NBA Playoff MVP Rankings - 29 Apr

Last week's playoff MVP leader, Dwight Howard, is no more. After tearing up the Hawks initially, he had a very disturbing week. He had two more extremely strong games, putting up 29-17 and 25-15, but Orlando lost both of those games. They did manage one win this week before being eliminated, but Howard only registered 8 points and 8 rebounds in the win. If a player is more valuable to his team while sitting on the bench, he's not really that valuable, is he? Not only did that performance drop him from the rankings altogether, it was bad enough that he didn't even win the first round honorable mention award, which I give to the best player whose team lost. I'll reveal the winner of that award later. First, let's get to this week's rankings. Last week's ranking is in parentheses.

1. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 22.2 pts, 8.4 reb, 5.2 ast, 2.0 blk, 1.4 stl (5)

There is no clear-cut MVP leader at this point of the playoffs, but Wade has to be considered a frontrunner after the series he had. In Miami's last two wins, Wade, a guard, posted point-rebound double-doubles while shooting over 90% from the free throw line. He also has the most experience of all of my current leaders, having won a Finals MVP award 5 years ago and owning the only championship ring of any of these five.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 32.4 pts, 5.6 reb, 3.6 ast (2)

Durant does not do much more than score, but who can deny that 41-point games to open and close the Denver series set the tone for an exciting, young Thunder team? In the clincher, he scored 16 points in the final 7 minutes and blocked a 3-point attempt in the final seconds that would have tied the game.

3. LeBron James - MIA - 24.2 pts, 10.6 reb, 6.2 ast (3)

Through the first 4 games of the playoffs, LeBron appeared to be the best player in the game. He was averaging nearly 29 points and 11 rebounds and had given the Heat a 3-1 lead in the series while Wade had struggled for a couple games, but in the deciding game Wade was the obvious star, while James managed only 16 points. He may be the King, but he's not the best closer on his own team.

4. Derrick Rose - CHI - 27.6 pts, 4.6 reb, 6.2 ast, 1.2 blk, 2.6 stl (4)

In the first two games of the playoffs, Rose showed why he is the leading candidate to win the regular season MVP award, putting up 39 points and 36 points in consecutive games, but he failed to match that in the final 3 games, scoring a total of 63 at the end of the series. His shooting percentages for the series were 37.1% from the field and 21.6% from three, both well below his regular season standards.

5. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL - 27.3 pts, 7.8 reb, 3.0 ast (NR)

Nowitzki finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds in Portland last night, winning the series for the Mavericks in a very tough arena for visitors. It was just the second time Dallas had won a playoff series since the lost to Miami in the 2006 Finals, and they won because Dirk took over the game and the series last night.

Honorable Mention

Chris Paul - NOH - 22.0 pts, 6.7 reb, 11.5 ast, 1.8 stl

Without David West, the Hornets' second-best player and leading scorer, Chris Paul took on an extra load and carried New Orleans into the playoffs and stretched their series to Los Angeles to 6 games, which is more than most expected out of them beforehand. He shot over 54% from the field and 47% from three during the series, but the Lakers finally shut down his scoring in the deciding game 6.

NBA Player of the Day

Joe Johnson - ATL - 23 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 10-25 FG, 1-4 3P, 2-2 FT

Johnson's stat line from last night is very similar to Dwyane Wade's from the night before, a performance which won the Heat star a Player of the Day nod from me, and Johnson's contribution was just as important. He was able to lead Atlanta to the second round of the playoffs for the third straight year, despite being a heavy underdog heading into the series.

Predictions - 29 Apr

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Spurs at Grizzlies - Grizzlies by 1

MLB

Tigers at Indians - Tigers by 1.1

Blue Jays at Yankees - Yankees by 2.6

Giants at Nationals - Nats by 0.9

Mets at Phillies - Phillies by 0.6

Mariners at Red Sox - Sox by 3.8

Angels at Rays - Rays by 1.2

Marlins at Reds - Marlins by 0.2

Cardinals at Braves - Braves by 2.4

Brewers at Astros - Brewers by 0.1

Orioles at White Sox - Orioles by 1.5

Twins at Royals - Royals by 1.8

Pirates at Rockies - Rockies by 0.3

Cubs at Diamondbacks - D-Backs by 1.1

Rangers at Athletics - Rangers by 1.2

Padres at Dodgers - Padres by 0.6

Prediction Results - 28 Apr

NBA Playoffs: 1-2 (.333) 32-11 overall (.744)

MLB: 6-5 (.545) 124-108 overall (.534)

Upsets: 2-4 (.333) 215-143 overall (.601)