The NBA Season is well underway and 11 games in for the most part. While that's really just a sample size, some of these teams and their identities are being revealed early on already. With that being said, the narrative is shaping up for players as well, as the MVP race is starting early on and people are making predictions. Today, I wanted to give my two cents and speak on the 5 early candidates I have listed for MVP so far. Let's take a look. 5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 60% FG)
-The truth of the matter is, Giannis would be no. 1 on this list if he had the wins to make it happen. However, with the addition of Eric Bledsoe, he might be getting the help he needs to win more. Still, Giannis has outperformed LeBron in both of their meetings, pushed the Bucks when they had no more options, and he's been superb. If the Bucks can turn it around and win some more, Giannis will move into the top spot without question, but until then.... he's teetering the line of being kicked off the candidate list for Anthony Davis or Demarcus Cousins. Still, if he doesn't win MVP, I could easily see another year of Giannis going for the Most Improved Player award. He was really good, now he is great and that transition is deserving of something, even if the wins don't match up exactly. If they start to match up eventually, then you'll see Giannis as the NBA darling again.
-The Warriors are currently tied for the first seed in the West and logically, it seems like they'll land there sooner than later. If this occurs like we expect, I think Steph will have a claim to the award. Now, what does it for him really is the PER and his impact on the game, as he has some of the biggest impact on the game, more than a number of players period in the history of the sport. Steph will see his shooting numbers improve I'm sure over the next 10-15 games and I predict he will finish this year with another 50/40/90 while playing some of the best defense of his career. He's not an elite defender, but he is a good defender, and offensively, there might not be anyone better in the game right now. With the Warriors getting into perfect form and the offense being one of the best ranked in the history of the sport and the defense improving, it's possible Steph could end up as a top 3 candidate for the award by game 30. Whatever the case, let's hope the Warriors continue their winning ways and Steph gets the recognition for being the integral piece for the team. 3. James Harden (29.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 9.7 APG, 1.6 SPG)
-I will remain to tell the truth here and that is simple: I don't like James Harden or his game at all. However, so far this season, he looks like he's more focused than ever and he's leading the Rockets to be tied for the no. 1 record in the West with the Warriors similar to the Rockets and their fast start last year. He has quite the team around him, though I predict things will be tough once Chris Paul comes back, but Harden is playing some of his best basketball in these first 11 games. Though Harden bias by his fans would have him at no. 1 likely, he's got enough help on his team that it knocks him down a notch, similar to Steph. Harden will continue pushing the Rockets and putting up amazing stats, and this might be the year that Harden can finally get the MVP that he deservedly missed out on two of the last three seasons. This might be the year where he pulls away from the competition and finally claims the elusive honor. Will we see Harden as MVP? Only time will tell, but he's already making his case quite well.
-The best team in the NBA right now is the Boston Celtics. That's not just in the Eastern Conference. That's literally in the entire NBA. They are 9-2 with a chance to go 10-2 by the time you read this likely. That right there makes them a bigger threat than expected and when you consider the fact that they lost a huge All Star in Gordon Hayward likely for the entire season, and had injury issues for both Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart, along with having to rely on their youthful players Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, it's a huge surprise that the Celtics have been so good. They are a solid offensive team, but right now they're the no. 1 defensive team in the NBA and Kyrie is in the top 10 with defensive rating as a player and that's a huge improvement over last year. Simply put, the Celtics have faced adversity and seem to be preserving. They are young, defensive minded, and have a leader in Kyrie, and his new role in the team is what has him as a front runner for MVP. His shooting numbers and overall stats will balance out as the year goes along, but his leadership and his importance to the team are what earn him the ranking here. If it wasn't for the fact that my no. 1 choice was so surprising, Kyrie would be my choice. Anyone who can take a bunch of young and inexperienced players while playing alongside Al Horford and lead his team to the top record in the NBA after losing an All Star deserves all of the accolades.
