The NBA: February 2014 Position Battle – The Top 5 Shooting Guards Right Now

In this Position Battle post, we will focus on the top five shooting guards at this point in the season. We will take into account just the players’ stats for the latest five games of their respective teams. This will, hopefully, give us a more current picture of each player’s production.

The shooting guard position hasn’t really been the most exciting position this season so far. Sure, James Harden and Dwyane Wade have been great, but SGs haven’t really filled up the highlight reels as much as, say, the Steph Currys (or Curries?), Kevin Durants, and LaMarcus Aldridges of the Association. Still, there is a lot of gam-changing talent here, and that’s what we will celebrate in this post.

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on February 12, 2014 (Manila time).

5. James Harden (HOU) - 23.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.3apg, 1.8spg, 2.5 triples per game, .933 FT%, 18.5 EFF

Yes, the Beard is just at fifth spot, which is quite low for him, who is considered by many the best active SG out there. With Harden playing really well, Houston has won 8 of its last 10 games, and they remain among the top five clubs in the Western Conference. His recent best was dropping 28 points on the Cavs on top of 4 assists and three triples.

           

4. Monta Ellis (DAL) - 17.8ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.0apg, 2.0spg, .469 FG%, 1.0 triples per game, .417 3pt%, .857 FT%, 18.6 EFF

Quietly, the Dallas Mavericks have clustered five straight wins, which is the second-longest active streak behind the Rockets’ six-game run. Ellis, not surprisingly, has been a major contributor in that winning run, playing awesome two-way basketball. His recent best was scoring 20 points with 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in a close win by Dallas over Sacramento.

Monta Ellis has emerged as a vital cog for
the Dallas Mavericks.
(image by Jerome Miron/USA Today)

Super Sixth Men: Lamar Odom, Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford

The best men off the bench in the NBA
(image from NBA.com)

Lamar Odom ran away with the 6^th Man of the Year award, and he definitely put up the numbers to warrant the accolade. Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, however, also had great season stats and both are doing even better in the current postseason. All three will play vital roles if their respective teams have any hopes of advancing deeper into the playoffs. Odom and Terry make an interesting pair as they will collide in the second round. Crawford, for his part, will have a chance at trying to slow down Derrick Rose and his rampaging Chicago Bulls.

Playoff Pondering: April 29, 2011

ATL over ORL, 84-81 (ATL wins 4-2)

Orlando didn't have enough magic
(image by the AP)

These Hawks flew under the radar for most of the season, yielding the spotlight to teams with bigger names and bigger egos. But names and egos don’t win games do they? Talent helps, sure, but will is the key. Talent is nothing without will, and Atlanta has boatloads of will. Jamal Crawford was the hot hand for most of this first round encounter, but Joe Johnson was the one who finally shut the door on the Magic. A year after losing by an average of 25 points in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Atlanta proved to be tougher in the clutch, and just plain more balanced. They were also better at cleaning the glass in this one, outrebounding Orlando 38-31. Wait, Dwight Howard plays for Orlando right? Yup, he does, at least for now -- nobody knows where he’ll be in a couple of months. Sure, he’s not a free agent yet, but if he throws a tantrum like Carmelo Anthony, then who can stop Superman from upping for wherever he wants? As for the Hawks, they get to tell Derrick Rose, “Jameer Nelson says hello.”

Playoff Pondering: April 25, 2011

 PHI over MIA, 86-82 (MIA up 3-1)

Miami, you'll see more of Jrue
(image by Rob Carr of Getty Images)

How do you lose a 6-point lead in 95 seconds and 3 super stars on your team? Ask the Miami Heat, this season’s poster boys for endgame mess-ups. By all indications, the Heat should’ve won, despite shooting under 40% from the field, and trailing by double-digits yet again. This is why they got LBJ and CB4 (now 1) in the first place. But both teams played the way they did all season long: the Sixers coming back from the grave, and the Heat needlessly burying themselves. The silver lining for Miami fans is their team will end the series in South Beach. They’ll send the Sixers packing, but Philly should be content with the fact they didn’t give Miami the satisfaction of a sweep. But a Game 6 in Philly? I wish.

What went wrong here?
(image by Nick Laham of Getty Images)

BOS over NYK, 101-89 (BOS wins 4-0)

The first team to bite the postseason dust was a team that made the biggest midseason noise. Now all that’s left in the Garden is stunned silence and could-have-beens. All year long Melo wanted New York, and vice versa. And after prancing and dancing with New Jersey, Melo got his way. NY found poster boy #2 to complement Amar’e Stoudemire’s resurgence. The result? Poof. Pundits pegged this series to be upset-worthy, but all that’s left after the smoke has cleared is an upset New York fan base. Are you looking forward to next year Big Apple? Try to look at your record post-trade first (that’s 14-18, including the playoffs).

