The 23-year-old was a part of the first ever Great Britain women’s basketball team to compete at an Olympics at London 2012 last summer.

However there was little to cheer as Allen and co failed to win any of their five games, while the men’s side managed just one victory.

Following the Games British Basketball was told by UK Sport that it would receive no funding, having previously been handed £8.6m for London 2012, only to be awarded £7m after an appeal.

But despite the rollercoaster ride her and her team-mates have been on, Allen is adamant it is now full-steam ahead towards Brazil.

“We have the EuroBasket in June in France so preparation will start for that and I am really looking forward to getting back to it,” said Allen, who will return to the Olympic Park for the first time since last summer’s Games on Sunday 21 July for the National Lottery Anniversary Run.

“We just want to do as well as possible. We got some great experience at the Olympics and before the Olympics and we just want to keep that momentum going.

“The aim now is to qualify for Rio in 2016 and the EuroBasket will play a part of that and everyone is determined to get to Brazil.

“Preparation has been a bit up and down with all the funding issues but it is great that we have got our funding back.

“And while it never stopped the players from pushing forward the funding obviously helps and I believe we are now back on track for Rio in 2016.”

It has been all change for Allen once the dust settled on London 2012 as she upped sticks to play for Meccanica Nova Bologna in Italy.

Centre Allen helped her new side finish eighth in the South A2 League standings and is convinced the move abroad will only help her improve.

“I took a month off and went to America for a little bit but I have just finished my first full season over in Italy,” she added.

“It was very different in Italy as no one spoke English to me, I had an Italian coach and it was difficult to begin with.

“But it was a really good experience for me and I think it has and will help my become a better player.”

The National Lottery Anniversary Run will take place on Sunday July 21. Places are available via www.nationallotteryrun.com

British basketball has received a major boost this week with news the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four will be heading to London’s O2 Arena next May.

The performances of Chicago-based Luol Deng and his British team-mates at the London 2012 Olympic Games caught the imagination of the GB nation in the summer.

However, with Britain’s premier players plying their trade abroad – the Euroleague final will offer a rare opportunity for British spectators to watch the continent’s best in action in May – hopefully paving the way, long-term, for a London franchise.

The Euroleague Final is a three-day championship event taking place from May 10-12 and marks the finale of an eight month-long competition involving the 24 top European teams.

Euroleague has committed to hosting the season ending event in London in 2013, with an option to also play the 2014 edition at The O2 Arena, as part of a long-term strategy to commit to the development of basketball in the UK.

Paul Blake, chairman of the British Basketball League (BBL), said: “We are really excited about the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four coming to London and the opportunity it will present the sport of basketball in the UK.

“With a long term strategy, I hope to see a British team competing in the league in the future.”

Euroleague is Europe’s premier basketball competition and in the 12 years since it was established, it has grown to become the world’s second largest basketball competition after the NBA.

The 24 teams compete across 12 major European cities and regularly host pre-season games against touring NBA teams.

Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said, “Euroleague is thrilled to bring the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four competition to The O2 Arena in London.

“We are currently in talks to establish a partnership with the BBL, where we also want to run an incredible CSR programme, leaving a lasting legacy with the hope that basketball in the UK will eventually be mature enough to have a team in the Euroleague competition.”

The Chicago Bulls forward admits he is unsure what his future holds with the national side, but he says there are no plans to retire from international duty.

Deng, who arrived in London from Sudan as a child and lived in Brixton before moving to America to chase his NBA dream, helped Britain to just one win in five games in the pool stage at London 2012.

But he believes progress has been made, and he hopes to be around to see it come to fruition.

“It’s been an amazing experience so far and even though the games are finished it is still going on,” said the 27-year-old.

“I’m still enjoying being with my team-mates and being around the village and I am cherishing every moment.

“I hope to stay with the British team. I really don’t know what is going to happen we have got to sit down and see what direction we are trying to take.

“I definitely want to be a part of it, but we have got to see what we are trying to do in the future.

“I know there are changes already and we all want to be a part of it and see what those changes are.”

Lloyds TSB, proud supporter of Team GB and proud partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Get closer to the Games at lloydstsb.com/london2012

British basketball coach Chris Finch insists Ben Gordon was given every opportunity to join up with the team and claims to have no worries about heading into the Olympics without him.

NBA star Gordon, who was born in London but moved to the States just months later, committed himself to the British team in 2008 but has yet to make his debut, due to a number of injury, family and other commitments.

This week he moved from Detroit Pistons to Charlotte Bobcats, which meant he was not involved in Finch’s week long training camp in Houston, where Great Britain – who make their first Olympic appearance since 1948 this summer – lost five games against Nigeria, Russia and Lithuania.

And when the team flew into Heathrow this morning, the 29-year-old was not on the plane.

“We are moving on without Ben,” Finch told national press agency Sportsbeat.

“We’ve had a lot of dialogue with him but, unfortunately, he was not in a position to commit and we have to focus on building our team. We could not afford to wait anymore.

“It’s disappointing because we thought this was the year he would definitely play.

“He had a lot of chances to reach out and I think we wanted to but there were lots of changes going on in his life, he’s just got traded and has a big season coming up.

“We need to focus on the guys that are here now. Integrating players is always difficult and integrating extremely talented players can been even trickier.

“That is why we needed Ben in early to give ourselves the best chance of the best preparation period.”

Gordon’s absence is the second blow for Finch, after fellow NBA player Byron Mullens, who also plays for Charlotte, withdrew due an injured toe.

“When you miss two NBA players from a line-up it is going to hurt,” added Finch, whose side now head to the Team GB preparation camp in Loughborough ahead of another tune-up match with France next weekend.

