Race to the MVP.

[Yunsen]

Is Brooks playing Durant crazy minutes to try to get him the MVP. Insane.

He puts him back in in the 2nd quarter when the other team goes on a run (no matter how short it is) and plays him the entire 2nd half about every other game.

He's playing one minute over his career average, calm down.

Lol easy man just explaining what I've seen this season.

[theokie]

Durant has played way way more minutes than LeBron so far.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/lea ... aders.html

Not to say numbers and stats don't matter but it should be taken into consideration before only using stats. Plus I don't think LeBron should be penalized for being a good passer and getting his teamates involved. That's part of the MVP award..making your teammates better.

LeBron is the only non point guard in the top 20 for assists.

Yes total minutes played is a completely relevant stat when one player has played 3 more games than the other

And who's penalzing LeBron for being a good passer and getting his teammates involved? Most people consider LeBron a much better playmaker than KD which goes in large part to why LeBron is better.

[Clyde Frazier]

Durant career minutes/game: 38

Durant current minutes/game: 39


SCOTT BROOKS IS PLAYING THE **** OUT OF DURANT FOR THIS MVP



Also, Durant is pulling off a 50/40/90 season so far as a huge volume scorer. I don't think people understand how crazy that is


EDIT: It's only been done by one person in NBA history, Larry Bird. Holy ****

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... =pts_per_g

Dirk did it at 24.6 PPG when he won MVP in 07. For the next highest PPG, you'd have to go all the way down to 19.9 PPG when miller did it in 93-94:

http://bkref.com/tiny/6Pk9V

[Clyde Frazier]

The MVP is Durant's to lose. LeBron is the better player but the media is not going to give LeBron his 4th MVP unless he plays considerably better then Durant or his team has a significantly higher seed or better record.

This is more or less the case. There's typically a narrative to go along with MVP winners, and durant is creating his own with the higher rebounding + assist #s so far this season. Add in harden leaving, and you have your MVP story.

Debating who's better between LeBron and Durant and who will actually win MVP are 2 completely different questions. I'd say LeBron is still pretty clearly the better player, but i'd bet on Durant winning it this year.

[TwentyOne920]

If two games out of 82 settle the MVP race, the award is f-ing stupid.

Didn't the head-to-head matchup essentially decide who got MVP between Kobe and CP3 in 2008?

[TwentyOne920]

The MVP is Durant's to lose. LeBron is the better player but the media is not going to give LeBron his 4th MVP unless he plays considerably better then Durant or his team has a significantly higher seed or better record.

This is more or less the case. There's typically a narrative to go along with MVP winners, and durant is creating his own with the higher rebounding + assist #s so far this season. Add in harden leaving, and you have your MVP story.

Debating who's better between LeBron and Durant and who will actually win MVP are 2 completely different questions. I'd say LeBron is still pretty clearly the better player, but i'd bet on Durant winning it this year.

Indeed. Look at the past winners:

2000: Shaquille O'Neal; led the Lakers to 67 wins with Phil Jackson at the helm
2001: Allen Iverson: led the Sixers to their best record in years without a secondary scorer
2002: Tim Duncan: led the league in field goals made and free throws made
2003: Tim Duncan: led the Spurs to the best record alongside a retiring David Robinson
2004: Kevin Garnett: led the Wolves to their best all-time record
2005: Steve Nash: led the Suns to a 33 game swing while leading one of the greatest all-time offenses
2006: Steve Nash: 50/40/90 shooting while his second option was out for the year
2007: Dirk Nowitzki: 50/40/90 shooting leading the Mavs to 67 wins
2008: Kobe Bryant: led the Lakers from mediocrity (although the Pau Gasol trade helped)
2009: LeBron James: led the Cavs to 66 wins
2010: LeBron James: led the Cavs to 61 wins
2011: Derrick Rose: led the Bulls to 62 wins and benefited from the fallout of The Decision
2012: LeBron James: historic season and carried the Heat that missed Dwyane Wade for a considerable part of the season

[TheGarden]

The NBA might as well disband every team besides the Heat and Thunder and let them play each other every day all year since it seems the only teams who can get to the Finals are those and the only 2 players in the league are Durant and LeBron

[NaturalThunder]

I'm not going to argue Durant > LeBron, because he's not. But are people really knocking Durant for playing more minutes this year? He's 24 years old, the second best player on the planet (arguably) and Scott Brooks is riding him a little more this year than usual. So what?

I've watched every OKC game this year, and tonight was the first time I've caught myself asking why Durant was still in the game in the fourth quarter. If you believe Scott Brooks and Durant are colluding to play him more minutes so he can put up bigger numbers and get MVP, then I'm not sure if you've even watched more than a couple of Thunder games. Like has already been pointed out, Brooks has cut his rotation down to nine players due to not trusting the two rookies and Reggie Jackson right now. I know there's been some portion of the OKC fanbase who always wondered why Brooks played the first 6ish minutes of the second and fourth quarters with both Durant and Westbrook on the bench, when a team like Miami always has one of LeBron or Wade on the floor. All Brooks has done this year is play start the second quarter with Durant in with the second unit.

[mirrornick]

I got Kobe winning it this year right after the Lakers start winning.

[NJ_YANKEE_45]

If the Knicks finish top 3, I can't see Melo not having a good shot if he keeps playing like this. Might take the best record in the conference or even league to get it for him

[LBJ-ITALY]

It's too early!stop it please......................................see you after the ASG!

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

LMAO! AFTER 11 GAMES?.....MADNESS!

That race is not a sprint it is a journey. Senseless to think about this now.

But... if I must answer? Carmelo Anthony and Rudy Gay and Russell Westbrook.

[Kabookalu]

The NBA might as well disband every team besides the Heat and Thunder and let them play each other every day all year since it seems the only teams who can get to the Finals are those and the only 2 players in the league are Durant and LeBron

Funny the narrative for this fluctuates often, like how the Lakers were supposed to be dismantling teams left and right and the NBA has lost all of its integrity. Never mind that the best team in the NBA right now are the Memphis Grizzlies.

[TheGarden]

The NBA might as well disband every team besides the Heat and Thunder and let them play each other every day all year since it seems the only teams who can get to the Finals are those and the only 2 players in the league are Durant and LeBron

Funny the narrative for this fluctuates often, like how the Lakers were supposed to be dismantling teams left and right and the NBA has lost all of its integrity. Never mind that the best team in the NBA right now are the Memphis Grizzlies.

there are these unwritten rules that I really hate as if the games dont have to played, that is until Stern steps in and does his thing

Rules
1. LeBron and Durant are elite, only MVP candidates, own tier, special, top 10 all time- no one else is
2. Heat-Thunder Finals- no other teams have a shot

and if you dare to be different and an express a new view be prepared to be told you're wrong

[Kabookalu]

[TheGarden]

[raps_aviator]

I got Kobe winning it this year right after the Lakers start winning.

He is putting up the stats but he is not making his teammates better and they are losing. It`s still Lebron James with KD really close.

[theokie]

The NBA might as well disband every team besides the Heat and Thunder and let them play each other every day all year since it seems the only teams who can get to the Finals are those and the only 2 players in the league are Durant and LeBron

You're right, because the media never talks about the Knicks
Must be rough not getting any attention

[Benedict_Boozer]

For Durant to win I think he needs to outplay Lebron in the head to heads and finish comfortably ahead in the standings.

Last year he had a better record and strong MVP caliber stats and lost in a landslide to James. Matching the win total isn't going to get it done IMO, OKC needs to separate from MIA especially if Wade keeps missing games.

[[GR]]

The Knicks are nothing without Melo.