NBA MVP Rankings - 29 Dec

The season is one-third over for all teams now, so I'm finally going to reveal my first MVP rankings of the season. My formula uses a combination of personal and team performance, which still allows great players from poor teams to be recognized, but also makes sure that the guys helping their teams win are more likely to be in the top 10. Here are the 10 Most Valuable Players in the NBA so far this year:

1. Kevin Durant - OKC - 28.3 P, 8.2 R, 4.8 A, 1.5 S, .491 FG, .420 3P, .881 FT
2. LeBron James - MIA - 25.4 P, 6.9 R, 6.5 A, 1.4 S, .592 FG, .402 3P, .762 FT
3. Paul George - IND - 23.9 P, 5.8 R, 3.6 A, 2.1 S, .475 FG, .412 3P, .856 FT
4. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 23.4 P, 10.9 R, 2.9 A, 1.1 S, .472 FG, .801 FT
5. Kevin Love - MIN - 26.1 P, 13.8 R, 4.2 A, .464 FG, .386 3P, .833 FT
6. Chris Paul - LAC - 19.9 P, 4.7 R, 11.4 A, 2.5 S, .464 FG, .333 3P, .870 FT
7. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.9 P, 10.6 R, 3.1 A, 1.1 S, .524 FG, .700 FT
8. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 21.3 P, 6.0 R, 7.0 A, 1.8 S, .424 FG, .793 FT
9. Lance Stephenson - IND - 13.8 P, 6.8 R, 5.2 A, .489 FG, .374 3P, .712 FT
10. Al Horford - ATL - 18.6 P, 8.4 R, 2.6 A, 1.5 B, .567 FG, .682 FT

Most experts are picking LeBron James as the MVP thus far, and usually I would agree, but when you compare his numbers with Kevin Durant's head to head, it's obvious which one has been better this season. LeBron is shooting an incredible percentage from the field, and he gets a couple more assists than Durant per game, but KD is doing better at everything else, and his Thunder have a better record than the Heat and lead their conference currently. LeBron may be the greatest player of this generation and usually a shoo-in for MVP, but this season belongs to Durant so far.

Paul George appeared on the scene last season as an All-Star, but he has turned into a full-blown superstar this season, putting up numbers that are pretty close to those of the top two while leading the Pacers to the best record in the East through 29 games. He has improved his scoring average by at least 4 ppg in each season he's played, and it makes you wonder just how much better he will get.

LaMarcus Aldridge has spent a lot of time in recent seasons hanging around #10 on this list, but this season he has stepped up his game, putting up career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals while leading the Blazers, who missed the playoffs last season, to the #2 spot in the West, which is especially tough this year. He may actually have a chance at the award if he can somehow get Portland to finish a few games ahead of the Thunder to win the West.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

NFL

Carolina at Atlanta - Panthers by 11
Baltimore at Cincinnati - Bengals by 11
Houston at Tennessee - Titans by 10
Jacksonville at Indianapolis - Colts by 17
NY Jets at Miami - Dolphins by 10
Detroit at Minnesota - Lions by 3
Washington at NY Giants - Giants by 5
Cleveland at Pittsburgh - Steelers by 7
Green Bay at Chicago - Bears by 2
Denver at Oakland - Broncos by 17
Buffalo at New England - Patriots by 11
Tampa Bay at New Orleans - Saints by 13
Kansas City at San Diego - Chiefs by 2
Saint Louis at Seattle - Seahawks by 13
San Francisco at Arizona - 49ers by 1
Philadelphia at Dallas - Cowboys by 1

NBA

Golden State at Cleveland - Warriors by 11
Atlanta at Orlando - Magic by 1
Houston at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 11
Sacramento at San Antonio - Spurs by 14
Philadelphia at LA Lakers - Lakers by 13

College Basketball

Pennsylvania at Rider - Broncs by 12
Albertus Magnus at Central Connecticut State - Blue Devils by 25
Georgia State at East Carolina - Pirates by 6
Texas Southern at TCU - Horned Frogs by 11
Winthrop at Hampton - Pirates by 5
American at Maryland-Eastern Shore - Eagles by 5
Drake at IUPUI - Bulldogs by 8
Eastern Kentucky at IPFW - Mastodons by 3
Brown at Niagara - Bears by 6
Murray State at Dayton - Flyers by 18
Buffalo at Drexel - Dragons by 17
South Dakota at Youngstown State - Penguins by 13
Charleston at Citadel - Cougars by 3
Davidson at (10) Wichita State - Shockers by 23
Morgan State at (12) Oregon - Ducks by 29
Savannah State at (13) Florida - Gators by 28
William & Mary vs. West Virginia - Mountaineers by 10
Alabama A&M at UAB - Blazers by 20
Duquesne at Texas-Pan American - Dukes by 2
Robert Morris (IL) at SIU Edwardsville - Cougars by 19
Bowling Green at Wright State - Raiders by 4
SE Missouri State at Missouri State - Bears by 3
Southern Illinois at Miami (OH) - Redhawks by 2
North Dakota at Northern Colorado - Bears by 6
Valparaiso at East Tennessee State - Crusaders by 6
Boston at Saint Joseph's - Hawks by 9
Maine vs. Middle Tennessee - Blue Raiders by 21
Chicago State at Creighton - Bluejays by 33
Canisius at Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 18
Howard at USC - Trojans by 21
UC Riverside at Sacramento State - Hornets by 6
Georgia Tech at Charlotte - 49ers by 8
Tulsa at Maryland - Terrapins by 12
Grand Canyon at Chattanooga - Mocs by 3
Cal Poly at Stanford - Cardinal by 10
Alcorn State vs. Western Illinois - Leathernecks by 10
Denver at UTEP - Miners by 8
Hartford at Washington - Huskies by 10
Quinnipiac at Oregon State - Beavers by 5

