Weekly NBA wrap with the Mid Range Jumpers

 MVP watch

Fresh Prince

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 31.5ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.6apg)

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 26.9ppg, 7.1rpg, 6.5apg)

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers, 23.9ppg, 11.4rpg)

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 22.7ppg, 6.4rpg)

The Spurs continue to hang around in the Western Conference

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs 17.7ppg, 6.2apg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 18.8ppg, 11.1apg)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 23.8ppg, 8.8apg, 4.3rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 26.6ppg, 13.2rpg, 4.1apg) 

His Airness

Kevin Durant – 31.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists.

KD has not slowed down since the return of Russell Westbrook, averaging 33 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the last 10 games. Despite his bad game against the Heat, KD continues to impress. The only thing KD hasn’t been able to continue to do is win, losing their last 4 of 5 games.

LeBron James – 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists.

James’ impressive performance against Durant and the Thunder definitely put him closer to KD in the MVP race. However, he still remains behind him in my race. After breaking his nose, if LeBron continues to keep up his recent performances then I expect him to pass Durant soon.

Nighthawk

Kevin Durant (OKC) 31.5 ppg , 5.6 apg , 7.7 rpg

The Thunder have returned to their full strength roster in having Russell Westbrook return, however they have lost 3 straight games since his return. The question right now is - is Westbrook’s return harming Durant’s MVP hopes and more importantly the Thunders title hopes? I still feel the Thunder are just getting used to having Westbrook back just like they started a little slow after losing him , they must however sort it out soon before losing their number one seed to Spurs. I think this last stretch of games has hurt Durant’s MVP hopes but still, he is number although LeBron ousted Durant this past week. I still feel Durant’s game hasn’t slowed down and one game doesn’t take what he did in the past 2 months away from him. Durant is still number one but by a very small margin.

LeBron James (MIA) 26.9 ppg , 6.5 apg , 7.1 rpg

LeBron has been on a mission ever since Durant started to turn up his game and he has finally begun to shoot the ball more. The Heat have benefitted from LeBron’s recent success and have been closing the gap on Pacers for the number one seed. LeBron missed the last game with a broken nose suffered in the Thunder game as he threw down a dunk but is expected back against the Knicks. LeBron has closed the gap dramatically on Durant and if he returns and plays at the level he has been while Durant’s Thunder continue to slip, LeBron will take back the number one spot in the rankings.

Blake Griffin (LAC) 24.3 ppg , 9.9 rpg , 3.5 apg

Blake Griffin holds steady in the number 3 spot and has been solid after his great All Star game. He’s averaged 25.6 ppg and 10.4 rpg in the 5 games since the break and although the Clippers lost 2 in row out of the gates they came back strong with a big win against a hot Rockets team and his play was a big part of that. Griffin has elevated his game and is now a player who scores in many ways and is not just a dunker as some describe, watch out for him in this year’s post season.

Standouts

FP - Miami Heat

The defending champions, Miami Heat have won five straight games, three coming after the All Star break including a convincing win over Chicago without LeBron James. The Heat appear to be ready for playoff basketball and any doubts that they were slowing or detached from the regular season are being shut down. The Heat knows what it takes to win a championship and their form is oddly consistent with their past two seasons. Strangely enough at the 53 games played point of the season, Miami were 39-14, the exact same total as the past three seasons in the ‘big 3’ era.

HA - Chicago Bulls

8-2 over the last 10 games is very impressive for a team that really has no stars. Since Rose’s injury the Bulls have been an under the radar team this year. Remarkably they continue to win and are rising in the Eastern Conference.

Joakim Noah has been a beast for the Bulls

Houston Rockets

The Rockets have been finding form over the last month, winning 8 of their last 10 games the Rockets sit 5th in the Western Conference, but with a record of 39-19 they are not far off taking the third spot or even progressing higher before the end of the season. Rockets head coach Keving McHale attributed much of their recent success to an improving team chemistry.