-Okay.... so the truth be told.... I might be getting ahead of myself, but fuck it, why not? For the first time, the top 5 for the MVP doesn't include Kevin Durant or LeBron James. Granted, both have a claim to this award, but Bron is right there under Giannis for the crown, and KD is right there with him. However, this isn't about them. This is about the rising star in New York. Could it be that Carmelo and Phil Jackson were holding the Knicks back? On paper, the Knicks aren't the greatest team, and yet here they are with a winning record 10 games in. I expected a 3-7 start, but they're 6-4 holding comeback victories over the Hornets and a blowout win over the Cavs. They may eventually came back down to reality, but for now, Porzingis is the MVP in my book. If the Knicks keep winning and he continues to play as well as he is, there's no doubt that Porzingis will have a claim to the award. He doesn't have the team that LeBron, Harden, Russ, Kyrie, or Steph has, yet he's making sure the Knicks are in a prime position and currently in a playoff spot. There would be nothing more fun than watching KP become MVP after leading the Knicks to a 50 win season, but that remains to be seen how this turns out. For now, after 10-11 games, Porzingis is my top choice.
So, the NBA season is nearing and there's so much to watch out for. After a few trades and free agent signings, we now have a number of top tier duos in the NBA that could end up doing some damage or making some noise. In addition to the already existing juggernaut in Golden State, the stacked team in Cleveland, and of course the duos in Washington, Toronto, and New Orleans, we now have 5 new duos to get used to. Not included here? LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas, because we don't really know how soon it'll be before Isaiah will play. That aside, let's take a look at 5 new duos to watch for.
5. Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
-This COULD be a post nightmare for some teams, and I think Denver suits Millsap pretty well. My biggest concern is that these two won't mix well, but with the type of players they are, it should work to give Denver some solid offense. While Denver needs to really work on their backcourt, their frontcourt is set, and of all the new duos, this is the most slept on of them all and underappreciated. Millsap doesn't make the Nuggets a championship team, but he definitely can make them a playoff team again.
4. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics)
-It is surprising in many ways that Kyrie and Hayward both would end up in Boston, but we knew Boston would end up making some big move. I just never expected Isaiah Thomas to leave and I never expected Kyrie to leave Cleveland. Hayward was clearly heading to Boston and with the system they have in Boston, it is fairly certain to be a fun thing to watch Kyrie as the no. 1 option. The question remains, is this big time All Star duo enough to push the Celtics beyond the Cavs and to the NBA Finals? That remains to be seen. The sure thing is that it'll definitely be fun to watch regardless. 3. Jimmy Butler and Karl Anthony Towns (Minnesota Tinberwolves)
-As a Bulls fan, it sucks that Jimmy Butler is gone. For Minnesota fans, you have to be ecstatic. The playoff drought should finally be coming to an end. The Wolves don't seem championship bound, but with Butler provided scoring and defense for the Wolves alongside KAT and his natural abilities, this duo could work very well to help the team see the Conference Finals at best and at worse, the first round of the playoffs. This duo will be fun to watch and I think Butler takes over where Wiggins couldn't. That'll be interesting to watch play out. 2. Chris Paul and James Harden (Houston Rockets)
-This duo is the most intriguing. These two have never played with a player of this magnitude on each end. Harden can comfortably go back to his shooting guard position, but he's still a good passer and a primary ball handler, and so is CP3. This will end up being an interesting dichotomy and while I can't for sure say that it will work like everyone expects it to, on paper, the Rockets look very good. Chris Paul is silently beginning his late career decline (defensively mostly), but outside of that, he's still a viable player and Harden was just a MVP candidate, so he for sure has the tools to help this team. Will this duo work? Will the Rockets make the Conference Finals? That remains to be seen.
1. Russell Westbrook and Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder)
-This duo is the most intriguing. Russell Westbrook had a decent team around him, but he carried the scoring load in OKC. He has been used to having a second option most of his career and PG has been a first option on his own team, so putting these two chiefs together to make something happen should result in instant playoff success. If Paul George plays solid defense and scores at will like he usually does when focused, the fact remains that we might see the Thunder as a top 3 seed in the West and a sleeper to make the Conference Finals. This is the duo you need to watch out for the most.
The NBA semifinals are set and none of the teams here should be a surprise. Sure, the Bulls nearly knocked off the Celtics, but all of the teams we expected to see here are here. The Clippers are gone. The Thunder and Russell Westbrook are unfortunately gone. The Grizzlies fought hard, but are also gone. The Pacers are gone. The Hawks are gone. Only 8 teams remain. As the 2nd round kicks off, we take a look at the Semifinals matchups and discuss how they could all play out. Let's get into it.