Pick of the Day #50

Creighton

The Bluejays should be a ranked team, with their only losses coming to San Diego State and George Washington, so they won't struggle while hosting Chicago State this afternoon.

Prediction Results

Bowls: 3-1 (.750) 9-6 overall (.600)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 3-2 overall (.600)
NBA: 10-2 (.833) 287-159 overall (.643)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 40-44 overall (.476)
College Basketball: 59-13 (.819) 1815-469 overall (.795)
Upsets: 7-7 (.500) 211-132 overall (.615)

NBA Rankings - 28 Dec

The San Antonio Spurs finally gave up their hold on the top spot this week after losing big to the Oklahoma City Thunder early in the week, allowing the Thunder to take over at #1, but with Russell Westbrook out again with a knee injury, how long can they hold on, especially with a hot Pacers team right at their heels? Here are my full rankings:

Rank	LW	Team	Record	Rating	Predic	Ch	Seed
1	2	Oklahoma City	24-5	-9.33663	64-18	+1	1W
2	3	Indiana	23-5	-9.01021	65-17	+1	1E
3	1	San Antonio	23-7	-8.66204	60-21	-3	2W
4	5	LA Clippers	20-11	-7.05708	56-26	+1	4W
5	4	Portland	24-5	-6.86644	59-23		3W
6	9	Golden State	18-13	-6.10191	52-30	+4	5W
7	6	Miami	22-7	-5.93674	57-25	-1	2E
8	8	Houston	20-11	-5.50695	52-30	+2	6W
9	7	Minnesota	14-15	-5.28868	48-33		7W
10	10	Phoenix	17-11	-3.65988	48-34		8W
11	12	Dallas	16-13	-2.16414	44-38
12	13	Atlanta	16-13	-1.4437	44-38	-1	3E
13	14	Toronto	12-15	-1.35209	44-38	+3	4E
14	15	New Orleans	13-14	-1.25256	40-42	+3
15	11	Denver	14-14	-1.2264	41-41	-3
16	16	Memphis	12-16	-0.22733	37-45	+2
17	21	Chicago	11-16	1.043709	37-45	+3	6E
18	18	Detroit	14-17	1.354704	38-44		5E
19	17	LA Lakers	13-17	1.745387	34-48	-3
20	20	Washington	12-14	1.831931	37-45		7E
21	19	Boston	12-17	2.164088	35-47	-2	8E
22	23	Sacramento	9-19	2.326243	29-53	+1
23	22	Charlotte	14-16	2.729603	34-48	-2
24	25	Orlando	9-20	3.597073	29-53	-1
25	24	New York	9-20	4.227731	28-54	-3
26	26	Brooklyn	10-19	5.264229	27-55	-1
27	28	Utah	9-23	5.403613	24-58	+1
28	27	Cleveland	10-18	6.254739	27-55	-2
29	29	Milwaukee	6-23	8.747205	18-64
30	30	Philadelphia	8-20	9.226892	21-61

The Warriors were the hottest team this week, going 4-0 and beating both the Clippers and the Suns, the two teams still ahead of them in the Pacific Division. Stephen Curry didn't shoot well last night, but he did everything else, racking up a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 16 assists in only 34 minutes on the floor as they blew out Phoenix.

Toronto was also hot this week, and while 2-1 doesn't seem special, the first win came at Oklahoma City, followed by a loss the next night at San Antonio. The fact that they came out of this week with more than one win is incredible, and the Raptors just may be able to finish above .500 this year, preventing the Atlantic Division from sending a team with a losing record to the playoffs as its champion.

