Ethan Sherwood Strauss tries to sort out the fourth best player in the league: “He’s a fine passer and an incredible athlete. If only that shot fell a bit more often, if only his

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider ranks his MVP contenders and has KD second, Westbrook fifth: “If he can hold off Anthony in the points per game column, Durant will become the first scoring champion

Rob Mahoney of SI.com: “Interestingly enough, the Thunder have opened themselves up for just such a strategic turn in accepting Martin’s contributions in exchange for Harden’s — not to mention the addition of the

Seth Rosenthal of Posting and Toasting: “Melo hit his first two shots, but had an otherwise dreadful first quarter. Serge Ibaka funneled his drives toward help defense, then used the split second afforded by

David Thorpe of ESPN Insider: “However, right now Thunder coaches and management are more focused on the postseason. The Thunder staff deserves credit for playing Fisher, despite the struggles and animosity. A healthy, sharp

Rob Mahoney of SI.com on the clutch: “Miami may make for the best clutch collective and James the best all-around endgame performer, but there are three others who rate a clear cut above the

Darnell Mayberry on Nick Collison: “Collison’s contributions have been a boost to a bench unit that, for much of the season, has struggled to consistently keep up with its counterparts in the wake of

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on Russell Westbrook: “Kevin Durant gets the accolades. Westbrook gets the criticism. Westbrook has been phenomenal this year, as he was last year, and were he on his own team,