LeBron James and Monta Ellis crowned NBA players of the week
The Miami Heat's reigning two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) LeBron James, and the spearhead of an explosive Golden State Warriors offence, Monta Ellis have been named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week respectively. They have been rewarded
for their outstanding performances in the week spanning from 20-26 December.
LeBron James
After a lacklustre start to the season, it appears that LeBron James has finally found his groove at South Beach. James has been inspirational in turning Miami’s season on its head, and is one of the main reasons that the Heat are currently riding high,
winning 14 of their last 15 encounters.
The phenomenal forward, who has lit up the courts this season with a swashbuckling average of 24.8 points, 7.2 assists and 6.6 rebounds has been simply unstoppable this week. He has marshalled the Heat to a 2-1 outcome in the week. King James has pounded
27.3 points together with 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.33 steals, while shooting 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the field. He has also shot 60 percent (9-of-15) from beyond the arc, and 90.5 percent (19-of-21) from the free throw line. In a week in which
Miami's only loss came against the high flying Dallas Mavericks by a two point margin, LeBron posted one double-double and a triple-double.
James started the week with a 19-point and 10-rebound performance against Dallas on 20 December, and also complemented it with a game-high seven assists. He then ran riot against the Phoenix Suns in the next match, scoring a game-high 36 points , while grabbing
six rebounds, four assists and a game-high three steals.
LeBron though saved his best for the last game of the week against the two- time defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Pitched up against Kobe Bryant in the clash of the titans, James posted his 31st triple-double of his career. He scorched the floor
of the Staples Centre with a game-high 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and a game-high four steals.
The award marks the 27th time James has been bestowed with this honour, and the first time in Miami colours.
Monta Ellis
Monta Ellis has become the face of the Golden State Warriors. The break-out star of the league this season, has been the key cog in the revival of the Warriors fortunes. After suffering 14 losses in 16 encounters, Ellis has led his team to a 2-1 week, which
included wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
Ellis who has led the league with an average 39.7 points in the week, topped 36 points in each of the encounters spanning the week under the spotlight. The highlight of his week though came in a 121-112 loss against the Houston Rockets on 20 Dec. In the
nerve wrecking encounter Ellis was inspirational, as he posted 44 points on 15-of-20 shooting from the field.
This proved to be the only loss for the Warriors in the week, as Ellis followed his brilliant effort with 36 points, seven assists and four steals against the Sacramento Kings. After leading the Warriors to an overtime victory against the Kings, he then
rounded off the week in style; scoring 39 points, seven assists and two steals in a 109-102 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Other Nominees
The duo of James and Ellis prevailed over the elite group of nominees featuring stalwarts like Chicago's Carlos Boozer, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, New York's Amar'e Stoudemire and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant.
Tags: