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The 2015 NBA Playoffs are all set to begin early Saturday afternoon [Saturday night, according to IST], after the 82 game regular season commenced on Wednesday night. With the race for the last Playoff spot in either conference going right down to the wire. In the first round, the West is loaded as ever while in the East 3 of the 4 match-ups are relatively easy ones.Here’s the Playoffs first round preview:Anyway getting back to the title of this piece, the NBA regular season isn’t completely over till the individual awards for the season are announced, which brings us to this year’s MVP debate. The contest for winning MVP honors might have been the closest this year in recent years.In the years since the beginning of this decade, the MVP debate has been all about LeBron James, I mean even the years he didn’t win (2011 & 2014) he came a close second. Although he is in the list of candidates, this year turned out quite differently for James.Before going from No. 5 to my MVP pick, let’s have a look at the criteria on which the players have been ranked from 1 to 5.- Stats - Team’s performance - Number of games played.- Consistency Now that, we have made that clear, let’s go through the league’s Top 5 regular season candidates:-
#5 Anthony Davis-New Orleans Pelicans
At just 22, he has the talent to win multiple MVP’s but just not this year. Nonetheless do give this young chap credit for even being in the conversation (Top 5) at his age.
Averaging 24.4 points (4th in the league), 10.2 rebounds (8th) and 2.9 blocks (leads the league) per game, Anthony Davis had the best season of his 4 year career. Coming up big when it mattered in the New Orleans Pelicans’ final league game against the defending champions San Antonio Spurs, Davis booked the franchise’s first Playoff appearance since Chris Paul’s departure in 2011.
He played 68 games out of the 82 and does a lot more than you might expect from a 6 foot 10 inches forward. Every year he grows, he only gets more dangerous not only on offense but on both ends of the floor.
So what put’s him on the list and what keeps him at the bottom of the top 5?
Davis finished the regular season with a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 30.89, the youngest player in NBA history to finish the season with a PER above 30. He is also only the eight player all time to achieve this feat. In short, stats are what keep him in the conversation.
Unfortunately it’s his team which puts him at No. 5. The Pelicans won 45 games and did just enough to make it to the Playoffs but their win tally is 22 games behind that of the league leading Golden State Warriors. Davis might be 5th on the list but couple of healthy season could really turn it around for him and his team.
#4 Russell Westbrook-Oklahoma City Thunder
Surprised to see him at fourth? Well the analysis might make it easier to digest.
Yes Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s most recent scoring champion and reigning NBA All-Star MVP, has been on somewhat of a rampage since the All-Star break. Have a look at his stats for the season and stats since the All-Star break.
| Points Average | Rebounds average | Assists Average | |
| Season | 28.1 | 7.3 | 8.6 |
| After All-Star Break | 33.6 | 8.8 | 10.1 |
With his 11 triple doubles for the season, four consecutive, Westbrook etched his name into many record books alongside legends. His tally is also the highest since Jason Kidd had 12 with the New Jersey Nets in the 2007-08 season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had lost their two key players in Kevin Durant and Westbrook to injuries for the first six weeks of the season, so making it to the post-season became that much harder. To make matters worse mid-way through the season Durant was suspended from basketball activities for the rest of the season due to lingering foot issues.
What he has done, averaging almost a triple double for over a period of two months or more hasn’t been done in the league for a long time. However, just taking the stats into the consideration is not an option for the league MVP, so that’s why he is at No.4.
Agreed that they had a lot of injury problems early on but the Thunder did win just 45 games, which is 22 behind the Warriors. Another factor hampering Westbrook’s MVP case is his struggle to lead his team to a win over the league’s top 10 teams.
#3 LeBron James- Cleveland Cavaliers
His regular season averages might not be eye-opening or league leading but LeBron James’ impact on the game is undeniable. He might not be in the top two of the MVP rankings but he proved again this season why he is still the best basketball player on the planet. He helped the Cleveland Cavaliers improve from 33 wins to 53 this season.His return to the Cleveland has already raised the division title in the Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cavaliers.
After four consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Miami Heat, his body needed some rest. Therefore his struggles early in the season were understood.Nonetheless, to recuperate he took a two week absence in December and ever since not just him but the Cavaliers have been among the league’s elite.
How does he rank above Westbrook and Davis? And what puts him at No.3?
No doubt with averages of 23.4 points, 7 rebounds and 6.4 assists, stats wise James falls short when compared to Westbrook and Davis but he goes ahead on the basis of his team’s wins and the positive impact he has on the team and their game.
It is important to remember that despite having two young All-Stars (Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving) on his team, James is still among the top 10 for PER. The chances of James’ winning the MVP range from slim to nothing yet his reign as the best complete basketball player continues.
#2 James Harden-Houston Rockets
The MVP case really started to build for James Harden when his teammate Dwight Howard missed a huge chunk of games mid-season. The fact that Howard played just 41 games and still the Houston Rockets are champions of the toughest division (Southwest) not just in the West but the entire league is impressive to say the least.
The gap between No.2 and No.3 is big and big might be an understatement. The reason for that is the consistency with which Harden was able to will the Rockets to victory. He has not missed a single game yet the number of times he has produced an off-game or failed to contribute to his
He is tied for most number of 50-point games by an individual this season with 2; he has 8 40+ point games, the most by an individual this season. With averages of 27.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7 assists, Harden is right there when it comes to top PER’s, MVP conversation and making it to the top plays of the day on a regular basis.
Whether he will ultimately win MVP honors is yet to be seen but Harden does have good chances of winning the award. Where does he fall short of being the No. 1 candidate for the MVP?
Before the top candidate to win the NBA regular season MVP is disclosed, one thing is for sure that he had got to be really good, especially with the kind of season that second placed Harden has had.
#1 Stephen Curry-Golden State Warriors
Point Guard of the NBA’s league leading team the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry is the number one candidate to win the 2014-15 Most Valuable Player Award. It was a tough one, more importantly a very close call but in the end, the superior record of the Warriors helped Curry.
A PER of 28.06 and averages of 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists, Curry has been the reason for his team’s record breaking regular season. He might not have the kind of scoring stats that Harden has but that’s because he doesn’t need to score that many with the level of talent he has around him.
Harden has played heavy minutes to finish the job in the closing minutes meanwhile Curry has sat out 17 fourth quarters this season, making sure the opponents are done before the final quarter begins.
Looking back two years ago when Curry was struggling with ankle injuries, who knew that his game would one day evolve and develop into what it is today. Today he has arguably the best handles in the game to go along with his quick release efficient long range shooting.
He narrowly missed out on making the 40-50-90 club this season with his three point percentage being 44%, free throw percentage being 92% but his field goal percentage just short of 50 (48%). His style of play blends well into the team fabric that the Warriors have at present.
At the end of the day, whether its Harden or Curry nobody should be disappointed as both are equally worthy of being named the league’s regular season MVP.
