As we near the end of the NBA regular season the MVP race is heating up. There are a lot of candidates this year, and I will get to them in a bit, but first we need to take a quick glance at the standings. Chicago, Miami, and Oklahoma City have already locked up playoff spots. San Antonio with a record of 38-14, will be next to secure their place in this year's postseason as they currently sit one game behind the Thunder. Keep in mind this season has been cut down to 66 games due to the lockout. There is only 3 games separating the 4th and 8th seeds out in the Western Conference. It's similar in the East, only 3 1/2 games separate the 4th and 8th seeds. The Pacers currently hold the 3rd spot with a 33-21 record, 2 1/2 games ahead of the 4th place Celtics.
Western Conference Eastern Conference
OKC Thunder 40-14 Chicago Bulls 42-13
S.A. Spurs 38-14 Miami Heat 39-14
L.A. Lakers 35-20 Indiana Pacers 33-21
L.A. Clippers 32-22 Boston Celtics 30-23
Memphis 30-23 Orlando Magic 32-22
Dallas Mavericks 31-24 Atlanta Hawks 32-23
Houston Rockets 29-25 Philadelphia 76ers 29-25
Denver Nuggets 29-25 New York Knicks 27-27
Phoenix Suns 28-26 Milwaukee Bucks 26-28
Utah Jazz 28-27
Portland Trailblazers 26-29
My MVP Candidates:
10. Brandon Jennings
9. Dwayne Wade
8. Russell Westbrook
7. Deron Williams
6. Chris Paul
5. Kobe Bryant
4. Dwight Howard
3. Kevin Love
2. Lebron James
1. Kevin Durant
I put Brandon Jennings in my top 10 because he's got that team on the border of making the playoffs. He's put up the best numbers of his career with 18.7 PPG and a 41.7 FG percentage. Keep in mind he's only 22. Dwayne Wade makes the 9th spot because statistically he's having another great season and with his two teammates, he has his Heat already in the playoffs (more on the Heat in a bit). Russell Westbrook grabs my 8th spot for the same reason I have Wade on here. He has great numbers and is top 5 scorer in the league. Deron Williams despite having virtually nobody around him still has a career high 21.6 PPG. Williams however is putting up the worst assist numbers since his rookie season at 8.6 dimes. Chris Paul is a no brainer in the race. He has taken over arguably the worst franchise over the past decade and has made them a playoff contender.
Kobe begins my top 5 for obvious reasons. The Lakers are 3rd in the West but it gets much more in depth with Bryant. This team is transitioning from a legendary coach to a relatively young coach. Mike Brown has no championship experience but with Kobe on the floor the team still looks like a contender. Kobe also leads the league in scoring at 28.1 PPG. Dwight Howard slides in as my #4 MVP candidate. He may not win the MVP but should finish again with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Once again Howard is averaging a double double and looks to take his Magic on a deep playoff run, despite his disagreements with head coach Stan Van Gundy. Kevin Love is my #3 and he has been one of the biggest surprises this year. Like a lot of these candidates Love is one of the younger players in the league at 23 years old. I think he wins one eventually but this year it's a two horse race.
Lebron James is in the process of putting together one of the best seasons in the history of basketball. Statistically Lebron leads the league in Wins Produced, Win Shares, and PER. If you look at the Heat since the All Star break the team is only 12-7. The whole point of the MVP should not just be based solely on statistics but the value he gives his team. Lebron seems to more focused on numbers rather than winning a championship. I want my MVP to give me a title and I don't think Lebron can do that this year.
Kevin Durant deserves the MVP in my opinion because of his value not only to the team but to the city and the league as a whole. He isn't afraid to take the game winning shot (and make it) and he isn't afraid to let his teammates outscore him if it means his Thunder get a win. Durant has been criticized for his defensive play but still he averages over 1 block and 1 steal per game (more than Lebron). Durant averages the same amount of rebounds per game as Lebron even though he plays more like a 2 guard (at least that's how I see it) which is traditionally not a rebounding position (unlike Lebron's Small Forward spot which is). Durant has a higher scoring average than Lebron this year and he's shooting over 50% from the field. Before I get too caught up in statistics let me ask you this, if your in the fourth quarter with the game on the line who do you want to control the ball or take the game winning shot? If you didn't answer Durant you obviously haven't seen Lebron in the fourth quarter, ever.
