Scoring race goes down to the wire. Review of LA-OKC game.

Kobe and the Lakers might have pulled off the comeback win in last night’s epic game and hitting more big shots late than Kevin Durant, but Kevin Durant actually overtook him for the scoring lead.

Kobe was a killer late with KD missing open jumpers. Kobe finished with 26 on the night with Durant getting 35. It was a great game that should be known as the Kobe-being-Kobe game or the Jordan Hill game, but instead it will be marred for the Metta The Hammer Artest throwing a vicious elbow at James Harden.

I was reading that someone said that it reminded them of Kermit Washington nailing Rudy T with a sucker punch and basically shattering his face. Ironically, Rudy T was at the game last night.

Without Harden the Thunder looked lost. Westbrook flew into the lane without abandon and Durant air mailed jumpers. The Thunder need Harden back quickly at 100% for them to be true title contenders. I think that Westbrook showed that he is more of a D Wade type player. I think that they need to start Harden and make him into a Scottie Pippen type player with KD being somewhat like MJ here. Then use Westbrook off the ball more as a lethal offensive wild card.

Last night Kobe hit the big shots. He’s focused and on a mission. Devin Ebanks played great and Jordan Hill played out of his mind.

These two teams look to be headed toward an epic second round showdown.

But, back to the scoring title. The scoring race is close. But how close? With KD getting 35 last night to Kobe’s 26, the brilliant Durant is averaging 27.906 points per game. Kobe is now averaging 27.862. OKC has two more games left but the Lakers only have one more left with the Lakers game coming against the Kings. If Kobe scores 34 against the Kings then that would give him 27.96 points per game which would barely edge KD if Durant scores slightly below his current average.

If KD plays limited minutes in his last game and Kobe goes off against the Kings, Kobe could retake the lead but this scoring race is coming down to the wire.

I was thinking that a scoring title this year would help Durant in the MVP race. It still might but losing last night hurt KD’s argument. They had a huge lead but they couldn’t get it done with Durant missing a lot of shots. This would have been a perfect game for him to close with Harden being out but he couldn’t get it done. The loss also meant that OKC lost ground on the Spurs for best record in the West. For Durant to pull off the MVP upset I think most thought that OKC would need the best record in the West. KD might have to settle for a scoring title.

Looks like the MVP award is LeBron’s now. The guy is a beast, and the best two way player in the game. He looks locked in. LeBron should be taking home his 3rd MVP trophy in four years. That’s a huge accomplishment. I also think that if Durant takes home the scoring title and if the OKC Thunder make a great run, possibly to the Finals or a title that KD becomes the prohibitive favorite to win the MVP trophy next year. I doubt that they give it to LBJ in four out of five years. Kobe will be another year older and, while D Rose should bounce back, I doubt that he will get two MVP’s this early in his career. That would make Durant the early favorite for next year’s MVP with Chris Paul, Kevin Love, and Westbrook being some other top contenders again. LeBron could still make things interesting, especially if he steps up his game again (think low post offense) and the Heat come out firing on the heels of an NBA title. 4 MVP’s in 5 years would be incredible, but LeBron is an incredible player. Next year’s MVP race could come down to the wire again — a repeat performance by James and Durant.

Finally, the Heat and Thunder look like they are headed for a Finals showdown. LeBron vs. Durant. D Wade vs. Westbrook. Bosh vs. Ibaka. Battier vs. Harden. That would be fun to watch. An NBA title on the line with the future of the league at stake.