Teams on the rise

FP

·         Miami Heat

·         LA Clippers

·         Portland Trailblazers

·         Dallas Mavericks

·         Washington Wizards

·         Charlotte Bobcats

NH – Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats are no longer the laughing stock of the NBA this season, in fact they are a team that are likely to book a spot in the post season. They currently are holding the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference and are climbing, they have won 4 straight and are looking good. They now have a little break but have a serious test ahead as their few next games are against the Spurs, Thunder, Heat and Pacers. This will be a huge test for them but if they can steal a win or two during this stretch, they can prove they’re legit and can ride with the big boys.

Teams on the slide

FP

·         Philadelphia 76ers

·         LA Lakers

·         New Orleans Pelicans

·         Oklahoma City Thunder

HA - LA Lakers

Without Kobe this team has been a disgrace, they haven’t been sliding because they have never been good this season. However, with recent trades they are looking stronger. Pau Gasol is not happy and they have finally reached the bottom of the Western Conference, this makes me wonder how much longer can they keep Mike D’Antoni as their head coach.

Atlanta Hawks

Only winning 1 of their last 10 games the Hawks are sliding. They still currently sit in the playoff picture (8th) however, this may not last long, with the Cav’s finding form and the Pistons within striking distance they need to start improving

NH –Phoenix Suns

The Suns are they team on the slide this week as they have lost their last 3 and are 4-6 over the last 10. They are barely holding on to the 8th seed now in the strong Western Conference and are just a game ahead of the Memphis Grizzles who have been playing well lately. The Suns are arguably over achieving this year with a few key injuries but still have a chance to make the playoffs, they just need to pick up their game now before it’s too late.

Performance of the week

Plenty of love for Kevin as both the Fresh Prince and the Nighthawk appreciate his work…

Kevin Love – 37 points, 12 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 11/20 FG, 6/10 3PT

Kevin Love recorded his first career triple double (had to triple check this as I didn’t believe it myself) against the Jazz this past week. Love was in fine form, putting together a dominant performance led by his monster third quarter. 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists in one quarter ! Love has recorded 48 double-doubles this year but his first triple double earns him my performance of the week!

Play of the week

Something a little different this week for the play of the week! Defense into offense after this monster block by Portland Trailblazer Thomas Robinson, leading to an alleyoop at the other end for Will Barton!

Undercover Brother

FP - Damian Lillard

This week’s undercover brother isn’t as ‘undercover’ as our usual suspects. Damian Lillard as most will know, is a first time NBA All-Star, last season’s rookie of the year and increasingly popular after his appearance in all five NBA All-Star events. While Lillard may have not impressed many with his All-Star appearances (I think his dunks were underrated) he has been leading the LaMarcus Aldridge-less Blazers to a 4-1 record post all-star break. Averaging 27.2ppg over that stretch well above his season average of 21.2, Lillard has been instrumental for Portland.

HA - Kevin Love

Averaging 32.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his last 10 games Love is playing like an MVP. Unfortunately his team is still losing. However, with every good performance he puts in his stock goes up and will make more teams want him come this year’s free agency.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

The NBA started a new era after all-star break with a new commissioner for the first time in 30 years. Adam Silver became the 5th ever NBA commissioner and many storylines involve his future plans for the NBA. Many rumours have appeared while others are being discussed more as Silver has big plans for the future of the NBA. Ideas such as the sleeved jersey, check out Laker Eight’s risky business entry (http://theniche-cache.com/american-sports/2014/2/24/laker-eight-presents-risky-business) and raising the minimum age for NBA entrants. With a few changes in mind, no doubt others will surface as the new commish settles into chair atop the NBA.

Another story line evolving was the Brooklyn Nets signing Jason Collins, the first openly gay player to play in the NBA or any other of the big four American sports. Interestingly enough Collins signed a 10-day contract and his jersey sales rocketed to the highest in the league the first day his no.98 jersey became available.  Fairly impressive considering the guy will play few minutes but a great statement for sport and the NBA.

