NBA March in review: Top 11 Players – (Part 1)
The month of March usually brings out the best of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the regular season; and this year was no different.
In 31 intriguing days of action, the NBA world witnessed the newly rejuvenated New York Knicks lose their momentum. Chicago Bulls, under the spell of Derrick Rose, continued to be the beast of the East. The Boston Celtics lost their panache and killer instinct,
while the Miami Heat played like the Miami Heat; you never know when they switch off.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Los Angeles Lakers rocked the West with their post All-Star resurgence. The best in the west, San Antonio Spurs went through their worst tail-spin of the season, and are now on the cusp of losing out on the top spot
to the Lakers. The Mavericks were shaky while Oklahoma City Thunder turned on the heat.
Apart from team achievements, there were many instances of individual artistry that defined the March madness. Here is a list of the top eleven players who made their mark in the period under the spotlight.
11. Carmelo Anthony – New York Knicks
After nearly three months of the speculative and sometimes frustrating transfer saga, Carmelo Anthony finally landed at Madison Square Garden in late February. His stay at New York has been less than ideal to say the least. In the month of March alone, the
Knicks lost 11 of 18 games.
Although the losing record of the Knicks does not justify his inclusion in the top eleven, but Anthony made the cut on the back of his late March exploits, when he single-handedly snapped the Knicks six-game tail-spin. In a showdown against Dwight Howard’s
Orlando Magic on 30th March, the mercurial forward erupted with 39 points and 10 rebounds, as the Knicks knocked down the Magic in an overtime extravaganza.
The very next night, Anthony again unleashed a 39-point, 10 rebound blitz and helped the Knicks scorch the New Jersey Nets in an Atlantic Division showdown.
In March, Carmelo scored at an average of 26.1 points per game at a shooting rate of 46.5 percent. He is certainly finding his groove quickly.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge – Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge has been like a beacon of light in the injury stricken roster of the Portland Trail Blazers. In his fourth NBA year, the prolific power forward has unleashed a brand of offensive ball-play this season.
Pacing the Trail Blazers in March with an average of 20.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, Aldridge is the very reason that the Blazers have romped to sixth position in an air-tight Western Conference with a win ratio of 0.579.
The highlight of his month came in a 105-96 against the Miami Heat on 8th March. Pitched up against the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Aldridge pounded a team-high 26 points to help the Trail Blazer beat Miami in their own
building.
9. Ty Lawson – Denver Nuggets
Well there is a surprise. When Carmelo Anthony left Denver in February, he also swept away their veteran point guard Chauncey Billups with him, and not many expected Ty Lawson to take over so clinically.
The pint sized point guard however, provided a perfect repose to that quandary. In the month of March, the 5ft-11in guard has been a revelation, scoring at an average of 16.6 points, 7.5 assists per game and a team-high 1.54 steals per game.
Leading the Nuggets to a 10-3 record, Lawson pulled off his best performance in a 14th March encounter against the New Orleans Hornets. Up against a team that is deemed the defensive giant of the NBA, Lawson exploded on the court with 23 points on 13 shots
complemented by 10 assists.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com
Tags: