The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking for an identity and maybe some national recognition. One does not get much NBA national recognition playing basketball in a city not known for basketball. If you ply your trade in one of the traditional cities like Boston or L.A. then the lights are already on you, but if you dribble orange balls for Oklahoma City, you can remain unknown.

Kevin Durant is making sure that the Thunder find their places in the annals of the NBA and its great games, although it still is not like Boston vs. Orlando or L.A. vs. San Antonio, it was a great start.

Oklahoma City 108 Milwaukee Bucks 90

The Bucks came in with a winning record and an awesome rookie in Brandon Jennings, but it was Durant that stole the show.

It’s precisely what happened Friday, as the Thunder led by as many as 24 points and never trailed by more than six. The Thunder outplayed a Milwaukee team that came in with a surprising 8-5 record but was just 2-4 on the road.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with a game-high 33 points to go with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Thabo Sefolosha recorded his second double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook finished with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

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The big key for the Thunder is on the defensive end and they showed that in beating the Bucks.

Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who entered the night as the league’s 10th-leading scorer at 23.4 points per game, was held to 12 points and three assists. The 10th overall pick and frontrunner for Rookie of the Year had just two points and three assists in 19 first-half minutes.

Kevin Durant an MVP contender

Kevin Durant is having a MVP type season, although he most likely will not win the award, which is usually reserved for more veteran players playing on teams headed for the Conference finals at least. Still, Kevin is in the Race as they call it at NBA.com.

10. Kevin Durant, Thunder (9-7)
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
15 38.6 27.1 6.8 3.1 1.5 0.8 .450 .250 .855
Last Week: N/A | Drafted:
The newcomer to The Race, though it is our suspicion that he will have a regular appearance among these candidates in the coming years. The thing that stands out about him is he has incredible length but gets his shot off so quickly coming off screens that defenders have a hard time getting a hand up. Once he adds strength and experience, he’ll be very difficult to stop. Plus, he has his team a third of the way to last season’s victory total of 23, which should not be overlooked.

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Image: Zuma Press

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As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

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Post from: NBA Obsessed

MVP time is this week Thursday and the choice is a tough one. LeBron James or Kobe Bryant? It really is down to the two of them as Dwyane Wade as had a drop-off recently and that remains in the voters’ minds.

Kobe Bryant is hardly fifth best?

One way to look at a player’s production is the Bird value.

As always, I am informed, but not driven, by the formula three-time MVP Larry Bird devised to quantify any player’s true value: points, rebounds, assists, steal and blocks, minus missed shots, missed free throws and turnovers. The sum is divided by games played. It’s a great jumping-off point for careful consideration.

LeBron James, Cavaliers

Bird average: 32.15

Case for MVP: He has the highest Bird value. Additionally, he’s nearly as good a closer as Bryant, still the player every coach would want taking a deciding shot in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. He’s worthy of consideration for the All-Defensive team, too. Simply, he gets the vote because he’s the reason Cavaliers have the best record.

Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Bird average: 24.26

Case for MVP: No player in the league is more reliable when the ball is in his hands and the game is on the line, or more focused on getting a stop in the same circumstance. Plus, he understands, more than at any time in his career, how to make his teammates better.

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In case you were wondering:
Chris Paul 30.3
Dwyane Wade 28.98
Dwight Howard 27.32

My personal consideration of this matter reveals that stats are stats and don’t always tell the story. While LeBron is certainly deserving, you can’t put Kobe 5th in this group. Kobe or LeBron will likely win the award.

Photo source Newscom

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Post from: NBA Obsessed

By Guest Blogger, Kori Ellis

While it’s a bit early to be talking MVP, here’s an early look at the current leaders in the race for the 2007-08 NBA MVP award:

1) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James built on a very good playoff run last year and this year he’s been fantastic. In fact, he’s on pace to have one of the best seasons in NBA history. He’s averaging 31.7 points, 8.5 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks. Those numbers make him the clear cut MVP favorite.

2) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Coming into this season, the MVP award was basically Garnett’s to lose. He’s held up his part of the bargain but so far LeBron has just been too good. If LeBron cools off, Garnett is the next in line to take home the MVP award.

3) Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Howard is simply a beast. He’s so big and strong that he’s no almost impossible to keep off the boards. His scoring touch has improved to the point that he’s now a capable go-to scorer. 22.5 points and 14.4 rebounds per game isn’t bad for a 21-year-old.

4) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
When it comes to MVP talk, Nash has to be in the conversation. The Suns are yet again off to a good start and Nash is playing as well as ever. He’s shooting the ball great and his passing is fantastic, as expected.

5) Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are playing really well to start off the season and surprisingly enough, arguably the best player on the team has been Ginobili to date. His per minute stats are off the charts and he deserves to be listed as a candidate at this early point of the season.

Post from: NBA Obsessed