Games to watch (All NZT)

Bulls @ Mavericks on Saturday

Warriors @ Raptors on Monday

Warriors @ Pacers on Wednesday

Heat @ Rockets on Wednesday

Clippers @ Suns on Wednesday

Heat @ Spurs on Friday 

NBA First Half - Done and Dusted with the Mid Range Jumpers

MVP

Fresh Prince

1.      Kevin Durant

2.      LeBron James

3.      Paul George

4.      Blake Griffin

5.      LaMarcus Aldridge

Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge has been instrumental to their first half of the season

His Airness

Kevin Durant – 31.5 points, 5.5 assists, 7.8 rebounds.

Durant is my number one pick for this year MVP thus far, having stepped his game up over the past 3 months. Durant has so far been unstoppable. The only question is, will he be able to keep this level of play up and continue to lead his team to victory?

LeBron James – 26.8 points, 6.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds.

Despite LeBron slipping to third overall in points per game, I expect him to pick his game up as the post season gets closer. LeBron’s stats are very good but he is currently being outplayed but Durant, the final part of this season will decide who wins MVP.

Chris Paul – 19.0 points, 11.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds.

Paul has just come back from injury and although at this stage in the season he may not be everyone’s third candidate but I believe he could be the only real other player who may slip in and take the MVP title.

The Nighthawk

Kevin Durant - 31.5 ppg , 7.8 rpg , 5.5 apg

KD is the MVP of the first half of the season based off his numbers and his team’s win column. He's the MVP because take him out of the Thunder team and they wouldn't be having the same success and the fact they have been winning without superstar Russell Westbrook makes his case even stronger. The second half of the season will be interesting because Westbrook returns and Lebron is beginning to step up his game.

LeBron James - 26.8 ppg , 7.1 rpg, 6.5 apg

LeBron has won the last 2 MVP awards and 4 out of the last 5 and very early in the season it seemed as if LeBron would cruise to winning his 3rd straight and 5th overall. However with Durant’s amazing stretch through January and February the whole league began to talk about him. LeBron is right there and is putting together another MVP type season and his game as of late has begun to pick up. The second half of season is going to be good as we see 2 of the best players’ battle for the top individual award the NBA has to offer.

Blake Griffin - 24.4 ppg , 9.9 rpg , 3.5 apg

Griffin has been great during the first half of the season and has his Clippers sitting 4th in the strong West, all without their floor general Chris Paul for most of the season. Griffin is sitting in 3rd on my MVP race although he is well behind KD and LeBron and the MVP race seems more of a 2 horse race and anyone outside of them seems to be a bit of a long shot to win the award.

Standout teams

FP

-       Oklahoma City Thunder

-       Indiana Pacers

-       San Antonio Spurs

-       Houston Rockets

-       LA Clippers

-       Portland Trailblazers

HA - Oklahoma City Thunder

You have to go with the team with the best record in the NBA at the moment. When Westbrook went down on Christmas day you would not have expected the Thunder to sit in this position, however, lead by Durant the Thunder are currently 43-12.

Phoenix Suns

Currently 32-21, the Suns have surprised everyone this season. Nobody thought they would be a playoff contender yet they currently sit 6th in the West and what makes this more impressive is that they have been without arguably their best player in Eric Bledsoe for much of the season

Toronto Raptors

Sitting third in the East the Raptors have been a bit of a surprise this year, I definitely didn't expect them to be sitting third in the East at any stage of this season. Although their record 29-25 would not be good enough to make the playoffs in the West they are still a team that has stood out this season.

NH - Toronto Raptors (29 wins , 25 loses , 3rd in the Eastern Conference)

Meet DeMar DeRozan.

The Raptors have been a team that has quietly played extremely well for the first half of the season and seem like a dark horse team to win it all. Lead by first time All Star DeMar DeRozan who has had a breakout season thus far has the team narrowly sitting 3rd in the East.

Houston Rockets (37 wins , 17 loses , 3rd in the Western Conference)

The Rockets created a lot of talk this offseason and for good reason, they were a solid team last year and acquired the top center in the league in Dwight Howard. Their season started off quite bumpy and they seemed like a team that would take a little longer than expected to hit their stride and leading into the All Star break it looked as if they had really hit their stride well and ended up carrying a lot of momentum into the break heading in with a 7 game win streak. They are a team to look out for as we head into the second half if the season.

Disappointing teams

FP - While I could list the teams that generally nobody talks about, the ones who are lottery bound and look as if they are counting down the days until the season are finished, I thought I would list the teams who have performed below expectations. All of these teams, bar the Lakers were teams I thought would be closer to playoff contention. All four teams need a strong showing from here on out to have a sniff at playoff basketball but still have been disappointing so far. The Lakers however are another story.

Unfortunately Kobe hasn’t been back for long enough to see where this team is at and they have been hit badly with injuries. The Lakers are looking to position themselves to make free agent acquisitions with a lot of salary space but so far the 2013/14 season has been a disaster for the NBA’s second most successful franchise.

-       New York Knicks

-       Minnesota Timberwolves

-       New Orleans Pelicans

-       Cleveland Cavaliers

-       LA Lakers

HA - New York Knicks 

The Knicks have been a disappointment this season, after their promising season last year I thought they would continue to get better this season, however, with J.R. Smith struggling and Carmelo Anthony having no support the Knicks have slumped this season. The Knicks can still make the playoffs and I expect Melo to keep putting up big numbers trying to get something out of this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers 

With such a promising roster coming into this season I thought the Cavs would have a very good season, however, this has not been the case. Rumours that All Star MVP Kyrie Irving is not happy and Luol Deng not wanting to re-sign next year the Cavs are a team that has been very disappointing this season.

NH - New Orleans Pelicans (23 wins , 30 loses , 12th in the Western Conference)

The Pelicans are a team that have been very unlucky with injuries this season but still have been a disappointing team after this offseason they acquired last year All Star Jrue Holiday and former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. Anthony Davis has been very good this season and averages 20-10 and has been one of the better defensive players but with the team dealing with players injuries and constantly having different lineups they have been very inconsistent and sit at the bottom of the West because of it.

New York Knicks (21 wins , 33 loses , 11th in the Western Conference)

The Knicks have been the most disappointing team this season and have seen the biggest drop off from last season, not good considering Melo has a choice to test free agency this offseason. Knicks players don’t seem to want to play and aren’t playing with the same energy they had last season. They are however lucky there are in the weak Eastern Conference and still amazingly as bad as their season has been they still have a chance at booking a trip into the post season.

Undercover Brothers

FP

-       DeMar DeRozan

-       Al Jefferson

-       Isaiah Thomas

-       Aaron Affalo

-       Andre Drummond

HA - DeMarcus Cousins

I continue to put Cousins in as my undercover brother because he is one of the best-unknown players in the NBA. Averaging 22.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a game his stats put him in a very unique category, averaging a double-double a game Cousins stats are just as good as Blake Griffins, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge. Obviously his team the Sacramento Kings are at bottom of the West with a record of 18-36 but Cousins continues to play well and with his new mentor Shaq hopefully Cousins can continue to improve.

NH - DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 22.5 ppg , 11.7 rpg , 2.9 apg

Cousins’ has been one of the best big men this season and was arguably the best player to get left out of the All Star Weekend. He seems like a player that doesn't get much recognition because of his past struggles with his attitude and him being on a lottery team, however his team’s struggles aren’t all on him because he couldn't really be player at a higher standard. Cousins’ future looks bright if he can continue playing the way he has.

Rookie Watch

NH - Michael Carter Williams (PHI) 17.1 ppg , 6.3 apg , 5.3 rpg

MCW has been the Rookie of the Year through the first half of the season and hasn't really been pushed, he got off to an early lead and hasn't looked back since. Through January and February his numbers did see a bump and shooting percentage was down but even with those numbers he is still a top two rookie at worst. It’s going to take something pretty crazy for someone to overtake him for this award come the end of the season.

Both MCW and Vic Oladipo have done well as rookies

Victor Oladipo (ORL) 13.5 ppg , 3.9 apg , 4.3 rpg

Oladipo has been pretty much as expected during the first half of the season, he’s been solid on both sides of the ball and has gradually been getting better as the season wears on. His January and February were very good and used that strong stretch to close in on MCW’s big early lead but still has a lot of work to do if he wants to steal away the award.

What to watch for

After the all-star break the NBA starts to heat up. The trade deadline has just passed and while there were no ‘blockbusters’ a number of trades followed two main themes. Either teams in playoff contention were looking too add another factor to make a playoff run, or looking to unload player salaries to get under the luxury tax or to create roster space. Indiana made the biggest move trading former standout Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers for Evan Turner. Turner has a lot of potential and is starting to become a fairly polished offensive force, something Granger has been missing since returning from several injuries. The other trade I rate was the one between the Washington Wizards, currently sitting 5th in the East acquiring veteran point guard Andre Miller from the Denver Nuggets. Miller adds some experience to the Wizard’s backcourt and some important depth at the point guard position behind all-star John Wall. The Golden State Warriors also made a similar move for former Laker Steve Blake.

"So where you wanna go after we get that ring bruh?"

As the playoffs near, teams will slowly get eliminated and the race to make the final eight positions in each conference will heat up. With around 30 games each to play it is still enough for a team to come from nowhere albeit unlikely. I expect the teams who are ‘real’ contenders to stand up and assert some dominance over the next stretch in an attempt to distance themselves from any late season runs. The Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers are the obvious candidates but there are several teams looking to make the jump into that upper echelon.

A few other things to watch for are the return of Russell Westbrook to the Thunder, Kobe Bryant’s eventual return and finally the race to the MVP which at this stage seems to be between Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Weekly NBA Wrap with the Mid Range Jumpers

MVP watch

Fresh Prince

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 31.2ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.5apg)

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 26.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 6.6apg)

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers, 23.9ppg, 11.4rpg)

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 22.2ppg, 6.4rpg)

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs 17.7ppg, 6.2apg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 19.2ppg, 11.1apg)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 24.6ppg, 9.0apg, 4.4rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 25.8ppg, 13.2rpg, 4.0apg)

His Airness

Kevin Durant: 31.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists. The way this guy is playing is crazy, averaging 32 points while shooting 55 percent over the last 10 games. Durant has sustained his high level of performance and is not looking like stopping. With the All Star break coming up and the return of Russell Westbrook in the coming weeks it will be interesting to see if Durant’s numbers drop or continue to impress.

Lebron James: 26.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists. Lebron’s number’s continue to impress, scoring more than 30 points in his last 3 of 5 games. Lebron looks to continue his rise in performance, he has begun to shoot the ball more, now taking nearly 20 shots a game which could be an attempt to save his MVP hopes. Lebron’s game winner against the Warriors has made up for his shocking performance against the Jazz.

Listen to me, I'll get you a ring bruh.

Blake Griffin – 24.2 points, 9.8 rebounds. The third spot in the MVP ladder is a tough one, at the moment it is hard to live up to the level of Durant and Lebron but Griffin is doing his best and has put up some impressive performances over the last 5 games. With the return of Chris Paul look for Griffin’s numbers to only improve and maybe make a run at the top two.

Nighthawk

Kevin Durant (OKC) - 31.2 ppg , 5.5 apg , 7.7 rpg

Durant’s Thunder keep racking up the wins and are 8-2 in their last 10 with losses coming against Washington and a surprise last second loss to Orlando. Durant seems like he is coasting at the moment in his last 10 - he's averaging 32.1ppg, 7.4rpg and 7.2 apg while shooting 55% from the field and this is still without their other star Russell Westbrook. The question remains will the Thunder be more dominant with him back or will they take a step backwards?

Lebron James (MIA) - 26.5 ppg  , 6.6 apg , 7.0 rpg

Lebron has been on a tear ever since his loss to Durant’s Thunder and it seems Lebron now has some competition and has began to pick his game up. Over the past 10 games, he's averaging 27.9 ppg 8.4 rpg and 6.6 apg. He is finally beginning to take more shots and the Heat are benefitting from it as they have gone 8-2 in the last 10. LeBron is also fresh off a clutch performance after he hit a game winning fade-away 3 to beat the Warriors the other night. It seems that Durant hasn't won the MVP race yet and this is going to be fun to keep an eye on after the All Star Weekend.

Blake Griffin (LAC) - 24.2 ppg , 9.8 rpg , 3.5 apg

Blake Griffin has been great over the month of January and has continued that form and then some in February. He is averaging close to 35 a game and 8 rebounds. Griffin is proving he’s more than just a player who scores on huge dunks but a player who's capable of beating you in a variety a ways. That’s not say he doesn't still throw it down as he had back windmill dunks in their huge blowout win against the Sixers. With Blake’s great play and now a returning Chris Paul the Clippers now become a legitimate title contender as we go into the All Star weekend.

Standouts

FP - Blake Griffin/LA Clippers

Blake Griffin has bought life to the Clippers franchise that has had little to celebrate before they drafted him in 2009. Now they are one of the NBA’s premier teams and the All-Star power forward is excelling under Doc Rivers tutelage. Over the past 10 games he is averaging 35.4 ppg and 8.8 rebounds per game. That includes three games of 36 points and one with 43 points. The Clippers have gone 7-3 over those past ten games and have only had all-star Chris Paul back for two of those past ten. The Clippers are a team on the rise and with their All-Stars leading the way, the depth to make a good playoff run and one of the NBA’s top coaches I expect the Clippers to continue their winning ways after the All Star break.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are another Western Conference team that is looking stronger every outing. With All-Stars James Harden and Dwight Howard playing well, the Rockets have won seven straight games, the last one against the Washington Wizards coming off a James Harden game winning layup with 0.7 seconds remaining. The Rockets are a team that also benefits from having two All-Stars and good depth in their roster and are now sitting third in the Western Conference, a good place to be going into the All-Star break.

Teams on the rise

FP

Oklahoma City Thunder

Miami Heat

LA Clippers

Houston Rockets

Dallas Mavericks

HA - Houston Rockets

The Rockets remain in my ‘team on the rise’. They are currently on a 7 game winning streak and sit third in the West. With Howard and Harden playing well this team is starting to live up to the hype created during the off season.

Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs have won their last 4 games and although they haven’t played any decent teams during this run they are looking a bit better. Their next five games look promising as well, with their toughest opponent being the struggling Hawks.

NH - Houston Rockets

The Rockets were my team on the rise last week and are still there this week. They are currently on a 7 game win streak and still aren't getting much attention which may be a good thing for them. Over this winning streak Dwight and Harden are leading the way, they are averaging a combined 50 points per game together and are also getting a good punch from Jeremy Lin off the bench. The Rockets are under the radar and could be a dark horse for the title this year.

Teams on the slide

FP

Philadelphia 76ers

LA Lakers

Atlanta Hawks

Denver Nuggets

HA - Philadelphia Sixers

The Sixers are on a 8 game losing streak, however it gets worst, they recently became only the second team to lose back to back games by 40 points. Are the Sixers tanking? Or are they really that bad.

NH - Atlanta Hawks

Jeff Teague goes up

The Hawks have been on the slide lately. They are currently on a 5 games losing streak. Al Horford’s injury has hurt them especially on the offensive end and Jeff Teague hasn't been as good without him. The Hawks have surprisingly been better without Teague as they are scoring 10 more points per 100 possessions without him on the floor. The Hawks however are a top 10 defence without Horford but its proving that Horford’s offence is more valuable to the team than his lack of defence.