Alex Wiesner
Western Conference Eastern Conference
OKC Thunder 40-14 Chicago Bulls 42-13
S.A. Spurs 38-14 Miami Heat 39-14
L.A. Lakers 35-20 Indiana Pacers 33-21
L.A. Clippers 32-22 Boston Celtics 30-23
Memphis 30-23 Orlando Magic 32-22
Dallas Mavericks 31-24 Atlanta Hawks 32-23
Houston Rockets 29-25 Philadelphia 76ers 29-25
Denver Nuggets 29-25 New York Knicks 27-27
Phoenix Suns 28-26 Milwaukee Bucks 26-28
Utah Jazz 28-27
Portland Trailblazers 26-29
My MVP Candidates:
10. Brandon Jennings
9. Dwayne Wade
8. Russell Westbrook
7. Deron Williams
6. Chris Paul
5. Kobe Bryant
4. Dwight Howard
3. Kevin Love
2. Lebron James
1. Kevin Durant
I put Brandon Jennings in my top 10 because he's got that team on the border of making the playoffs. He's put up the best numbers of his career with 18.7 PPG and a 41.7 FG percentage. Keep in mind he's only 22. Dwayne Wade makes the 9th spot because statistically he's having another great season and with his two teammates, he has his Heat already in the playoffs (more on the Heat in a bit). Russell Westbrook grabs my 8th spot for the same reason I have Wade on here. He has great numbers and is top 5 scorer in the league. Deron Williams despite having virtually nobody around him still has a career high 21.6 PPG. Williams however is putting up the worst assist numbers since his rookie season at 8.6 dimes. Chris Paul is a no brainer in the race. He has taken over arguably the worst franchise over the past decade and has made them a playoff contender.
Kobe begins my top 5 for obvious reasons. The Lakers are 3rd in the West but it gets much more in depth with Bryant. This team is transitioning from a legendary coach to a relatively young coach. Mike Brown has no championship experience but with Kobe on the floor the team still looks like a contender. Kobe also leads the league in scoring at 28.1 PPG. Dwight Howard slides in as my #4 MVP candidate. He may not win the MVP but should finish again with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Once again Howard is averaging a double double and looks to take his Magic on a deep playoff run, despite his disagreements with head coach Stan Van Gundy. Kevin Love is my #3 and he has been one of the biggest surprises this year. Like a lot of these candidates Love is one of the younger players in the league at 23 years old. I think he wins one eventually but this year it's a two horse race.
Lebron James is in the process of putting together one of the best seasons in the history of basketball. Statistically Lebron leads the league in Wins Produced, Win Shares, and PER. If you look at the Heat since the All Star break the team is only 12-7. The whole point of the MVP should not just be based solely on statistics but the value he gives his team. Lebron seems to more focused on numbers rather than winning a championship. I want my MVP to give me a title and I don't think Lebron can do that this year.
Kevin Durant deserves the MVP in my opinion because of his value not only to the team but to the city and the league as a whole. He isn't afraid to take the game winning shot (and make it) and he isn't afraid to let his teammates outscore him if it means his Thunder get a win. Durant has been criticized for his defensive play but still he averages over 1 block and 1 steal per game (more than Lebron). Durant averages the same amount of rebounds per game as Lebron even though he plays more like a 2 guard (at least that's how I see it) which is traditionally not a rebounding position (unlike Lebron's Small Forward spot which is). Durant has a higher scoring average than Lebron this year and he's shooting over 50% from the field. Before I get too caught up in statistics let me ask you this, if your in the fourth quarter with the game on the line who do you want to control the ball or take the game winning shot? If you didn't answer Durant you obviously haven't seen Lebron in the fourth quarter, ever.
Alex Wiesner
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