With only one week left in the regular season, the top two records in the league have basically been clinched, one by a team with lots of stars but no superstar, and the other by a team led by a true young superstar. Barring a huge collapse from Chicago to end the season, it is looking like Derrick Rose will be the MVP in 2011, but there are still a few players positioning themselves for second place. Here are the second-to-last rankings of the season, with last week's rankings in parentheses.
Most Valuable Player
1. Derrick Rose - CHI - 25.1 pts, 4.2 reb, 7.9 ast (3)
Rose hit for 30 points twice this week, the most important coming in last night's win over Boston that basically locked up the top seed in the East, and the Bulls have won 5 straight games. They now sit 1/2 game behind the Spurs for the best record in the league, and if Rose can lead Chicago past them, he will not lose the MVP race.
2. LeBron James - MIA - 26.7 pts, 7.5 reb, 7.0 ast (1)
LeBron played pretty well last night, tallying 29 points and 8 assists on the night, but his Heat lost for the second time in 9 days to a team that will miss the playoffs, and along with it lost their shot at the top seed in the East, which means a probable second round date with Boston.
3. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 25.7 pts, 6.5 reb, 4.5 ast (2)
Wade sat out Miami's loss to Milwaukee last night, and his slim MVP chances have all but evaporated now that the Heat won't finish at the top of the East. Without being the best player on his own team, he won't get many votes as the most valuable player in the league.
4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 25.1 pts, 5.1 reb, 4.7 ast (4)
Kobe would have moved up into third place this week if the Lakers hadn't gone from incredibly hot to a 3-game losing streak almost overnight. The loss to Utah can be pinned directly on Kobe, after he let the ball slip out of his hands in the final seconds of a 1-point loss.
5. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.8 pts, 6.9 reb, 2.8 ast (6)
Durant had 32 points and 9 rebounds in Oklahoma City's win over Denver this week, which was doubly important for the Thunder, who will likely face the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. To add to that, the Nuggets had been one of the hottest teams in the league heading into that game, and the Thunder shut them down behind Durant's leadership.
6. Pau Gasol - LAL - 18.9 pts, 10.1 reb, 3.3 ast (5)
Pau did not reach 20 points in any of the Lakers' 4 games this week, and the Lakers lost 3 of 4. The Lakers are a team that needs both of their stars hitting on all cylinders to be successful, and Kobe has been doing his job, for the most part.
7. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 21.8 pts, 4.6 reb, 8.2 ast (7)
It wasn't a great week for Westbrook, but he didn't do enough damage to his overall season to justify dropping him any farther in the rankings. There is a good chance that he could be passed up next week, but that depends on how Dwight Howard finishes.
8. Dwight Howard - ORL - 23.1 pts, 14.1 reb, 2.4 blk (9)
Howard scored 31 points against Toronto on Sunday, then had 18 points and 17 rebounds against Milwaukee on Tuesday, but in Wednesday's game against Charlotte he was charged with his 18th technical of the season, meaning that he will have to sit out Orlando's showdown with Chicago on Sunday.
9. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL - 23.0 pts, 7.0 reb, 2.5 ast (8)
Dallas has lost four straight games, and Dirk's highest scoring output of the week was 20 points in their loss to Denver on Wednesday. If they're not careful, they'll slip down to the 4th seed and have to face the red-hot Nuggets in the first round.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 21.8 pts, 8.7 reb, 2.1 ast (10)
Aldridge did nothing special this week, other than keeping his Trail Blazers in the 6th spot in the West. With a playoff berth already wrapped up, Aldridge needs to make sure he can stay healthy for the playoffs, because the last thing Portland needs is another injury.
Rookie of the Year
1. Blake Griffin - LAC - 22.5 pts, 12.2 reb, 3.7 ast (1)
Griffin put on a show in his hometown on Wednesday, scoring 35 points to go with 11 rebounds and 8 dunks as the Clippers nearly pulled off the huge upset of the Thunder, who clinched their division title that night.
2. John Wall - WAS - 16.3 pts, 4.6 reb, 8.5 ast (2)
Wall came back after missing a game and a half with a very strong week, scoring 26 points to go with his 12 assists against Detroit, and helping the Wizards to their first 3-game winning streak of the season.
3. DeMarcus Cousins - SAC - 14.1 pts, 8.7 reb, 2.5 ast (3)
Cousins posted two straight double-doubles in Texas this week, a pretty good feat for any rookie, especially one who had not posted back-to-back double-doubles in three weeks.