ATL over ORL, 88-85 (ATL up 3-1)

Jamal over everyone. EVERYONE.
(image by the AP)

Jamal means handsome, and that fits Jamal Crawford’s play quite nicely. He put up superstar numbers with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the Hawks to a resounding Game 4 win. The series is by no means finished, but the Magic sure have their backs against the wall. On a night when both Florida teams lost, it’s Stan Van Gundy’s crew who’s in line for early elimination, and unless Dwight Howard gets some help, Game 5 will point to the exits. One bright spot was the-artist-formerly-known-as-Agent-Zero scoring 20 points, but everyone else was, shall we say, less than magical. Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Ryan Anderson and JJ Reddick combined for 6-36 shooting. Yes, that’s not a typo. And that 3-1 Atlanta series lead? Not a typo too.

NOH over LAL, 93-88 (Series tied 2-2)

This is not how it's supposed to be Kobe
(image by Jeff Zelevansky of Getty Images)

When Chris Paul is on, and he imposes his will, the New Orleans Hornets can be pretty scary. Even without their best big man. Even when Jarrett Jack goes cold for 47 minutes.  Even when they’re facing the defending champions. The Big Easy just made things extra difficult for the Lakers by ensuring a Game 6. And LA might not even enter that game with the series lead, not with the way Kobe Bryant twisted his ankle with 93 ticks to go. KB24 was visibly frustrated at missed catches and botched defensive assignments that ultimately led to the Hornets’ sound thumping of the West’s #2 seed. New Orleans started the year really well, and then they plateaued, and then they floated to the 7^th seed. But what do they say about things that float? Like a butterfly, sting like a what? A Hornet.

Sweet Lou buries a Sweet Three:

Play-off Pondering: April 23, 2011

LAL over NOH, 100-86 (LAL up 2-1)

Pau's back!
(image by Chris Graythen of Getty Images)

 

Pau Gasol was Gasoft in the first half, and then he went all gassed-up in the 2^nd half. He finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds to support KB24 in demolishing the New Orleans Hornets in Game 3. This could signal the Lakers finally getting into the postseason groove, and don’t be surprised if they sweep the next two games. Chris Paul and Carl Landry combined for 45 points, but it was hardly enough to put up a challenge since the Hornets bench, which was the primary reason for their Game 1 shocker, only managed 9 points in all. Don’t expect this to go any further than the fifth match.

BOS over NYK, 113-96 (BOS up 3-0)

NY has no answers
(image by Nick Laham of Getty Images)

So I thought the Knicks would put up a fight at home. They’re from New York after all. But that didn’t stop Game 3 from being a yawner. The reason? Melo’s hot hands cooled down at home (4-16 shooting), Amar’e was a shell of his real self and nobody stepped up in the absence of Chauncey Billups. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo just zapped the shorthanded Knickerbockers and sent them into the dreaded 0-3 hole, from which no team has ever climbed back to win the series. Don’t put your money on the Knicks making history. They might not even make it back to Boston for Game 5.

ATL over ORL, 88-84 (ATL up 2-1)

Head-to-Head
(image byKevin C. Cox of Getty Images)

Jamal Crawford banking in the winning basket was not the most interesting story in this one. Instead, his teammate, Zaza Pachulia, arguably made the strongest hits, right on Jason Richardson’s head! They were both thrown out, and, consequently, will miss Game 4, which the Hawks could use to build a commanding 3-1 series lead. Howard, once again, anchored the Magic’s play on both ends, and, once again, didn’t get a lot of help. I still believe this series will go the distance, but unless Superman is helped by his less-than-super friends, then Atlanta might not even need a Game 7.

What REALLY happened between Zaza and J-Rich? Watch for yourself:

The Kia Performance Awards

Congratulations to Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Lamar Odom!

image taken from http://www.nba.com/awards/2011/

-Dwight pockets his 3^rd Defensive Player of the Year Award! He’ll probably get more in the future, but the bigger question is will he still get them as a member of Orlando?

-The double-double machine is the Most Improved Player for 2010-2011! Now that he’s turned his personal numbers around, maybe he can do the same for Minnesota next season.

-Lamar Odom nabs the Sixth Man of the Year plum from the likes of Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry and Lou Williams! Good job Mr. Dash!

-Now for the MVP… who will it be?

image taken from http://www.nba.com/awards/2011/