February Was A Historic Month For 5 NBA Stars

Not since 1962 have five NBA players averaged 30-plus points in the same month. In February of 2014, however, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin accomplished that task. The five of these players were spectacular in the month of February and had some memorable moments in the month. Durant out-dueled former scoring champion Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James hit a step-back buzzer-beater three to beat Golden State before the All-Star break. Kevin Love recorded his first triple-double of his career and Griffin tallied eight double-doubles in the month.

Read on to find out how each player successfully reached the 30-plus point mark and how it can impact them going forward.

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Kevin Durant
F, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant followed up his 12-straight, 30-plus point streak in January with a solid performance in the month of February. Durant had three different 40-point games, two of them without Russell Westbrook. Durant carried the Thunder while Westbrook suffered his injury, going 22-8 in his absence. The Slim Reaper had six 30-plus point games in February and in all six of those, he recorded a double-double. He came close to recording a triple-double in the Thunder’s 112-100 beatdown of the New York Knicks. In that game, Durant outscored fellow scoring champion Carmelo Anthony, 41-15. He tallied 43 points along with 12 rebounds at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers and piled on 42 points and ten boards in the Thunder’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

For the month of February, Durant averaged 33.4 points.

Durant scores the majority of his points in the paint. According to NBA.com shot charts, he is shooting 65.7 percent inside the paint this season. Durant is second in the league in points per game on drives to the basket, scoring 6.1 points of the Thunder’s 8.1 a night, while shooting 39 percent from three-point range and 51 percent from the field.

He has shot the ball very well from long range and his midrange jumper is very consistent. His pull-up jumper is deadly. He averages 7.9 points a night off pull-up jumpers, third in the league.

Durant is looking to earn his first MVP title and he has a very good argument to beat out LeBron James. He displayed his talents with his scoring streak and is scoring a career-high 31.8 points a game this year. His 5.5 assists a night are a career-high as well and he kept the Thunder in first place in the Western Conference for a long stretch without Westbrook. I expect another 30-plus points per game month from Durant in March. Durant will need to continue to play at a high level night in and night out if he wants to win his first MVP.

LeBron James
F, Miami Heat
The King put his name right back in the hunt of the MVP race with his fantastic month of February. James had 30 points or more in seven of the nine games he played in and shot 57.5 percent from the field. He averaged 30.8 points a night and had three double-doubles. He hit a step-back three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Warriors on the road and had 36 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in that game.

The Heat were 9-1 in February and won nine straight until their loss to the Rockets this week. In his first game after breaking his nose against Oklahoma City, James scored 31 with his Batman mask on against the Knicks. James is looking to capture another MVP trophy and looks like he is kicking it into another gear at the right time.

There is nothing on the court that LeBron James cannot do. He can drive past you; back you down in the post; hit his pull-up jumper and knock down a three-ball in your face. However, where James excels is in the paint. Whether it is scoring in the low post, slamming home a monster jam or kissing one off the glass, James shoots 76 percent from inside the paint. He is actually better going to his left then he is his right. According to NBA.com shot charts, James is a much better shooter on the left side of the floor. He shoots his highest three-point percentage, 80 percent from the corner and 39 percent from the wing, on the left side of the floor. He is averaging 27.2 points a night this season, highest in his career with Miami. If James continues to surge the Heat back to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, we may be looking at the King bringing home his third straight MVP.

Carmelo Anthony
F, New York Knicks
Unfortunately for Carmelo Anthony, his great month of February was a disastrous month for the New York Knicks. He averaged 31.5 points per game in February, but didn’t help the Knicks playoff hopes. In a four-game stretch in February, Anthony scored 42, 44, 35 and 44 points that concluded in a 1-3 showing for the Knicks. Anthony had seven 30-plus point games in February but the Knicks were a horrendous 2-11.

Anthony is in the prime of his career and has done everything he can to try and help the Knicks win, including shooting 41 percent from three during the month with four double-doubles. He is a free agent at the end of the season and has a decision to make. Leaving the Knicks seems like the best possibility at winning a championship, and a team like the Chicago Bulls is one scorer away from contending for a championship. Staying in New York might mean Anthony will waste away his best years and have nothing to show for it.

Unlike Durant and James, Anthony excels most with his jump shot. He is shooting 42 percent from three, second best in his career. Incredibly, according to NBA.com shot chart, Anthony hits 50.9 percent of the three-pointers he takes from the top of the key and 47.5 from the left wing. When Anthony gets a straightaway look at the basket he is lethal. He is shooting 46.4 percent from the top of the free throw line and 53 percent from just below the charity stripe. Anthony is great in transition and loves to catch and shoot in rhythm when trailing the play.

Hit page 2 for Love and Blake…

Kevin Love
F, Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Love had the best month out of any player in the league. In February, Love averaged a league-high 34 points, as well as a league-high in rebounds with 14.1. In February, Love had a double-double in every single game he played in. He recorded 30-plus points and double-figure rebounds in six straight games to end the month. He recorded his first-career triple-double against the Utah Jazz, finishing with 37 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. A few days later he went for 33 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists against the Phoenix Suns. Over a three-game stretch, Love hit 17-of-31 three pointers. He ended the month with a fantastic stretch and his eight straight double-double performances recently ended this week.

Love is a threat all over the floor. He is dominant inside the paint and can rebound the ball better than most in the league. He grabs 66.8 percent of available rebounds, according to NBA.com/stats. Love is second in the league in rebounds per game and fourth in points. He is averaging 26.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and a career-high 4.1 assists a game this season. He is shooting 46 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three.

Love has recorded 20 30-plus-point games this season, third behind Durant and James. He is a great pick-and-pop player and can score in the low post. He shoots 57.6 percent inside the paint and 52.5 percent from shots outside the paint on the right side of the floor, according to NBA.com shot charts.

Love will be a hot name towards next year’s trade deadline, due to the fact he will be a free agent in the summer of 2015. He will be a hot commodity and if he decides to test the market, he will most likely not return to Minnesota. Minnesota may make a blockbuster trade and Love may be on a new team come this time next season.

Blake Griffin
F, Los Angeles Clippers
Blake Griffin may be the most improved player in the NBA. He has elevated his offensive game this year and is having by far his best year as pro. In the month of February, he scored 20-plus points in every game and recorded 30-plus points five times. Despite a loss in South Beach, he had 43 points against the Heat and grabbed 15 boards. He had eight double-doubles and has emerged as a serious offensive threat. He shot 54.5 percent from the field in the month and helped the Clippers beat Portland, Oklahoma City and Houston. Griffin is averaging a career-high in points, scoring 24.1 a game and is shooting over 50 percent from the field. He is much more comfortable and confident on the offensive end and the addition of his midrange jumper this year gives defenders trouble.

Griffin shoots 63.5 percent from the paint, but most of those are big-time dunks. What’s impressive about Griffin this year is his midrange jumper. He is shooting 20 percent higher on the left side of the floor then last season (57 percent this year; 37 percent last season) and 14 percent higher from shots above the foul line. The development of a jump shot has made Griffin more than just an athlete. It makes him one of the toughest players to guard and will only help him as he continues his young NBA career.

Don’t be shocked if the improvement from Griffin, along with Chris Paul, results in the Clippers playing in the NBA Finals this June.

Who had the best month?

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