4. Greg Monroe - DET - 9.3 pts, 7.4 reb, 1.3 ast (5)
Cousins wasn't the only rookie not named Blake Griffin to post consecutive double-doubles this week. Greg Monroe did it too, and both of his came with 20-point scoring outputs as well.
5. Landry Fields - NYK - 9.8 pts, 6.3 reb, 1.9 ast (4)
Fields has become the forgotten man in New York lately, averaging under 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game in New York's five-game winning streak. Maybe it would have been better if he had been sent to Denver in the Carmelo trade.
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Lamar Odom - LAL - 14.3 pts, 8.7 reb, 3.0 ast (1)
I believe that Odom should have this award wrapped up, but I'm not sure that the voters quite see it that way yet. After he completely showed up the player (Jason Terry) that most believe to be his closest competitor a week ago, how can you argue with giving it to him?
2. Ramon Sessions - CLE - 13.0 pts, 3.2 reb, 5.2 ast (NR)
Sessions has returned to his role as a backup, which has made him eligible for this award once again, and the Cavaliers are playing better with him in that role, winning two in a row for the first time since early November.
3. Jason Terry - DAL - 15.9 pts, 1.9 reb, 4.2 ast (2)
Terry has only scored in double figures twice in the past five games, and the Mavericks have only won once in that time. With both him and Nowitzki struggling, Dallas is limping into the playoffs in a season where they were once threatening for the best record.
4. Shawn Marion - DAL - 12.3 pts, 6.8 reb, 1.3 ast (3)
At least one Maverick has been on his game this week. Shawn Marion averaged over 20 points per game this week while grabbing nearly 8 rebounds to go with it. Marion made 67% of his shots this week and looked like the Matrix of old for a while.
5. J.R. Smith - DEN - 12.1 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.2 ast (5)
Smith's 23 points in Dallas on Wednesday were enough to just barely keep him holding on to this spot ahead of Thaddeus Young, who was at #4 last week. The Nuggets seem to be just fine with Smith streakiness, just considering it a bonus when he's on.
Most Improved Player
1. Dorell Wright - GSW - +9.1 pts, +2.0 reb, +1.6 ast (1)
Wright shot under 25% for the week and dealt a bit of a blow to his MIP candidacy, but when looking at his improvement overall from last season, it's obvious that he should be among the top few candidates.
2. D.J. Augustin - CHA - +8.0 pts, +1.6 reb, +3.5 ast (2)
The Bobcats have finally been eliminated from playoff contention, but Augustin did all he could this week to keep them in range of the Pacers. Two straight games of 20+ points weren't quite enough, but Augustin should be a solid point guard for Charlotte going forward.
3. Kevin Love - MIN - +6.2 pts, +4.2 reb, +0.2 ast (3)
Love is most likely out for the season, but what a season it was for the new rebound king. He broke Moses Malone's modern record for consecutive double-doubles and played in his first All-Star Game, all despite playing for a team that is now in last place overall.
4. Nick Young - WAS - +8.8 pts, +1.3 reb, +0.6 ast (4)
Young is another player who had a huge improvement while playing for one of the league's worst teams. Young did not make an appearance in the All-Star Game, but it may not be too far off in his future if he continues his upward trend next season.
5. Jrue Holiday - PHI - +5.9 pts, +1.4 reb, +2.6 ast (5)
Philadelphia has slipped to the 7th spot in the East with 3 straight losses, but Holiday has scored in double figures in 9 straight games now, his third-longest streak of the season. He will be the only player from this list who gets to keep playing after next week.
NBA Player of the Day
Derrick Rose - CHI - 30 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl, 9-16 FG, 2-5 3P, 10-10 FT
Rose showed why he is the leading MVP candidate last night as he tore apart the Boston Celtics, Chicago's nearest competitor in the East, en route to a win that nearly clinched the top spot for the Bulls. Chicago will be the top seed in the East next time they win or Boston loses.
Predictions - 8 Apr
Upsets picks are in italics.
Possible upsets are underlined.
NBA
Hawks at Pacers - Pacers by 2
Knicks at Nets - Knicks by 4
Raptors at 76ers - 76ers by 10
Wizards at Celtics - Celtics by 16
Bulls at Cavaliers - Bulls by 13
Bucks at Pistons - Bucks by 1
Bobcats at Heat - Heat by 13
Suns at Hornets - Hornets by 5
Nuggets at Thunder - Thunder by 1
Kings at Grizzlies - Grizz by 10
Clippers at Mavericks - Mavs by 9
Lakers at Trail Blazers - Lakers by 1
Prediction Results - 7 Apr
NBA: 2-0 (1.000) 698-295 overall (.703)
