Could be a career year for Durant...

I think Kobe is playing an awesome season...but Durant is also quite on a tear

career high's in MPG, FG%, 3FG%, FT%, RPG, ASP, STEALS, BLOCKS...

thats pretty crazy to be better at everything within a year. Of course its still early in the season and some numbers will probably come down slightly...but so far, so good.

He could end up with 50/40/90.. If that's the case, his team is top 3 in the league, and he's say 2nd in scoring I don't know how you don't give him the MVP this year

He's simply amazing. To average career highs across the board after a year in which he was clearly the second best player in the league is just scary. I don't think I've ever seen that. And he would be averaging a career high in PPG if he just took a couple more shots. He's taking the second LEAST amount of shots per game in his career (after his rookie season), yet he's averaging the second MOST PPG in his career. In other words, he has never scored so efficiently in his career. This is after he already led the league in scoring for the last 3 years. It really tells you how hard Durant works and where his head is at. The dude probably took the Finals loss very hard (then he had to play ALONGSIDE LeBron on the US team not long after...so he had to see him everyday...imagine that) and he's simply on a mission. This is also the first time in his career he's averaging more assists than turnovers as he's really making a concerted effort to involve his teammates and get away from the isolation-heavy type of basketball they played last season. The dude does whatever it takes to win and he's going to go down as one of the best scorers to ever play this game, period (assuming he's healthy).

it is pretty amazing, but i'm not sure if it's enough to take it from lebron.

Kevin Durant: 28.4 points (2nd career highest)
4.1 assists (career high)
8.1 rebounds (career high)
1.2 assist/turnover ratio (highest ever, only season above 1)
1.4 blocks (career high)
1.5 steals (career high)
51.6 FG% 43.6 3PT% 90.3 FT%
39:36 MPG

LeBron James: 25.9 points (2nd lowest career)
6.9 assists (career average)
8.5 rebounds (career high)
2.46 assist/turnover ratio (2nd highest career)
0.9 blocks (3rd highest career)
1.6 steals (Tied for last with 6 other seasons)
54.8 FG% 43.3 3PT% 70.1 FT% (FG and 3PT is career best, FT is 2nd lowest)
37:53 MPG

Carmelo Anthony: 28.5 points (career 2nd highest)
1.9 assists (career lowest)
6.2 rebounds (5th worst)
0.73 assist/turnover ratio (By far the worst, the only season he's below 1)
0.6 blocks (tied for 1st with 2 other seasons)
1.0 steals (4th worst)
47.3 FG% 43.4 3PT% 82.6 FT% (3PT% is career best)
36:17 MPG

Kobe Bryant: 30.1 points (3rd career highest)
4.9 assists (tied for 9th best)
5.3 rebounds (tied for 5th worst)
1.4 assist/turnover ratio (below career average)
0.3 blocks (below career average)
1.5 steals (career average)
47.8 FG% 37.1 3PT% 84.9 FT% (FG% is career high)

All of these guys are having a "career" year in some way. Whether it's Kobe's efficiency, Durant's assists, LeBron's rebounding, or Carmelo's shooting from the outside. These guys are all making a great bid right now for MVP. Kobe brings up the rear mostly because of the team's record, but I think it then goes Carmelo, LeBron, and Durant.

at the risk of sounding like a lebron-jocker, the fact that he's mostly average by his standards and the consensus #1 player in the league kind of speaks for itself.

the other three certainly are playing some great ball, though.

Kevin Durant is hell bent on destroying the league minute by minute, shot by shot, game by game. In the times I've watched him this year, I've seen an intensity that is at an all-time high, so far. Having to play alongside his nemesis Lebron James yet befriend him during this summer's Olympic games, had to strike a fire in him which isn't much talked about. Kevin Durant is the best player on the best team in the NBA, so far. With 31 of 82 games played for OKC, it's his to lose...so far. The last 4 weeks of the 2013 regular season will determine who becomes the outright MVP. The Valentine's Day meeting between these two warriors will hold a lot of weight as to who reigns supreme for the regular season award. But both these guys have bigger aspirations. Realisticially, look for a Miami-OKC rematch in June. This poster believes much that much of the past will repeat itself though.

^^^ I hope that the Heat vs. OKC don't meet up again in the Finals. That was some bad basketball to watch. Nothing but 3's, fouls and bad offense/chucking jumpers, sprinkled in with boneheaded plays.

abeer3 wrote:at the risk of sounding like a lebron-jocker, the fact that he's mostly average by his standards and the consensus #1 player in the league kind of speaks for itself.

the other three certainly are playing some great ball, though.

Yeah just says how good the dude is. He hasn't been playing out of his mind this season and is still a 30 PER player, it's unreal. It's scary how easy the game is for him

With that said Durant has really impressed me and has taken his game to the next level. I would definitely give him the MVP right now.

^^ Yeah LeBron is on another level. Dude NEVER has an off game. Well, an off-game is like 24-7-7. And that tells you everything.

Even Kobe/MJ had bad games. LeBron never seems to have bad games.

Dude is averaging 26.6 pts, 8.5 rebs, 7.0 ast on 54.5% shooting. All while averaging a career-low in turnovers. Just unreal.

The game is easy for Lebron ... I'd like to see him and the Heat in the WCF though ... the East is getting worse and worse and the frontcourts are ridiculousy weak