It’s early April and that means most of the Playoff
spots have been taken. The only ones still up in the air are what I call the
crap seeds, mainly because a team’s prize for claiming the 7th or 8th
seed is to take on, gulp the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, or OKC Thunder.
Pick your poison. Oh well, at least your gate attendance should skyrocket,
right?
Regardless, however, we’re here to celebrate the
NBA’s own version of March Madness, which basically starred the San Antonio
Spurs, who quietly put together a boatload of wins and have, once again, become
the top title contender heading to the sunset of the regular season. Meanwhile,
out East, the Indiana Pacers continue to pay for the folly of trading away
Danny Granger. They no longer have the top seed and they have absolutely ZERO
momentum heading to their last handful of games.
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| Best of March (clockwise from top): Al Jefferson, Gorgui Dieng, the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevin Durant. |
This is the fifth in a series of “Best of the Month”
citations based on the Efficiency Recap ratings on HoopsStats.com. Team citations will be based on Efficiency Recap
Difference (Team Efficiency – Opponents’ Efficiency), while Player citations
will be based on Player Efficiency. You can check out the Stats Glossary here.
Team Citations:
Best
Backcourt: L.A.Clippers - 45.1ppg, 8.7rpg, 15.7apg, 5.2spg, 4.8 triples per
game, .851 FT%, 15.4 DEFF
When even guys like Reggie Bullock and Willie Green
start contributing significantly, you know your backcourt is doing well. Chris
Paul and Darren Collison were able to prove they could co-exist as the Clips’
starting guard duo for most of last month, averaging a combined 35 points, 14
assists, and 4 steals. That eased the pain of Jamal Crawford’s missing 9 games
due to an Achilles tendon injury and an aggravated calf strain. Doc Rivers will
need his backcourt to continue playing at a high level, though, since Crawford
is likely to miss a chunk of the postseason, too.
Best Frontcourt:
San Antonio Spurs - 63.5ppg, 36.5rpg, 14.7apg, 4.6spg, 5.6bpg, .505 FG%, 5.8
triples per game, .484 3pt%, 24.2 DEFF
Much can be said about the depth in the Spurs’
backcourt, what with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Marco Belinelli, and Danny
Green taking names, but Pop’s tried-and-tested frontline has, arguably, been
the biggest factor why San Antonio never lost in March. Yes, they won all
SIXTEEN games, folks. Kawhi Leonard continues to grow as one of the most
promising stretch forwards in the league, while Tim Duncan remains as solid as
ever. The trio of Boris Diaw, Tiago Splitter, and Austin Daye has given
significant contributions, too. Daye, in particular, is one to watch, as he
normed close to 2 triples per game last month. Philly should remember Daye,
since he hit six treys against the Sixers last March 24.
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| I want to say I'm surprised, but the truth is I'm not. These Spurs are at it again. (image from the NBA.com) |
Best Bench:
San Antonio Spurs - 47.7ppg, 18.7rpg, 12.7apg, 3.3spg, 1.4bpg, 5.6 triples per
game, 19.3 DEFF
What is not to love about the Spurs’ second and even
third units? I mean, Pop has BOTH Manu and Marco coming off the pine along with
the oft-overlooked Boris Diaw. Patty Mills, too, hasn’t been too shabby,
averaging close to 10 points and 2 triples per outing. He’s the new George
Hill, I guess. The Spurs’ starters are absolutely amazing, but nobody can sleep
on such an efficient bench, too.
Best
Starting Five: L.A.Clippers - 81.8ppg, 33.1rpg 22.1apg, 7.5spg, 4.5bpg, .510
FG%, 5.5 triples per game, 34.6 DEFF
Lost in the discussion of the Spurs just creaming
everyone last month was this fact: the Clippers were nearly as deadly, winning
13 of their 15 games. Yes, their schedule wasn’t exactly studded with the
Heats, Thunders, and Spurs of the Association, but winning 13 of 15 is still no
joke. Most of the credit goes to their sublime corps of starters, since guys
like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan continue to have career-defining seasons.
The aforementioned pairing of CP3 and Collison has been effective, too, along
with the rock-solid play of swingman Matt Barnes.
East: Brooklyn
Nets (12-4 in March) - 103.4ppg, 36.6rpg, 21.2apg, 10.6spg, 3.4bpg, 10.8
triples per game, .404 3pt%, 9.6 DEFF
With both the Pacers and the Heat struggling last
month, the East was Brooklyn’s for the taking. The highlights were huge
victories over Miami, Chicago, Toronto, and Charlotte, all of whom will make
the Playoffs. Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Paul Perce, and Marcus Thornton all
hit around 2 triples per game last month, which more than made up for their depleted
frontcourt, whose best player turned out to be newly-naturalized Filipino
Andray Blatche. Oh, and did I mention Paul Pierce started mostly at PF? #Whut
West: San
Antonio Spurs (16-0 in March) - 111.9ppg, 46.6rpg, 28.3apg, 7.9spg, 6.4bpg,
.492 FG%, 10.4 triples per game, .437 3pt%, 38.3 DEF
There was no stopping Pop’s posse in March. The Spurs
climbed to the top spot in the league, and it sure looks like they don’t have
any plans of relinquishing it. San Antonio has just been solid from top to
bottom, and they look mighty motivated to win the title that slipped through
their fingers in the dying seconds of game 6 last year.
Player Citations:
Best Point
Guard: Chris Paul (LAC) - 19.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 10.3apg, 2.9spg, 1.2 triples per
game, .864 FT%, 25.4 EFF
I hope you’re not tired of seeing Chris Paul on this
list because, well, he really is the most productive playmaker on the planet. He’s
not as cat-quick as he once was, but what now lacks in speed he more than makes
up for in savvy. Also, it doesn’t hurt that his teammates have done a better
job of cashing in on those buckets.
Best
Shooting Guard: James Harden (HOU) - 26.9ppg, 4.9rpg, 6.9apg, 1.6spg, .500 FG%,
3.4 triples per game, .431 3pt%, .850 FT%, 27.0 EFF
The Rockets lost a bit of momentum in March, but
that’s not to say they did poorly. On the contrary, Houston continued to hum,
winning 10 of 14 outings, with Harden continuing to be the focal point of their
offense. The Beard seems to be seriously gearing himself up for what should be
a punishing Playoff push as the Rockets are pegged as a dark horse title
contender.
Best Small
Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) - 34.5ppg, 6.7rpg, 5.9apg, .517 FG%, 3.3 triples
per game, .438 3pt%, .854 FT%, 33.8 EFF
KD unseats LBJ at the top of the league’s SFs once
again. The wonderful thing about Durant is that he played better than every
single swingman he faced in March. That didn’t translate to a flawless slate
for OKC, which went 10-4, but it’s still a pretty impressive fact that will
weigh heavily in his favor when the MVP voting begins.
Best Power
Forward: Anthony Davis (NOP) - 24.4ppg, 10.8rpg, 2.1apg, 2.5bpg, .509 FG%, 29.5
EFF
Kevin Love was all but forgotten last month as this
super soph took the league by storm. In terms of production, Davis was the best
big man out there, and was, in fact, the second-best player overall. More
importantly, he helped the Pelicans win 9 of 16 games, which basically made
them the most dangerous non-Playoff squad heading to the homestretch. His best
game? How about that 40-point, 21-rebound effort against the Celtics?
Best
Center: Al Jefferson (CHA) - 24.7ppg, 10.6rpg, 2.2apg, 1.0spg, .555 FG%, 27.6
EFF
From seemingly out of nowhere, the former Utah
slotman has almost singlehandedly towed the Bobcats into the postseason. Al-Jeff’s
numbers are very impressive, especially considering he plays in a conference
that has Chris Bosh, Joakim Noah, and Marcin Gortat. In fact, Jefferson beat
both Bosh and Gortat in their head-to-head match-ups last month.
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| Al Jefferson powers his way through the Orlando D. (image by Chuck Burton/AP) |
Best East
Rookie: Michael Carter-Williams (PHI) - 14.9ppg, 8.4rpg, 6.5apg, 1.7spg, 16.9
EFF
MCW retakes the Eastern rookies’ top bunk, unseating
rival Victor Oladipo. And, yes, that’s despite the fact his Sixers tied the
record for futility by losing 26 straight games (bridging January, February and
March). Statistically, no other freshman holds a candle to Carter-Williams, but
with his team going south, he hasn’t exactly bottled that ROY plum just yet.
Best West
Rookie: Gorgui Dieng (MIN) - 8.6ppg, 8.3rpg, .613 FG%, 15.9 EFF
The Senegalese rookie big man had a good month this
past March. He put up six double-doubles in a seven-game stretch where he
normed around 12.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. His best effort was against
Houston’s Omer Asik. Against the Turk, Dieng dropped 22 points and hauled down
21 boards in nearly 40 minutes of action.
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| Gorgui Dieng pivots to the hole. (image by Fernando Medina/Getty Images) |
Best East
Player: LeBron James (MIA) - 25.9ppg, 6.8rpg, 6.5apg, 1.8spg, .540 FG%, 1.6
triples per game, 28.2 EFF
LBJ isn’t the best small forward or best overall
player out there, but he’s still the beastiest in the LEASTern conference. In
spite of the fact his Heat lost 7 games last month, LBJ has reason to smile
after they finally ascended to the conference’s top seed (thanks for nothing,
Indiana).
Best West
Player: Kevin Durant (OKC) - 34.5ppg, 6.7rpg, 5.9apg, .517 FG%, 3.3 triples per
game, .438 3pt%, .854 FT%, 33.8 EFF
Durant for MVP? He’s got my vote, for sure.
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| The best in the NBA right now = Kevin Durant. (image by Bill Baptist/Getty Images) |
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