Eastern Conference
The four teams left in the East are the top 4 seeds, and that's not a shock at all. Cleveland is riding a week of rest into game 1, while Toronto has had about 3 days of rest. It should be interesting to see how those teams respond to the extended rest. The Celtics and Wizards have already kicked off with game 1 in the bag, but the series could and should be a long one. Let's take a look at these Eastern Conference matchups.
(1) Boston Celtics vs (4) Washington Wizards
-After nearly winning 50 games, the Wizards had a tough time getting rid of the Hawks. The Celtics struggled with the Bulls, but they got it together after the injury of Rajon Rondo and won the series in 6 games. This series has a chance to go 7 games if the Wizards can show up. This is the marquee matchup and the closest matchup in the East honestly, and if I had to pick a winner, given the injury to Morris in game 1, I'm going to go with the Celtics. After his tragedy, Isaiah Thomas has been showing out in these games and scoring at will. John Wall and Bradley Beal are a dynamic duo, but I think this is not their year. The likely matchup will be Cavs vs Celtics in the Conference Finals, but I'd personally prefer to see the Wizards vs Cavs. Regardless, with the injury hampering the Wizards, I'll take the Celtics in 6 games this series. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (3) Toronto Raptors
-The No. 1 and 2 seed from last year are here with the same record this season and one spot lower for each team. The truth of the matter here is that the Raptors seem to be at a disadvantage and the Raptors are inconsistent as always. Cleveland hasn't really showcased amazing defense in any of their games so far, but they don't need to. They'll need it a bit more in this series if Derozan and Lowry start to get hot, but more than likely Kyrie, LeBron, and Love should be able to handle this team like they did the Pacers. However, in the event the Cavs do come up short, it's possible the Raptors could push them to 5 or 6 games. I think the Cavs win in 5 games, but there's a chance (and I hope) this series goes at least 6 games.
Western Conference
The West is stacked. The top 3 seeds have 4 of the top 6 players in the game. The Warriors have Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, the Spurs have Kawhi Leonard, and the Rockets have James Harden. With that being said, I think we know what's going to happen. Unless a number of players get injured, the Conference Finals should go one way and that's with the two best teams in the NBA going head to head. Who are those two? Well first, let's take a look at the 2nd round matchups.
(1) Golden State Warriors vs (5) Utah Jazz
-The Jazz have one thing going for them: momentum. After pulling off a solid game 7 win over the Clippers, the Jazz will challenge the Warriors in the post and play tough defense on them. However, Kevin Durant is healthy, Steph Curry is in MVP mode, and Draymond Green is in Defensive Player of The Year mode. Rudy Gobert is a great defensive player, but he hasn't been fully healthy all playoffs and goes into the Warriors series not at 100%. This Jazz team is a bit banged up after going 7 games with the Warriors and the Warriors are well rested and healthy. All signs point to the Warriors winning this series, and I think they will win it in 4, with another sweep. However, I'll say Warriors in 5 because it's tough to win in Salt Lake City two times in a row. Gordon Hayward will have a solid series, but if the Warriors defensively are in rhythm like they have been, it should be a fairly easy win for this team, but the Jazz will bring it of course.
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs (3) Houston Rockets
-Mike D'Antoni has really struggled with making it beyond Coach Pop in the playoffs and I suspect that this will be no different. However, you never know. The Spurs got pushed to the limit in their 6 game series against the Grizzlies and Kawhi Leonard went at their necks with everything he had. However, the Rockets are well rested and have a great team of shooters. Can the Spurs overcome that? That's the real question. I think they can. I think we see the Spurs win in 6 games, and if the Rockets have tough shooting nights against the Spurs, it could be the Spurs in 5. The only way the Rockets win this series is if goes 7 games and that feels so much like a long shot.
The Conference Finals will likely end up as the Celtics vs Cavs and the Warriors vs Spurs, the top two teams in each conference. No shock, nothing to see here.