Denver remained cold this week, losing three more to run their streak to five straight defeats and 6 in their last 7 games. Their home loss to Golden State was somewhat close, but they didn't even compete in their road games, even last night against New Orleans. It looks like Denver's lack of star power is finally catching up to them.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

College Football

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 20
Cincinnati vs. North Carolina  - Tar Heels by 7
Miami (FL) vs. (18) Louisville - Hurricanes by 1
Michigan vs. Kansas State - Wildcats by 1

NBA

Cleveland at Boston - Celtics by 7
Brooklyn at Indiana - Pacers by 20
New York at Toronto - Raptors by 9
Detroit at Washington - Wizards by 3
Charlotte at Atlanta - Hawks by 9
Dallas at Chicago - Bulls by 1
New Orleans at Houston - Rockets by 10
Denver at Memphis - Grizzlies by 4
Minnesota at Milwaukee - Timberwolves by 11
Philadelphia at Phoenix - Suns by 14
Miami at Portland - Trail Blazers by 6
Utah at LA Clippers - Clippers by 18

College Basketball

Jackson State at (17) Memphis - Memphis Tigers by 22
Nebraska at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 14
FIU at Georgetown - Hoyas by 22
UNC Greensboro at Virginia Tech - Hokies by 19
Eastern Washington at (15) Connecticut - Huskies by 17
Nebraska-Omaha at Central Arkansas - Mavericks by 16
NJIT at Butler - Bulldogs by 27
Belmont at Indiana State - Sycamores by 4
(8) Villanova at (2) Syracuse - Wildcats by 3
Prairie View A&M at (4) Wisconsin - Badgers by 36
Eastern Michigan at (9) Duke - Blue Devils by 17
Bryant at Binghamton - Bulldogs by 13
Southern Miss at Rhode Island - Golden Eagles by 6
Fairfield at Bucknell - Bison by 18
Bellhaven at Troy - Trojans by 26
Cornell at St. Peters - Peacocks by 19
UC Irvine at Arizona State - Sun Devils by 13
Samford at Marquette - Golden Eagles by 33
Coppin State at Toledo - Rockets by 23
Illinois-Chicago vs. Illinois - Fightin Illini by 16
St. Francis (IL) at Green Bay - Phoenix by 37
Georgia Southern at North Carolina A&T - Aggies by 3
Grambling State at Evansville - Aces by 29
Columbia vs. St. John's - Red Storm by 2
Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois - Panthers by 1
(6) Louisville at (18) Kentucky - Wildcats by 3
Lamar at Colorado State - Rams by 19
George Washington at Hofstra - Colonials by 11
Harvard at Fordham - Crimson by 8
Akron at South Carolina - Gamecocks by 3
St. Katherine at Utah - Utes by 47
BYU at Loyola Marymount - Cougars by 9
New Orleans at (5) Michigan State - Spartans by 20
UNC Wilmington at UNC Asheville - Bulldogs by 6
Tulane vs. Kansas State - Wildcats by 12
LIU Brooklyn at Sam Houston - Bearkats by 20
Wake Forest at Xavier - Musketeers by 13
Pacifica at San Jose State - Spartans by 29
Auburn-Montgomery at Alabama State - Hornets by 22
Southeastern at Liberty - Flames by 28
St. Andrews at Charleston Southern - Buccaneers by 39
Providence at (23) Massachusetts - Minutemen by 17
Furman at California - Golden Bears by 28
Old Dominion at Richmond - Spiders by 12
Holy Cross at Michigan - Wolverines by 20
Alcorn State vs. Denver - Pioneers by 12
UC Merced at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 35
Cleveland State at Kent State - Golden Flashes by 3
Boston College vs. VCU - Rams by 15
Santa Clara at (24) Gonzaga - Bulldogs by 18
(25) Missouri at North Carolina State - Wolfpack by 1
South Florida at Bradley - Braves by 1
High Point at Arkansas - Razorbacks by 27
Iona at Northern Iowa - Panthers by 4
Brescia at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 32
McNeese State at LSU - Tigers by 34
Mississippi Valley State at Washington State - Cougars by 22
San Diego at Pepperdine - Waves by 1
South Dakota State at UMKC - Jackrabbits by 1
Texas A&M-CC at Minnesota - Golden Gophers by 27
Northern New Mexico at Weber State - Wildcats by 40
Western Illinois at UTEP - Miners by 12
South Alabama at New Mexico State - Aggies by 14
Cal State Bakersfield at Idaho State - Bengals by 4
Tennessee Tech at Utah Valley - Wolverines by 8
San Diego Christian at Utah State - Aggies by 40
Georgia at (21) Colorado - Buffaloes by 18
Montana at Idaho - Vandals by 6
Cal State Fullerton at UNLV - Rebels by 16
Alabama at UCLA - Bruins by 14
San Francisco at Portland - Pilots by 13
Long Beach State at Nevada - Wolf Pack by 14

Pick of the Day #49

Wisconsin

The Badgers host Prairie View A&M this afternoon, and the #4 Badgers should have no trouble with the Panthers, who haven't won any game in nearly a month.

Prediction Results

Bowls: 2-1 (.667) 6-5 overall (.545)
NBA: 6-3 (.667) 277-157 overall (.638)
Upsets: 3-0 (1.000) 39-43 overall (.476)
College Basketball: 8-1 (.889) 1756-456 overall (.794)