Run it Back! NBA Week in Review - Week #22

[00:00:00] Week 22 of the 20 24, 25 NB. A season is over, which means it's time to run it back. This is run it back NBA week in review. I'm Jose Salviati, Editor at thePeachBasket.net, and this is the show where we recap the week it was in the NBA and then highlight the marquee matchup for the week to come. We start with the only objective overall, top 10 NBA power rankings. Anywhere you can read more about how we get to these rankings and see the entire list@thepeachbasket.net. Let's take a look at the top 10. At the conclusion of week number 22, the Minnesota Timberwolves went 500 and week 22 at two and two. Not bad, but not enough to keep them among the elite, they drop from number nine to number 11. Let's see what team is new to the top 10 this week. Number 10 belongs to the Golden State Warriors. They were also two and two, but unlike the wolves, it didn't cost them. The [00:01:00] dubs stay at number 10 for the second week in a row. The Indiana Pacers were perfect in week number 22. They went four and oh and jumped all the way up from number 11, two, the top 10. They come in at number nine. The Memphis Grizzlies were oh and three in week 22, and it cost them, they dropped from number seven to number eight. The number seven spot belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. They went two and two in week number 22, which was just enough barely to move them up. One spot to number seven. The New York Knicks, number six. Again, this is the third week in a row for the Knicks. At six, they were two and two in week number 22, the Denver Nuggets were one and two in week 22, and hold firm at number five for the second week in a row. Coming in at number four were the Houston Rockets. They were perfect in week number 22 at three and oh. Now the top three haven't changed since week number 16, and they may not change until seasons end. Chances are [00:02:00] pretty good. We said this last week that the 20 24, 25 NBA champion will be one of these three teams. The Boston Celtics are number three going two and oh in the week. They won't be able to catch the Cleveland Cavaliers will they? Shockingly, the Cleveland Cavaliers went oh and four in week number 22. This is their first losing week of the season. What's happening in Cleveland? Is it boredom? Is the association catching up to the calves? Should calves fans worry? The Windless week cost them as they drop to number two after three weeks at number one, which means we have a new number one after week, number 22. The Oklahoma City Thunder were perfect in the week at three and oh. And take the top spot. The thunder are scary, good, and appear clearly to be ready for the playoffs. That's the objective top down list for week number 22. If you wanna [00:03:00] see where all 30 teams land this week, please visit the peach basket.net. Now let's focus. Or shift rather, our focus to the players. These are the best to do it by average in week number 22 of the 20 24, 25 NBA season. These are the best by average in shooting rebounds, assists blocks, steals points, and game score. Quentin Grimes, he's a 24-year-old, four season NBA player with a career average of 10 points per game. He's played for four teams over those four years. On paper. Needs a journeyman. This Journeyman had himself a great week. The 76 ERs shooting guard led the entire NBA in points per game, averaging 31.8, not over one game, not over two games. That's over four games. Played really good to see that from Quentin Grimes. The top three point sniper was I, Isaiah Joe. He made 4.73 point shots over his three games played, and the top field goal makers were [00:04:00] Shea, Gilda, Alexander. And Kate Cunningham, both pretty good players and both averaged 12 made shots. Shade. Did it over two games played while K did it over three. The best center not to be an Allstar may very well be of it. Azu bots. The Los Angeles Clipper Center averaged 14.7 rebounds over his three games played in the week to lead everyone. The top offensive rebounder in the week was Donovan ClinGen. He muscled his way to six offensive boards on average over his three games. Played while Zbox was the top defensive rebounder at 10.3. The top assist men were both guards this week. Now, that might not surprise you if you've not listened to our report week by week, but this is surprisingly a category somewhat dominated by centers, but not this week. As Josh Giddy and Tyrese Halliburton both averaged 12 assists. Giddy did it in two games while Halliburton did it in one miles. Turner was the top rim protector and [00:05:00] the. Brim protected the page as needed, especially in a game against the Nets. Turner led everyone sending back 3.7 shots over his three games. Played the top thief in week 21 was Aman Thompson. He swiped seven possessions in his one game, played the top game score for week number 22, belongs to James Harden. This might surprise some people. The Clipper's Guard might be flying under the radar a bit, but he's having a really good season for the tough out. Los Angeles Clippers. He's 27.2. Game score led the association in week number 22. Now, as we look ahead to week number 23, there's an interesting inter conference matchup between the number four in Eastern Conference, Indiana Pacers and the number one in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers will travel to OKC to see if they can stop the thunder's momentum. Now we end the segment with or we end this show with a segment we call full court press. I like to ask AI for its thoughts on viral trending NBA [00:06:00] news as we head into the week and see what it comes up with. And this is what it picked. SGA Sheik Gil, just Alexander takes the MVP lead. That is interesting. March madness and NBA draft prospects. I'm a big fan of basketball, but I don't watch enough. College basketball to really have a say here. Definitely would recommend you look up Nick, NBA on YouTube for some great draft prospect coverage. I'm sure that's gonna be on Nick's channel real soon. The next topic, LeBron James. He's returned. What's that impact gonna be like and yeah, I think certainly the Lakers are looking forward to having him back. It didn't go good in game one, but let's see how that goes long term. These are all great topics, but I really wanna focus on the MVP race. 'cause this has bothered me for some time. The story was that the Oklahoma City Thunder star right has overtaken Nico Nicole Yoic in the latest Kia MVP ladder ratings or rankings. And I get it. I understand it. Shea has been incredible for the [00:07:00] thunder. He's, he has career highs this season and points 32.93 point percentage, a three 7.4 that's over full season. He had a, literally like a 40% shooting percentage in, in a shortened season. But over full season, this is a career best for him and the best effective field goal percentage of his career at 57.8. He's a superstar. He is undeniable and the thunder are the best team in the association, also undeniable. But how do you vote against Nicole Yoki? The senator is averaging a triple double 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.3 assists. He might be the first person to average a 30 point triple double in the history of the association. It's crazy. Over the last four seasons, yo kitchens finished first, first, second, and first in MVP voting. In other words, he's a three time winner. And the time he didn't win, he came in second. So our vote, our vo, our voters board with his play, it's possible they don't want somebody to win at four [00:08:00] times. That puts you in absolute rarefied air. I'm not saying that's what's happening, but. Could it be what's happening? Which brings up something interesting that is frustrating about the MVP award to me. Can anybody define it? What does it really mean? Is it the best player? I. If so, how do you define best? Can the best player be on a losing team? Is it the best score, the best clutch player, the player that makes other players around them better? What exactly is the MVP award? It's that subjective nature of the award that is so frustrating to me. If we made it more objective, say, by awarding the MVP to the best player on the best team every season, what would happen? Take a look. I think this is interesting. Going back to 2015. These are the winners. Curry 2016, Curry 2017, Russell Westbrook, who famously [00:09:00] averaged a triple double that season, first time since Oscar Robertson. 2018 Harden 2019 YA is 2020. YA is 2021 Yage 2022 Yage 2023 MB 2024 yage. Now what if instead of giving it to those guys, we give it to the best player on the best team? What does that do now up until 2021, it doesn't change much. Best team in the NBA in 2015 was Curry's warriors. Alright, 2016 Curry's Warriors. Okay, 2017 Curry's Warriors. Now Curry didn't win it in 2017, Russell Westbrook won it because he averaged a triple double, mostly because he averaged a triple double. Now 2018, the rockets were the best in the association. Hardened won. In 19, it was the Bucks. Giannis won in 20, it was the Bucks. Giannis won. So those five seasons. Or six. Really the best player on the best [00:10:00] team won the majority of the time. And then in 2021 it started to get a little wonky. The best team record wise in the association in 2021 with the Utah Jazz. Look it up. Best player on that team was Donovan Mitchell. But Yoic won 2022 was the son, Devin Booker. But Yoic won 2023. It was the box Giannis, Lieutenant Cubo. MB won 2024. It was the Boston Celtics, Jason Tatum, the Yoic won. So all of the battles, the MVP battles that Yoic won and MB in 2023 were when they were not part of the best team. Now, is that the right thing to do? Is giving the award to the best player on the best team and calling it a day the right thing to do? No. But incorporating a percentage bump to the best player on the best team makes some sense to me. In other words, make it as objective as possible. You get points for leading the league in points in rebounds and assists, et cetera. A [00:11:00] few extra points for being the best player on the best team, and let's see where things land. Do a better job of making it less subjective than it is now. 'cause right now it just goes to whoever wants to vote for the player. We saw that recently in Major League baseball where Ichiro Suzuki was snubbed, a unanimous hall of fame vote because one writer somewhere, one voter somewhere decided he didn't want anybody. I. To be unanimous. That kind of subjective power is frustrating. Ichi Row took it in stride, but it frustrates me. I think the NBA needs to do a better job of defining this award. Personally, I don't know, man. I don't know how you vote for either one and omit the other. Let's give it to both of them. That's it. Week 22 of the 20 24, 25 NBA season is in the books. Join us again next week after week number 23. The season is winding down when we once again run it [00:12:00] back.