MVP Watch

Fresh Prince

Top 5  

• Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans, 24.9ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.1bpg)
• Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies 19.4ppg, 8.0rpg)
• Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 23.7ppg, 7.6apg, 5.2rpg)
• James Harden (Houston Rockets, 25.0ppg, 6.6apg, 6.1rpg)

Notable Mentions

• Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
• DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
• LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)

More of the same for this weeks MVP rankings, with Pelicans big man Anthony Davis still holding the top spot for me. Steph Curry has been the man I’ve been keeping a close eye on. Along with his sweet stroke and impressive court vision and clutch shots, Curry has stepped up on the defensive end and really taken on the role of leader for the Warriors and is sneaking up on my top two of Davis and Memphis’ Marc Gasol.  James Harden is another player who has been a standout so far this year as he has shown that the Rockets can still win games without Dwight Howard.

Standouts

The Golden State Warriors are currently the hottest team in the NBA on an impressive 11 game win streak. Led by Curry, he is joined in the backcourt by his fellow splash brother Klay Thompson. Thompson is another MVP contender in his own right averaging 20.9ppg and being a standout 2-guard on both ends. The Warriors are one of the deepest teams in the NBA and are excelling under new head coach Steve Kerr. I expect them to continue on this run and be a contender for the no.1 spot in the hotly contested west.

Its starting to come together in Cleveland, with the Cavaliers currently on a 5 game win streak and now a few games above .500. The ‘Big 3’ of LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love seem to be gelling with LeBron taking some ownership on both ends. The Cavs are moving the ball efficiently and figuring out how to co-exist. Their defense I believe is still a work in progress but the effort is now there and there are lot of encouraging signs in Cleveland. I still have my doubts about Dion Waiters and how he fits in with trade rumours  already beginning to swirl so this will be an interesting one to keep an eye on especially with the Cavs still struggling in certain areas such as their interior defense.

Teams On The Rise

• Golden State Warriors 16-2 (11 game win streak)
• Dallas Mavericks 15-5 (5 game win streak)
• LA Clippers 13-5 (6 game win streak)
• Cleveland Cavaliers 10-7 (5 game win streak)

Teams On The Slide

• Philadelphia 76ers 1-17 (1 game win streak but still on the slide)
• Detroit Pistons 3-16
• Charlotte Hornets 4-15 (10 game losing streak)
• Utah Jazz 5-14 (7 game losing)

Performance Of The Week Thus Far

Anthony Davis: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 blocks and 4 assists

Plenty of other impressive performances with a special mentions going to Kyrie scoring 37 v Knicks and Kobe’s triple double v Raptors (31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds) however Davis’ monster stat sheet filling game vs the Thunder in KD’s return has earned my performance of the week.

Play Of The Week

Monta Ellis’ game winner was filthy. Ellis has doing a good job for the Mavs and taken on the role of scorer with some impressive performances as of late, check him out v the Bulls.

Another couple of game winning/tying shots worth checking out...

Love the in-out shimmy from Steph Curry to create the separation, check out the replay from behind at ground level.

You shouldn’t celebrate a bank-3 but this off balance shot from D-Rose is worth a watch.

Steven Adams Watch

7.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 26.1 mins per game

Adams numbers continue to stay solid while the Thunder have welcomed back reigning MVP Kevin Durant. Durant was solid with a 27 point outing in his first game back but the Thunder’s season has now only just begun with their two star players back on the court and seemingly healthy enough. The Thunder are currently 5-13 which isn’t too far off the pace sitting 6 games behind 8th place. Adams continues to start and contribute on both ends, but I expect his role to change slightly with KD back in frame. While his minutes may not change too much his focus will be more on the defensive end and we should see a few more thunderous screens set. I’m just happy KD is back and the Thunder will be fun to watch again.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

Cleveland Cavaliers

The team everyone was talking about preseason about being world beaters has already had its fair share of ups and downs, and we're not even a quarter of the way through the season. Now the pressures are becoming normal and the scrutiny that comes with LeBron James becomes the usual, the Cavs can get stuck in. It's not going to be pretty but as I mentioned last week we start to hit mid season form and the Cavs will start figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Keep an eye of the Cavs as I expect them to weasel up the mediocre Eastern Conference ladder over the next few months.

All Star Jerseys

For those sneakerheads who love wearing their throwbacks in the summer, check out the new All-Star jersey. I quite like it, the retro look and the link too the NYC heritage of basketball, could do with some text across the front but seems like a cool jersey to have for next summer.

Games to watch (All NZT)

Warriors @ Bulls on Sunday 

Suns @ Rockets on Sunday

Raptors @ Cavs on Wednesday

Mavs @ Grizzlies on Wednesday

Cavs @ Thunder on Friday