duncan228
12-04-2009, 11:50 AM
Race to the MVP (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/12/04/racetomvp.week5/index.html):
1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (14-3)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
17 36.6 28.8 5.3 4.0 2.3 0.2 .489 .292 .857
Last Week: 2 | Drafted:
There is a very good chance that the remainder of the season settles in this way, Kobe and LeBron flip-flopping between the top spot and No. 2 based on how their teams do collectively or how they do individually. In this case, Bryant earns his first seat in the throne for two reasons: His teams finds itself on a seven-game win streak and, well, he's really good. The win streak has as much to do with the return of Pau Gasol because Kobe continues to play at a high level. But Bryant is incorporating both Gasol and Andrew Bynum into the Lakers' offense, taking fewer shots but elevating his assist total in the last week.
2. LeBron James, Cavaliers (13-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
18 37.7 28.2 6.8 8.1 1.3 0.7 .518 .333 .783
Last Week: 1 | Drafted:
The Race found it convenient that less than 12 hours after predicting that Shaquille O'Neal could be the one factor that stands in the way of James accumulating every honor out there for the foreseeable future, the Cavs dropped the first game in O'Neal's return from injury. However, they more than redeemed themselves when they forged victories over Dallas and then Phoenix, O'Neal's former team against which you knew he wanted revenge for sullying his reputation. James had 25 and 12 in the Dallas victory, then nearly had a triple-double of 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds vs. the Suns.
3. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs (14-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 38.1 27.0 8.4 3.1 1.1 1.5 .473 .350 .888
Last Week: 4 | Drafted:
If anybody can understand a bit of what Tiger Woods is going through, it's Nowitzki, who had an entire raft of domestic turmoil become public last year. The German seems to have put those issues behind him—which were easier to do since he never married the girl—and a weight seems to have been lifted from Nowitzki. He continues to play at an extremely high level, currently averaging career highs in points (27), assists (3.1) and blocks (1.3). Makes one wonder just how good Tiger can be once he gets past this mess.
4. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (14-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 36.0 30.2 5.9 3.4 1.4 0.3 .489 .353 .869
Last Week: 5 | Drafted:
Anthony continues to be the only player in the league who has scored at least 20 points in each of the game in which he's participated this year. His worst game, in fact, may have come this week, a 22-point, three-rebound, one-assist effort in which he shot just 6-for-17. However, it came during a blowout victory over Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat, which came two days after a 28-point blowout of Golden State. Anthony has helped the Nugs win six of their past seven games and he continues to expand his arsenal. An interesting matchup comes this week, when the Nuggets and Anthony happen to face Philadelphia and newly acquired guard Allen Iverson, Anthony's former teammate.
5. Dwight Howard, Magic (15-4)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 32.6 18.2 12.3 1.5 1.0 1.8 .652 —- .568
Last Week: N/A | Drafted:
Howard has been oddly quiet this year, perhaps in part because he is trying to figure out how to mesh with three other quality players on the floor at the same time. He went two consecutive games without a block a few weeks back, unheard of for the defensive player of the year. But he has been a monster of late, recording 10 consecutive double-doubles, including a 25-point, 20-rebound, four-block effort in a win over Milwaukee last week, a game in which he actually took (and missed) a 3-pointer. The Magic have won nine of 10 to sit atop the East, and Howard's recent contributions should not go unnoticed.
6. Steve Nash, Suns (14-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 32.3 16.5 2.8 11.5 0.4 0.2 .523 .441 .944
Last Week: 3 | Drafted:
The Suns and Nash have hit hard times, Phoenix getting thumped on back-to-back nights by New York—yes, the Knicks—and Cleveland in a matchup against Shaquille O'Neal. The Suns lost by an average of 22 points, and for only the third time this season Nash had back-to-back games of less than double-digit assists. He had a combined 10 turnovers to just 13 assists in those games, an unheard of ratio for him. The Suns get a likely reprieve against Sacramento on Saturday, but the next day they get the Lakers, against whom Nash had one of his worst games of the year.
7. Kevin Durant, Thunder (10-8)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
18 39.3 27.7 7.1 3.3 1.7 0.9 .457 .288 .867
Last Week: 10 | Drafted:
Unlike Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings, who made a brief appearance in The Race, only to then shoot 30 percent and average 11 points less in his next five games, Durant has actually played better. Here is a statistical oddity with him, however: He is averaging a career-high 27.7 points a game, yet his 3-point percentage has gone from 42.2 percent last year to 28.8 percent this year, a significant drop-off—which means he is required to score far more points inside the arc and at the free throw line. Coincidentally, it is the exact same 3-point percentage he had his rookie season, a difficult anomaly to achieve given the number of shots that are hoisted.
