being after mid-season both teams will want too get a win over the other before all-star break.

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trailblazers meet their Western Conference rival the Golden State Warriors on Monday. I’m looking forward to the point guard matchup in this one with both Damian Lillard and Steph Curry capable of lighting it up as well as pushing for an All-Star spot.

The final game to watch is on Thursday and one that many would have marked in their calendar when the schedule first came out. The two best players in the world meet in Miami in a rematch of the 2011-12 NBA finals. This rivalry has been fun to watch since LeBron arrived in Miami and is shaping up to be another classic.