NBA Awards Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns Blows The Competition Away
By Ben Nadeau
Most Valuable Player of the Year
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (Last Week: 1, –)
By many accounts, Stephen Curry had a down week as he didn’t top the 30 points as we’ve grown accustomed to and he only hit a combined 4 three-pointers over two games — rather human, you might even say. Well, against Milwaukee in their revenge game, Curry almost casually threw a triple-double, proving that even when his shot isn’t falling as effortlessly, he can still change the game in a thousand different ways.
Case closed.
Curry’s Best Line of the Week: 12/18 vs. MIL — 26 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 6 turnovers, 7-14 FG%
Week Grade: B+
2. Paul George, Indiana Pacers (Last Week: 2, –)
As we discussed in Vogel’s section, I think the two should receive far more credit than they’re getting thus far. Yes, the team is deep and composed of some really great weapons, but if Monta Ellis isn’t been playing well (which he hasn’t), then what reliable day-in, day-out option do they have? LeBron James has Kevin Love. Dwyane Wade has Chris Bosh. Even Nic Batum has Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker!
But George? He’s doing most of this on his own. Godspeed, PG-13, godspeed.
George’s Line of the Week: 12/19 vs. MEM — 29 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 7 turnovers
Week Grade: B
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3. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (Last Week: 3, –)
After a tough 2-2 week, Dwyane Wade has started to show his age again.
When I added him to this list, Wade was actually being pretty efficient with the ball, spreading it around, while also taking and making shots at a respectable clip — now, he’s started firing away in a Kobe-esque manner. Wade sticks around for one more week here, but if he doesn’t clean it up, the two-headed monster in Oklahoma City will be more than willing to pick up the slack.
Wade’s Line of the Week: 12/18 vs. TOR — 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 8 turnovers, 8-16 FG%
Week Grade: B-
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