Though I'm not personally his biggest fan, James Harden is having one of the best years of his career, possibly his best. It is a bit expected to be honest, as Harden has shown that he's the leader of the Rockets, and with Mike D'Antoni as the Rockets head coach, you knew he was due for a big year and that the Rockets offense would be overpowering for a majority of the teams. Their output in the preseason hinted at the dominance they would have, so if you're surprised that the Rockets are in contention and a slight title contender, you might have been sleeping on the Rockets. For those that weren't sleeping on the Rockets, Harden's season is beyond impressive, but we knew that he was going to have a great year. He's leading the league in double doubles, has a top 3 team in the tough and vicious Western Conference, and he's leading the league in assists. That's nothing short of spectacular for a player that's in the West and today, we wanted to take a brief look at why James Harden has a case for the MVP. Let's take a look at his season.
*63 Double Doubles And 22 Triple Doubles
-While it isn't quite the feat of the record breaking season for Russ, this is still largely impressive. Considering that he leads the league also in double doubles with 63, this is an impressive feat. Harden has been just shy of a triple double many times this year, speaking to a level of consistency that you have to be a top tier player to keep up. To put it in perspective, only two players this season have more than 20 triple doubles this season: Harden and Westbrook. In terms of double doubles, there are only three guards in the top 15 of that list: Harden, Westbrook, and John Wall. Harden leads the NBA with just one more double double than Westbrook, and to end up with 63 double doubles on the season is honestly one of the all time great feats in this particular era of basketball.
*Leading The League In Assists
-James has a pretty solid team to help, but he's the piece that drives that team 100%. Currently sitting at 11.2 assists per game, Harden will end the year as the assists leader and he's earned every right to do so. He's made plays down the stretch and seems even more comfortable in the point guard role than he was in the shooting guard role. He's in the top 3 of scoring and averaging 8 rebounds, but his most impressive stat to me is his 11 assists per game. Dishing out dimes to Lou Williams, Ryan Anderson, Patrick Beverly, Clint Capela, or Eric Gordon, Harden was always able to find the open man or the open shooter for a quick three or lob it up to Capela for a big slam. It's not easy to put up 29 points a game and lead the league in assists, but Harden did just that. That Mike D'Antoni offense usually doesn't fail and Harden has worked very well within it.
*Getting The Rockets To The 3rd Seed And 55 Wins
-Though Harden and the Rockets were always going to be a solid team, it's watching them work so well together that's the most fun. After the Clippers and Thunder went on a downward spiral after the loss of a few key players to injury, Houston began to pull away with the 3rd seed. Sure, the Warriors and the Spurs were locks to win the 1st and 2nd seeds, but many of us weren't aware that the Rockets would be no. 3 and win 55 games. No matter what anyone says, there is no way you expected THIS. Sure, Harden has a very solid team around him, but the fact remains his superb season is what led them to such a great record and a top seed. For Harden to put up 2,000 points plus in a season and help create over 4,500 points for the entire season shows the level of consistency it took to push that team even further. A no. 3 seed, 55 wins, and an all around great season that includes breaking the three point record for most threes in a season. The Rockets and Harden have been nothing short of superb this year.
*Two 50 Point Triple Doubles
-It's never been a season where we witnessed multiple 50 point triple doubles. Two people have done it. This season. Westbrook and Harden. Harden has had interesting moments this year. Harden had his first 50 point triple double during a tough battle with the Knicks. Registering 53 points, 16 rebounds, and 17 assists, Harden led the Knicks to victory. This game was at the end of December 2016, on New Year's Eve, a great way to start the year off for Harden. His second 50 point triple double came three weeks later in a hard fought victory over the 76ers as Harden put up 51 points, 13 assists and 13 rebounds on 57% from the field and 54% from three. In these two performances, Harden showed up and led his team, but most of all, the Rockets got the win in both of those games. When we talk about valuable, that's exactly what it is all about. Leading your team.
Final Thought
Is James Harden my personal pick for MVP? No. Could he be yours? He most certainly could. The thing about Harden that makes him have such a strong case for the MVP is not just his stats, but his team. The MVP award most of the time goes to the players with the best teams and the top 2 seeds, although by that logic, Steph Curry and Kawhi Leonard have better cases for the award, the fact still remains Harden is playing out of this world. To average a double double is always a special feat to me (especially when this includes assists) and to put up a triple double in over 25% of the games on the season shows the level of play you are bringing to the table every night. Can James Harden win MVP? He has every chance to and he has a lot of things working in his favor. Is he my pick? No, he'd be my 2nd pick personally, but the fact remains, if he wins, there's nothing you nor I can say about it because he definitely would deserve it.
