He's the best all-around player, makes the most impact and can still change the game more than any other of these great players. But cheer up, because that just means the 2016-17 Playoffs are right around the corner. "And we'll start Sunday".
Golden State had won an National Basketball Association title the previous year, and they were hungry for another one.
The Rockets drilled four 3-pointers to open the second half, seizing a 72-67 lead they would not relent.
This has to be the most exciting matchup in the first round.
It is for this reason that Westbrook should be awarded the MVP. While the votes will already have been cast, these two will each want to prove themselves against their equally talented opponent. Harden has been no slouch himself, averaging 29 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists while leading one of the league's top offenses. And the potential is there for it to happen. Now, I see the argument of them being much worse without him, but the Thunder are a talented roster around Russ, much like Harden has in Houston.
Mar 8, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) handles the ball against the Houston Rockets during the second quarter at Toyota Center. If Harden claims the MVP, it will because of how well his play has translated into wins for his team compared to Westbrook. Andre Roberson is a brilliant defensive player who will shadow James Harden the entire series. Harden was at the center of that, scoring or assisting on nearly every basket when he was on the floor. This season, Harden has 21 triple-doubles. But to face King James, the Raptors have to stop the Greek Freak, and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a handful. Don't rule it out.
FANTASTIC FORWARDS: James and Paul George have had tremendous battles in the both the regular season and postseason.
Shakespeare ponders Morgan gamble for Atletico clash
Shakespeare hopes regular captain Wes Morgan, missing with a back injury, could potentially be fit to replace Huth on Tuesday. The most spectacular of the quarter-finals pits Real Madrid against Bayern Munich, who demolished Arsenal in the last round.
While it wasn't a triple-double display, Oladipo also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.
If Cleveland makes a deep run, he may take over the No. 1 spot on the all-time career playoff scoring list. LeBron James is deserving.
It should be fun watching these two stars go at it. USATSI 5. That's insane, mostly because OKC is 33-9 when he tallies one. This favors playoff basketball style, but being 12th in offense won't be enough to overcome the other two teams in the west, who are also great defensive teams. This should be a tight and fun series to watch, and the points will be valuable.
Combined, they have zero playoff appearances. Millsap is extremely underrated, and Tim Hardaway Jr.is doing fun things. He should have been getting more mainstream media support for the award throughout the season. He enters this postseason No. 4 at 5,572 points - behind only No. 3 Kobe Bryant (5,640), No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762) and No. 1 Michael Jordan (5,987).
"I'm excited that this is the first time since I've been here that guys are on the same page", Harden said. The 40-year-old Carter is still a key part of what the Grizzlies do, and the 39-year-old Ginobili - possibly in his final season, though speculating about his retirement has sort of become an annual tradition in San Antonio - plays about 19 minutes per game off the Spurs' bench. "I liked that it was against really good teams, and I think that will be helpful for us to determine what our needs are and for our players to have a good understanding of what it takes to win and to be successful".
In each of the aforementioned three pieces to the MVP equation, Leonard gets an A-plus grade.
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