Anthony Davis dribbles down the court. According to the Nathan Janick and Jacob Durst, Davis will be a contender for the NBA MVP award. | Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons
The NCAA tournament hangover is only rivaled by the Super Bowl hangover (or the one you get after a long night at Maggie’s). The Nosebleeds are here as your aspirin and black coffee with the key storylines that nobody is talking about from the Final Four and some NBA awards talk to get you excited for our NBA Playoffs preview that is coming up within the next couple weeks.
Just because University of Kentucky lost in the semifinals doesn’t mean this Final Four wasn’t one of the best in recent years.
Nathan Janick: The University of Kentucky vs. University of Wisconsin game was one for the ages. The story of this Wisconsin team avenging its loss from the previous year against an even better Kentucky team would have gone down in history, but then the national championship game happened.
Jacob Durst: We knew coming into the tournament that teams that were well disciplined, had some size and could shoot could conceivably give Kentucky problems. The University of Notre Dame showed that Kentucky was vulnerable, and Wisconsin proved that they could be beaten. Kentucky losing was a good thing for college basketball. Competitive balance among some of the big schools is questionable as is. The last thing college basketball needs is a team going 40-0. Plus, who doesn’t like to see Kentucky’s Harrison twins angry?
NJ: Also, props to Wisconsin for making those high comedy shirts … Forget about the questionable calls, this game was awesome. Both teams benefited from calls, just the ones in Duke’s favor came later in the game.
Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky outplayed Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and it wasn’t close.
NJ: On both ends of the court, Kaminsky dominated Okafor. Not only did Kaminsky pretty much shut down Okafor on the defensive end, but he also got Okafor in foul trouble, which only allowed Okafor to play 22 minutes. This matchup was as lopsided as it could be with Kaminsky outscoring Okafor 21-10 and the majority of Okafor’s points came off easy putbacks off offensive rebounds. However, all this is lost with Duke’s victory.
JD: To be fair, I think Wisconsin would win a seven game series between these two teams, but it would be in at least six games. However, in win or go home situations weird things happen, like the eighth man, who didn’t play at all until Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon was kicked off the team, taking over the game.
Two years from now Duke’s Grayson Allen WILL be the most hated player in college basketball.
NJ: I am personally guaranteeing this! If there were any way I could wager on this, I would wager a majority of my savings on it, because I am so sure about this prediction. Christian Laettner, J.J. Reddick, and now Allen. Yes, he is that hateable. I saw him play in person in Charlotte, and the amount of enthusiasm/chest bumping/try-hardness/wanna-be swagger this kid has is absurd. He is that kid on the court that you just want to punch in the face because he won’t shut up and tries way to hard, then gets in your face about it. To top it all off, the kid struts around the court as if he is Michael Jordan and HE PLAYS LESS THAN 15 MINUTES PER GAME!
JD: Props to him for leading his team back when they looked dead in the water against Wisconsin, but once he is getting starter minutes next year, you better hide your remotes because you might break your TV trying to chuck one at him.
And now, to the NBA for the Nosebleed’s first annual MVP Ballot; here’s who we think will win the prize:
1. (tied) Point guard Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors
JD: Curry has the classic argument to back up his MVP claim: he’s the best player on the best team in basketball. He’s attempting nearly eight three-pointers a game and still on the verge of a 50-40-90 season from the field. He’s become a much more passable defender and there’s no way in hell that Golden State’s offense works without him. Historically, being the best player on the best team is enough to get you the award, especially when your win total approaches the sacred land of 65–plus. That might be what it takes to win this year.
NJ: You and I both agree that next player on this list should be MVP, but is probably not going to be. The real upset is you not listing him before Curry because the next player may or may not play for your favorite team.
Best argument for MVP – Best player on the best team.
1. (tied) Shooting guard James Harden from the Houston Rockets
JD: I don’t think there’s a question about this: Harden has been the most integral player in basketball to his team’s success. If you take Harden off the Rockets, they’re a bottom-10 team. If you put Harden on the Warriors, I think that they do just as well as with Curry. But, if you put Curry on the Rockets, this team is battling for the eighth seed in the West. The same goes for any other team in basketball. Harden just makes it work. If you’re looking for stats, how’s this?: since the merger, only three players have averaged 27 points, six rebounds and six assists over the course of a full season. Those three players are Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Harden.
NJ: You make very solid points. Kudos to you for not being a total homer.
Best argument for MVP – Most valuable player on any team.
2. Power forward/center Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans
JD: If the Pelicans were halfway decent this year, this would be Davis’ award to lose. But sadly, they might not even make the playoffs, and they certainly won’t make the fourth-seed historically required to win. He might be the most deserving from an individual standpoint, though. By Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Davis is currently having the 11th best single season of all time. He’s 22 years old. The people higher than him on the list? Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Not too bad company if you ask me. If you’re a fan of counting stats, he’s only averaging 25/10/2/3. He leads the league in blocks while putting up 25 and 10. He recently said that he wants to be a top-five player all time. I’m not putting it past him. He’ll win this award a bunch, but his first won’t be this year.
NJ: This pick comes with a 2001 Barry Bonds sized *asterisk* inferring that the Pelicans even make the playoffs.
Best argument for MVP – Best numbers.
