The LA Clippers' win streak and subsequent ascension to the top of the Western Conference standings has had a lot of impact on the MVP rankings. It has helped LA's two biggest stars move up into the top tier of candidates, and it also knocked Kevin Durant from the top, since his team is no longer the favorite to win the West. Here are my current MVP rankings, with players grouped by similar level of performance, along with my current All-Star picks.
TW. (LW) Player - Team - Stats
1. (2) LeBron James - MIA - 25.9 pts, 8.6 reb, 6.9 ast, 1.6 stl, .548 FG%, .432 3P%
2. (1) Kevin Durant - OKC - 28.5 pts, 8.4 reb, 4.2 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.5 stl, .518 FG%, .435 3P%, .904 FT%
3. (3) Russell Westbrook - OKC - 21.2 pts, 5.1 reb, 8.7 ast, 2.1 stl
4. (5) Kobe Bryant - LAL - 30.1 pts, 5.3 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.5 stl, .478 FG%, .371 3P%, .849 FT%
5. (9) Blake Griffin - LAC - 18.2 pts, 8.9 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.5 stl, .540 FG%
6. (NR) Chris Paul - LAC - 16.2 pts, 3.5 reb, 9.4 ast, 2.6 stl, .470 FG%, .894 FT%
7. (NR) James Harden - HOU - 26.1 pts, 4.5 reb, 5.4 ast, 1.8 stl, .369 3P%, .862 FT%
8. (4) Carmelo Anthony - NYK - 28.5 pts, 6.2 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.0 stl, .473 FG%, .434 3P%, .826 FT%
9. (8) David Lee - GSW - 20.0 pts, 11.2 reb, 3.6 ast, .532 FG%, .816 FT%
10. (NR) Dwyane Wade - MIA - 20.2 pts, 4.2 reb, 4.6 ast, 1.2 stl, .513 FG%
Dropped Out: (7) Chris Bosh - MIA, (6) Tim Duncan - SAS, (10) Zach Randolph (MEM)
Honorable Mention: Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan
Kobe Bryant moved up a notch to #4 this week, and there were a couple of factors that helped him move up. One was Carmelo's injury, which left the spot open for him, but it had more to do with Kobe. He scored at least 30 points in 10 straight games, boosting his league-leading average above 30 points per game, and his Lakers have won 6 of their last 7 games to climb into 8th place in the West. He won't win the award with the Lakers barely squeaking into the playoffs, but if the Lakers continue to climb, he could become one of the oldest scoring leaders and MVP's in history.
It's kind of hard to remember, but before LA started this 16-game winning streak, they had a 4-game losing streak, and in the last game they lost, Blake Griffin finished with only 4 points on 1-9 shooting from the field. Since then, Griffin has averaged over 19 points per game and has shot over 50% in every one of their 16 straight victories. I think I see their recipe for success.
While Griffin has been a major part of the Clippers' success, you also can't ignore they guy giving him the ball. Chris Paul has been averaging over 9 assists and 2.5 steals during the winning streak, and has also shot over 90% from the free throw line, which is especially important due to Griffin's struggles there. In their 2-point win at Utah last night, their closest game since last time they visited Utah over 3 weeks ago, Paul exploded for a season-high 29 points, including the final 7 points in the huge comeback win.
Since James Harden came back from the only game he's missed this year, the Rockets have gone 7-2, and Harden has scored at least 21 in each of those games, surpassing 30 in 5 of those games. Houston's leading scorer went from hoping to repeat as Sixth Man of the Year to MVP hopeful thanks to the trade that brought him to the Rockets just before the season began, and if Houston keeps rolling, he should get quite a bit of consideration from the voters when the season ends.
All-Star picks
Rising Stars in bold.
Falling Stars in italics.
East
F LeBron James - MIA (9th game, 9th start)
F Carmelo Anthony - NYK (6th game, 5th start)
F Anderson Varejao - CLE (1st game, 1st start)
G Dwyane Wade - MIA (9th game, 8th start)
G Kyrie Irving - CLE (1st game, 1st start)
F Paul Pierce - BOS (11th game)
F Joakim Noah - CHI (1st game)
C Al Horford - ATL (3rd game)
G Jrue Holiday - PHI (1st game)
G Rajon Rondo - BOS (4th game)
G Monta Ellis - MIL (1st game)
F David West - IND (3rd game)
Honorable Mention: Brandon Jennings - MIL, Chris Bosh - MIA
Dropped Out: Chris Bosh - MIA, Evan Turner - PHI
West
F Kevin Durant - OKC (4th game, 3rd start)
F David Lee - GSW (2nd game, 1st start)
F Tim Duncan - SAS (14th game, 13th start)
G Kobe Bryant - LAL (15th game, 14th start)
G James Harden - HOU (1st game, 1st start)
F LaMarcus Aldridge - POR (2nd game)
F Blake Griffin - LAC (3rd game)
F Kevin Love - MIN (3rd game)
G Russell Westbrook - OKC (3rd game)
G Stephen Curry - GSW (1st game)
F Zach Randolph - MEM (2nd game)
G Tony Parker - SAS (5th game)
Honorable Mention: Chris Paul - LAC, Dwight Howard - LAL
Dropped Out: Al Jefferson - UTA
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
New Orleans at Charlotte - Hornets by 3
Indiana at Atlanta - Hawks by 2
Toronto at Orlando - Magic by 2
Cleveland at Brooklyn - Nets by 7
Phoenix at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 7
Washington at Chicago - Bulls by 12
Denver at Memphis - Grizzlies by 2
Oklahoma City at Houston - Rockets by 1
Miami at Milwaukee - Heat by 5
Philadelphia at Portland - Trail Blazers by 4
Boston at Golden State - Warriors by 7
College Basketball
Santa Clara at (1) Duke - Blue Devils by 23
Central Michigan at (2) Michigan - Wolverines by 29
Kentucky at (4) Louisville - Cardinals by 12
American at (6) Kansas - Jayhawks by 36
Alcorn State at (9) Syracuse - Orange by 32
Chicago State at (10) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 35
Auburn at (12) Illinois - Fighting Illini by 18
Air Force at (14) Florida - Gators by 25
Evansville at (16) Creighton - Bluejays by 21
(18) Butler at Vanderbilt - Bulldogs by 4
(20) UNLV at North Carolina - Tar Heels by 1
Western Michigan at (23) North Carolina State - Wolfpack by 19
UMKC at (25) Kansas State - Wildcats by 26
Belmont at UCF - Bruins by 9
Hartford at Colorado - Buffaloes by 26
Adams State at Colorado State - Rams
Fairleigh Dickinson at VCU - Rams by 39
Prediction Results
NBA: 8-4 (.667) 299-136 overall (.687)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 52-36 overall (.591)
College Basketball: 4-0 (1.000) 342-66 overall (.838)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 22-23 overall (.489)
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