NBA MVP Rankings - 3 Dec

There was quite a shakeup in the MVP rankings this week, with the Lakers losing 4 straight and a lot of stars missing games due to illness or injury. Here is how I currently rank the MVP candidates for this season. Previous ranking is in parentheses. Gaps represent performance gaps between groups.

1. Russell Westbrook - OKC (8) 24.6 pts, 8.6 ast, 2.2 stl
2. Pau Gasol - LAL (1) 20.4 pts, 11.9 reb, 2.0 blk

3. Kobe Bryant - LAL (2) 26.7 pts, 4.6 ast, 5.7 reb
4. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL (3) 24.8 pts, 7.9 reb, .538 FG%
5. LeBron James - MIA (6) 24.2 pts, 5.7 reb, 7.5 ast

6. Kevin Durant - OKC (4) 27.3 pts, 6.9 reb, .915 FT%
7. Carmelo Anthony - DEN (5) 23.2 pts, 8.3 reb, 3.4 ast
8. Derrick Rose - CHI (7) 25.8 pts, 7.9 ast, 4.3 reb
9. Manu Ginobili - SAS (NR) 21.5 pts, 5.0 ast, .895 FT%
10. Deron Williams - UTA (NR) 22.1 pts, 10.2 ast, 4.2 reb

Falling out: Chris Paul, Dwight Howard
Outside looking in: Dwight Howard

Russell Westbrook was virtually unstoppable this week, scoring 43 points against Indiana and putting up 38 points and 15 rebounds against the Nets, while leading the Thunder to a 3-1 record on the week with Kevin Durant again slowed by a knee injury.

Pau Gasol dropped from the top spot this week after the Lakers lost 4 straight and Pau struggled all week with a hamstring injury. His production level dropped consistently all week, culminating in a very non-MVP-like 8 points and 9 rebounds in a loss to Houston.

Kobe Bryant had a very strong week, scoring at least 27 in every game, including 41 against Indiana, but the Lakers lost all 4. The Lakers just seem to be better when Pau is the team's best player, not Kobe.

Dirk Nowitzki had a solid week, but nothing spectacular like last week. He scored at least 20 against the Spurs, Heat, and Rockets, but only played one half against Minnesota, when they didn't really need him to win.

LeBron James climbs up a spot after a very solid week in which he led the Heat to a 4-1 record which he capped off with 38 points in a blowout of his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even more impressive is the fact that he didn't play in the 4th quarter due to the huge lead he had helped build.

Kevin Durant had a solid game against the Hornets, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds, but he missed the team's game against New Jersey with a knee injury, and it was obvious that the injury had been slowing him throughout the week.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 in Denver's win over Chicago, but sat out most of the past two games with the flu, and the Nuggets were still able to win without him on the court. Look for him to rebound once this sickness passes.

Derrick Rose put up 30 points in a win over the lowly Kings, but only scored 15 in a loss to Orlando, and sat out Chicago's loss to Denver with a sore neck. His production may also continue to decline now that Carlos Boozer is back from his broken hand.

Manu Ginobili enters the rankings for the first time this week, even though he didn't have a particularly great week. He did score 31 points against Dallas, but the Spurs lost that game, and he only put up 15 in their embarrassing loss to the Clippers, but he is the best player on the best team, which is enough to put him up here for now.

Deron Williams narrowly edged Dwight Howard out of the final spot this week after a week where he scored at least 22 points and handed out at least 9 assists in every game, all four of which were wins for the Jazz.

Prediction Results - 2 Dec

NBA: 2/2 (1.000) 62/91 overall (.681)
NFL: 1/1 (1.000) 19/33 overall (.576)
College Basketball: 4/4 (1.000) 17/19 overall (.895)
College Football: 0/1 (.000) 29/40 overall (.725)

The only thing that kept me from a perfect night of predictions last night was two blocked extra points by the Arizona State defense, one which forced overtime, and the other to win the game in the second overtime.

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA Predictions - 3 Dec

Blazers at Wizards - Blazers by 5
Thunder at Raptors - Raptors by 1
Nets at Bobcats - Bobcats by 5
76ers at Hawks - Hawks by 6
Magic at Pistons - Magic by 11
Bulls at Celtics - Celtics by 9
Knicks at Hornets - Hornets by 10
Rockets at Grizzlies - Grizzlies by 2
Wolves at Spurs - Spurs by 18
Pacers at Suns - Suns by 1
Clippers at Nuggets - Nuggets by 12
Kings at Lakers - Lakers by 17
Mavericks at Jazz - Jazz by 3

College Basketball Predictions - 3 Dec

(5) Kansas State at Washington State - Washington State by 7
UMBC at (9) Connecticut - Connecticut by 36
Saint Joseph at (12) Villanova - Villanova by 21