Performance of the week

Lebron James – 36 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 14-26 FG, 4-8 3PT, Game winning 3PT shot

Lebron James earns himself another performance of the week award for his near triple-double vs. the Golden State Warriors. Lebron was aggressive and led the Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat to an impressive road win. The Heat led by 18 at one point before the Warriors clawed back to lead by two with 14.6 seconds to go following Stephen Curry’s ‘and-1’ bank shot. Lebron got the ball and drilled a step back three-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Heat.

Play of the week

Play of the week this week goes to Blake Griffin for these Chris Paul assisted back to back windmill dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers. Note – these happened within 30 seconds of each other

Undercover Brother

FP - Jared Sullinger

This week’s undercover brother is Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger. The second year pro is currently averaging 13.2ppg and 8.2rpg but as of late is performing above his season averages.  Over his past seven games, he has recorded six double-doubles, with his best performance a 31 point 16 rebound effort coming against the Kings. With playmaker Rajon Rondo back dishing out assists, it’s no surprise Sullinger is playing above average and as long as they can stay healthy this could be the new duo to watch in Boston. 

NH - DeMarcus Cousins

You would think this guy would be an All Star, averaging 22 points per game with 11 rebounds. Cousins nearly has better stats than my third place MVP Blake Griffin. What makes Cousins so good is he is not only good offensively like Kevin Love or Blake Griffin but he is also a good defensive player. Cousins is one of the best big men in the league at the moment.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

HA - Steph Curry (GS)

Curry has been great over the past 10 but it hasn't translated to any more victories, however he is arguably the player that’s most valuable to his team. If he wasn't playing for the Warriors they would have no shot at making the playoffs and would arguably be a team contending for the number 1 pick. It seems as if Curry needs to score 30 plus and dish 10 assists for Golden State to get a narrow win. For example there last game against the Heat he scored 29 with 7 assists and hit a potential game winner only to be out done by Lebron but it’s an example of how good he needs to be for them to win.

FP - All Star break is finally upon us (starting Saturday NZT) and once again ESPN and Sky has done a great job in getting the broadcasting rights so us kiwi’s can tune in to the All-Star festivities. Here are a few things to look out for during the weekend

Rising Stars Challenge

Steven Adams competing against a number of other talented first or second year players including All Stars Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis as well as rookie of the year candidates Michael Carter Williams and Victor Oladipo.

Prediction: Team Hill

Skills Challenge

This is always an interesting event that happens fairly quickly. It involves a number of different skills normally suiting point guards. It’s a good showcase of the little skills you don’t always see in an actual game, which illustrates just how talented these players are.

Prediction: Damian Lillard

3-point contest

The three-point contest is an interesting competition as it can be really eventful or quite dull depending on how close the scores are. It’s good to see how accurate these guys actually are from three point range with no defenders but the added pressure of a time limit and other scores often makes up for it.

Prediction: Stephen Curry

Dunk contest

As I mentioned last week I expect a rejuvenated dunk contest this year with several stars competing along with a new format. I’m interesting in seeing the freestyle round where each conference’s players have a 90 second time limit featuring an unlimited amount of dunks. I say that because I’m the type of guy who prefers classic dunks rather than the gimmick dunks that feature props. Either way each of the rounds should provide a little for every fan to enjoy.

Prediction: John Wall

All Star Game

All star games can be tedious but the NBA has been doing a good job to make this game more exciting. Fortunately Kevin Durant and LeBron James are on opposing teams and I hope these two go head to head at some stage. I expect the game to stay close up until the 4th quarter where the game will hopefully pick up. Prediction: West to win 

Games to watch (All NZT following all-star break) 

Raptors @ Wizards on Wednesday 

Heat @ Mavericks on Wednesday 

Heat @ Thunder on Friday

Rockets @ Warriors on Friday