MVP watch

Fresh Prince

1. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 31.9ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.5apg)

2. LeBron James (Miami Heat, 27.0ppg, 6.9rpg, 6.4apg)

3. Blake Griffin (LA Clippers, 24.3ppg, 9.7rpg)

I’ve shortened my list to three candidates this week as I believe these are the three most deserving prospects. It’s also the time where your spot matters and while a number of people are 50/50 on who’s number one, I’m firmly behind Kevin Durant at this point.

His Airness

There are only two real MVP candidates for me this year, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Kevin Durant – 31.8 points, 5.5 assists, 7.6 rebounds. Durant continues to put up big numbers, continuing his streak of scoring more than 25 points in the last 32 games, closing in on Michael Jordan’s record of 40. Durant is still my front runner for MVP.

LeBron James – 27. points, 6.4 assists, 6.9 rebounds.

LeBron has been a bit all over the place in the last 10 games, averaging 27.7 points over the last 10 looks impressive but when you take out the 61 point game against the Bobcats and the 41 point game against former team the Cavs, his stats don’t look that great. However, LeBron’s overall stats remain solid. He’s consistently averaging more than 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Chris Paul – 18.7 points, 10.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds.

Paul gets the third spot because of the importance he has on to the Clippers and their current record. Paul is currently the only player averaging more than 10 assists while scoring 18 points a game, very impressive.

Nighthawk

Kevin Durant (OKC) 31.8 ppg , 5.5 apg , 7.6 rpg

Durant remains atop the standing this week as he appears to be building a lead on LeBron who seems to be a bit of a slump. Durant has continued his dominant streak as he is scoring at will each and every game. Although the surge from the Spurs has seen the Thunder drop to 2nd in the West, Durant still is doing everything in his power to help his team win. He has just posted back to back 35 point performances in their last 2 wins.

LeBron James (MIA) 27 ppg , 6.4 apg , 6.9 rpg

LeBron missed the Heat’s last game in which they lost to Celtics but the game before he was on fire against his former team the Cavaliers, were he banked 42 points (25 in the 1st quarter). Other than this game however LeBron hasn’t been himself as he had been averaging just over 20 points per and his Heat losing a few games. The Heat have been slipping late , that and LeBron’s recent struggles have him losing ground to Durant in the race and at Durant’s current rate, LeBron needs to do something special to overtake Durant in the rankings

Standouts

FP - Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis had a huge game against the Boston Celtics last week recording the first 40-20 game of any player this season. Davis has played well over his past 10 games averaging 25.3 ppg, 11.2rpg and 2.5 blocks per game over his past 10 appearances. Davis has been one of the few bright spots for the underperforming New Orleans Pelicans this year and has established himself as one of the NBA’s best big men.

New York Knicks

The rollercoaster ride that Knicks fans have faced this year continues with the Knicks currently on a 7 game win streak chasing a spot in the playoffs. The Carmelo Anthony led squad that now features Phil Jackson as the team president (don’t expect him to have too great an effect this season) are well in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs currently sitting 9th and 4 games out of 8th spot. If they can keep this sort of pace, currently 7-3 over their last 10 games, the Knicks are more than capable of not only making the playoffs but having a decent showing.

HA - New York Knicks 28–40.

The Knicks have won their last 7 games which included an impressive win against the Pacers. With the recent arrival of Phil Jackson the Knicks franchise may be on the rise and if they were to make the playoffs it would help keep superstar Carmelo Anthony in New York and maybe attracting other superstars.

San Antonio Spurs 51–16.

The Spurs are currently leading the Western Conference and maybe now beginning to pull away. They have quietly won their last 11 and are looking strong going into the playoffs.

Teams on the rise – (Last 10 games)

FP

San Antonio Spurs (10-0)
LA Clippers (9-1)
New York Knicks (7-3)
Memphis Grizzlies (8-2)
Brooklyn Nets (8-2)

NH - New York Knicks, 9th in Eastern Conference

I was tempted to give this to the Spurs again since they are currently adding to their streak, it is now at 11 and have been dominating in the process. However I have given it to the Knicks who are on a streak of their own, they have won 7 straight and look to have some life finally, finding themselves in a position to fight for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. Melo has been playing great and seems to leading this team which could not come at a better time as their season looked all but over. They are however still 4 games back on the Hawks who are on a 5 game win streak but the Bobcats and Wizards should be on high alert as they each have lost 2 straight and could be a team that misses out on the final spot.

Teams on the slide (Last 10)

FP

- Philadelphia 76ers (0-10, Lost 22 in a row)
Orlando Magic (2-8)
Utah Jazz (1-9)
Miami Heat, Portland Trailblazers (4-6)

HA - Cleveland Cavaliers

They continue to disappoint this year and this has not been helped with the injury of Kyrie Irving. It looks as if their season is over and that the playoff’s will soon be out of reach.

NH - Philadelphia 76ers

They find themselves here again, their losing streak is now at 22 and they just don’t look like winning anytime soon. This team has been playing terrible and seems to either be a team that is just flat out terrible or team that is in ultra tank mode, you have to hope they are indeed tanking. They are within reach of breaking a NBA record and not a record worth bragging about, if their streak exceeds 26 games they will overtake the League record for most consecutive losses in a season. They are still amazingly 2 an a half games ahead of the Bucks for the worst record so if they are tanking it looks they’ll be holding an NBA record at season’s end.

Performance of the week

Anthony Davis – 40 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 14-22 FG, 12-12 FT

Play of the week

One of the league’s greatest dunkers is having a career year, and his reverse this week is another one for the collection.

Undercover Brother

FP - Dwayne Wade

Dwayne Wade is a sure fire future hall of fame player, and has played a solid second fiddle to LeBron James for the past few seasons. Now 32 years old, the best in certainly behind him but like many before him has found a way to contribute as his body declines. This season Wade has found new legs through working closely with NBA super trainer Tim Grover. Grover has worked with the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant amongst several other NBA players. Wade’s currently averaging 19.4ppg, 4.7rpg, 4.9apg while shooting a ridiculous 54.7% from the field. That’s currently the highest field goal percentage for any guard in the NBA. Wade might be the second or even third most important player on the Miami roster, but he still ranks among the top players in the NBA and is a large part of the Heat’s success.

HA - Joakim Noah - 12.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists.

Noah has been the star in Chicago since the Rose injury and he continues to impress. Noah has pulled his team back on track and has taken over dominating the boards, points and at times assists. His numbers may not suggest it but his work ethic and what he has done to this Bulls team has been very impressive

NH - Anthony Davis 21.4 ppg , 10.4 rpg , 2.9 blk

Anthony Davis missed his team’s last game due to illness but before that he was on a absolute tear, he was averaging 27.4 ppg and 11.4 rpg and his last game was a career night across the board for him when he posted a amazing 40 points and 21 rebounds. Davis has been dominant this year and recent performances show he is only getting better, he is an elite player in the league and at only 21 years old in his second NBA season the sky is the limit for this young man, now let’s just hope the newly named Pelicans can keep up with him.

Storyline watch/Random thoughts

FP - March Madness

It may not be the NBA, but March is a huge month of basketball. For those who don’t know March Madness refers to the NCAA National basketball knockout tournament which starts with arguably the top 64 college teams in the US. The knock-out style tournament adds to the excitement and creates an atmosphere like no other. Essentially the tournament serves as the playoffs of college basketball. It also serves as the last chance for the next crop of NBA entrants to showcase their abilities and drive up their draft stock. Look out for potential number one picks such as Jabari Parker (Duke), Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid (Kansas), Julius Randle (Kentucky) and Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State.