8. Dwyane Wade, Heat (10-8)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
18 38.3 26.7 5.1 5.7 1.9 1.1 .427 .250 .763
Last Week: 6 | Drafted:
Wade obviously remains one of the league's top talents, but, like the Suns, the Heat is struggling. (What is it with the Thermal teams in the month of December? Somewhere in that question is a statistical analysis.) Miami has lost three of its last four and its record has dropped to 10-8. Wade has actually been pretty pedestrian in the recent stretch, and he has shot less than 50 percent from the field in nine of his last 11 games. The Race still doesn't think Wade has a great deal of talent around him; perhaps he ? or his opponents—is starting to realize that.
9. Tim Duncan, Spurs (9-7)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
14 31.9 18.4 11.1 3.6 0.4 2.0 .534 —- .739
Last Week: N/A | Drafted:
It is obvious that Duncan—and this incarnation of the Spurs for that matter—is in the twilight of his career. But after struggling early on, Duncan has manufactured some very impressive games of late, eclipsing 20 points in seven of his last nine games and allowing the Spurs to win five of their past six. He is shooting a career-high 54.9 percent from the field and his rebounds and assists both are up over a year ago. Keep an eye on Duncan as a sleeper—but that is assuming his teammates remain healthy, a big part of his success at this point.
10. Brandon Roy, Blazers (12-8)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
20 37.0 20.0 4.5 5.2 0.6 0.2 .443 .342 .800
Last Week: 8 | Drafted:
This spot could go to a number of people really, and Toronto's Chris Bosh deserves a mention somewhere along the way. But as well as Bosh is playing, The Race finds it difficult to consider among the MVPs a player on a team with a 7-13 record, which should be far better than that. Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson have been downright average, which means that Roy gets this spot almost by default. Roy actually had a very good statistically, averaging 23 points and six assists, but his Blazers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Monta Ellis's recent exploits also deserve a mention in here.[/QUOTE]
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141150
1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (14-3)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
17 36.6 28.8 5.3 4.0 2.3 0.2 .489 .292 .857
Last Week: 2 | Drafted:
There is a very good chance that the remainder of the season settles in this way, Kobe and LeBron flip-flopping between the top spot and No. 2 based on how their teams do collectively or how they do individually. In this case, Bryant earns his first seat in the throne for two reasons: His teams finds itself on a seven-game win streak and, well, he's really good. The win streak has as much to do with the return of Pau Gasol because Kobe continues to play at a high level. But Bryant is incorporating both Gasol and Andrew Bynum into the Lakers' offense, taking fewer shots but elevating his assist total in the last week.
2. LeBron James, Cavaliers (13-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
18 37.7 28.2 6.8 8.1 1.3 0.7 .518 .333 .783
Last Week: 1 | Drafted:
The Race found it convenient that less than 12 hours after predicting that Shaquille O'Neal could be the one factor that stands in the way of James accumulating every honor out there for the foreseeable future, the Cavs dropped the first game in O'Neal's return from injury. However, they more than redeemed themselves when they forged victories over Dallas and then Phoenix, O'Neal's former team against which you knew he wanted revenge for sullying his reputation. James had 25 and 12 in the Dallas victory, then nearly had a triple-double of 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds vs. the Suns.
3. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs (14-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 38.1 27.0 8.4 3.1 1.1 1.5 .473 .350 .888
Last Week: 4 | Drafted:
If anybody can understand a bit of what Tiger Woods is going through, it's Nowitzki, who had an entire raft of domestic turmoil become public last year. The German seems to have put those issues behind him—which were easier to do since he never married the girl—and a weight seems to have been lifted from Nowitzki. He continues to play at an extremely high level, currently averaging career highs in points (27), assists (3.1) and blocks (1.3). Makes one wonder just how good Tiger can be once he gets past this mess.
4. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (14-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 36.0 30.2 5.9 3.4 1.4 0.3 .489 .353 .869
Last Week: 5 | Drafted:
Anthony continues to be the only player in the league who has scored at least 20 points in each of the game in which he's participated this year. His worst game, in fact, may have come this week, a 22-point, three-rebound, one-assist effort in which he shot just 6-for-17. However, it came during a blowout victory over Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat, which came two days after a 28-point blowout of Golden State. Anthony has helped the Nugs win six of their past seven games and he continues to expand his arsenal. An interesting matchup comes this week, when the Nuggets and Anthony happen to face Philadelphia and newly acquired guard Allen Iverson, Anthony's former teammate.
5. Dwight Howard, Magic (15-4)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 32.6 18.2 12.3 1.5 1.0 1.8 .652 —- .568
Last Week: N/A | Drafted:
Howard has been oddly quiet this year, perhaps in part because he is trying to figure out how to mesh with three other quality players on the floor at the same time. He went two consecutive games without a block a few weeks back, unheard of for the defensive player of the year. But he has been a monster of late, recording 10 consecutive double-doubles, including a 25-point, 20-rebound, four-block effort in a win over Milwaukee last week, a game in which he actually took (and missed) a 3-pointer. The Magic have won nine of 10 to sit atop the East, and Howard's recent contributions should not go unnoticed.
6. Steve Nash, Suns (14-5)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19 32.3 16.5 2.8 11.5 0.4 0.2 .523 .441 .944
Last Week: 3 | Drafted:
The Suns and Nash have hit hard times, Phoenix getting thumped on back-to-back nights by New York—yes, the Knicks—and Cleveland in a matchup against Shaquille O'Neal. The Suns lost by an average of 22 points, and for only the third time this season Nash had back-to-back games of less than double-digit assists. He had a combined 10 turnovers to just 13 assists in those games, an unheard of ratio for him. The Suns get a likely reprieve against Sacramento on Saturday, but the next day they get the Lakers, against whom Nash had one of his worst games of the year.
7. Kevin Durant, Thunder (10-8)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
18 39.3 27.7 7.1 3.3 1.7 0.9 .457 .288 .867
Last Week: 10 | Drafted:
Unlike Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings, who made a brief appearance in The Race, only to then shoot 30 percent and average 11 points less in his next five games, Durant has actually played better. Here is a statistical oddity with him, however: He is averaging a career-high 27.7 points a game, yet his 3-point percentage has gone from 42.2 percent last year to 28.8 percent this year, a significant drop-off—which means he is required to score far more points inside the arc and at the free throw line. Coincidentally, it is the exact same 3-point percentage he had his rookie season, a difficult anomaly to achieve given the number of shots that are hoisted.
8. Dwyane Wade, Heat (10-8)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
18 38.3 26.7 5.1 5.7 1.9 1.1 .427 .250 .763
Last Week: 6 | Drafted:
Wade obviously remains one of the league's top talents, but, like the Suns, the Heat is struggling. (What is it with the Thermal teams in the month of December? Somewhere in that question is a statistical analysis.) Miami has lost three of its last four and its record has dropped to 10-8. Wade has actually been pretty pedestrian in the recent stretch, and he has shot less than 50 percent from the field in nine of his last 11 games. The Race still doesn't think Wade has a great deal of talent around him; perhaps he ? or his opponents—is starting to realize that.
9. Tim Duncan, Spurs (9-7)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
14 31.9 18.4 11.1 3.6 0.4 2.0 .534 —- .739
Last Week: N/A | Drafted:
It is obvious that Duncan—and this incarnation of the Spurs for that matter—is in the twilight of his career. But after struggling early on, Duncan has manufactured some very impressive games of late, eclipsing 20 points in seven of his last nine games and allowing the Spurs to win five of their past six. He is shooting a career-high 54.9 percent from the field and his rebounds and assists both are up over a year ago. Keep an eye on Duncan as a sleeper—but that is assuming his teammates remain healthy, a big part of his success at this point.
10. Brandon Roy, Blazers (12-8)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
20 37.0 20.0 4.5 5.2 0.6 0.2 .443 .342 .800
Last Week: 8 | Drafted:
This spot could go to a number of people really, and Toronto's Chris Bosh deserves a mention somewhere along the way. But as well as Bosh is playing, The Race finds it difficult to consider among the MVPs a player on a team with a 7-13 record, which should be far better than that. Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson have been downright average, which means that Roy gets this spot almost by default. Roy actually had a very good statistically, averaging 23 points and six assists, but his Blazers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Monta Ellis's recent exploits also deserve a mention in here.[/QUOTE]
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141150