“We still have our most talented line-up ever assembled, with Luol Deng, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Joel Freeland and Rob Archibald all fit at the same time for the first time.

“We’re excited to be back now and looking forward to getting into the Olympic spirit.

“We played some pretty tough teams last week and our main priority was to see which of our younger players could help us and in what capacity.

“The next thing is we need to find our team rhythm. We played well but we’ve had a hard time closing games and we need these games to get our guys up to speed.

“Luol has been training with us but we want to ease his conditioning and fitness into our program.

“He’s come out of a tough NBA programme, he played the second most minutes in the league this year. We need to get him slotted in – and he should play against France – and then it’s all systems go.”

© Sportsbeat 2012

Great Britain basketball captain Drew Sullivan admits the prospect of leading his country out at the Olympics has him lost for words after the draw for London 2012 made the Games feel ever closer.

Having been born and raised in London before moving to New Jersey to further his career, Sullivan is relishing the opportunity to lead out Britain when the basketball competition at the Games gets underway on 29 July.

Sullivan has been an integral figure since being appointed captain following the national team’s formation in 2006 with Britain set to compete at an Olympics for the first time since the Games were last in London in 1948.

And with six years of blood, sweat and tears to be put to the test at the London 2012 Olympics in just over three months time Sullivan insists he is unable to describe the prospect of finally fulfilling his dream.

“It’s hard to try to express how I’m feeling,” said Sullivan – who plays for the Leicester Riders in the British Basketball League.

“We are nearly three months away from my dream becoming a reality. I wish I could think of a good way to put it.

“It is definitely going to be the most important event I have ever taken part in from a professional standpoint.

“The opportunity to compete against other countries, regardless of where it is, is always a big honour for me.

“But to do it at the Olympics in the city I was born in and at a stadium 20 minutes away from where I lived for large parts of my life is going to be phenomenal.

“I try and imagine what it will be like but my imagination is so far away from what the reality is. Competing in the Olympics is as prestigious as it gets.

“This is just the perfect opportunity to prove that British basketball is going in the right direction.”

Chris Finch’s men avoided defending Olympic champions America in the draw but with Spain, ranked second in the world, and Australia and China also in the top ten and in their group, Britain’s path to the knockout stages will be far from easy.

But Sullivan insists his team haven’t altered their aim from day one and will be prepared to take on whoever they face in the capital.

“Regardless of who we are going to be playing against we are hoping to qualify from our group,” added Sullivan.

“That was our goal before the draw was made and it remains our goal now. Avoiding the USA doesn’t make a difference.

“We are going to approach it in a business-like manner. We are going out there to beat as many teams as we can in our group.

“I am sure Chris will do his homework on all of our opponents. He is tireless when it comes to his approach to the job.

“The good thing is we have some players who are bringing a lot of experience, and some who are a lot younger. It is a really good mix and it is the perfect way to do it.”

While they might not be squaring off in the groups stages at the Olympics, Britain will take on the USA at the MEN Arena on July 19 in preparation for the Games.

And, although their opponents have lost star players Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Chauncey Billups and LaMarcus Aldridge to injury, Sullivan insists it will still be a major test ahead of the summer.

“They might be missing a few players but you have just got to have a look at who they have in reserve,” added Sullivan. “Their strength in depth is incredible.

“We understand it is going to be an uphill battle, but obviously our goal is to go into the game and try to win it.”

© Sportsbeat 2012

Great Britain basketball coach Chris Finch insists the enormity of this summer’s Olympics has really hit home after the tournament draw in Rio De Janeiro.

Team GB will appear in their first Olympic basketball tournament since 1948 and will face three opponents ranked in the world’s top 10.

World number two side Spain, who will include the likes of NBA superstars Pau and Marc Gasol on their roster, were silver medallists in Beijing and have won the last two EuroBasket titles.

Australia, who Great Britain narrowly lost to in overtime at last year’s Olympic test event, are ranked ninth in the world while China are tenth.

Finch’s team, which is expected to include NBA stars Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Byron Mullens, will also face Brazil and an unknown qualifier in their five-match group schedule.

But they will be happy to have avoided the defending Olympic and world champion USA side, who they will face in their final warm-up match eight days before the Games in Manchester.

“At this level, there are no easy groups and the draw proved that every game at the Olympics will be really tough,” said Finch.

“The coaches and players have been waiting for this day for months, if not years. Now we can begin preparing for our opponents.”

While Finch’s luck could have been worse, Great Britain’s women face a tough initiation in their first-ever Olympic appearance.

They will play world number two Australia and world number three Russia, who won last year’s EuroBasket title.

Coach Tom Maher will get a chance to see Australia up close in one of their last warm-up matches in Sheffield, while he will take heart from their narrow 62-59 defeat to Russia last summer.

In addition they will face group games against Brazil and two qualifiers yet to be decided.

“There are no easy draws or games at the Olympics for teams that have not been at this table before,” said British Basketball performance director Chris Spice.

“Preparation will be the key to our success and we must be diligent in leaving no stone unturned in getting the best out of our players for the next 88 days.

“During the Olympic tournaments there will be twists and turns and only the best prepared will survive to the end. We are really looking forward to giving our loyal fans and the British public something to remember.”

© Sportsbeat 2012

Chicago Bulls (1) v Philadelphia 76ers (8)

Philadelphia 76ers’ Evan Turner said that his side have avoided the better team – Miami Heat – by finishing with the eighth seed in the East. Hopefully, this has added some spice to the series that won’t exactly capture the imagination of the neutrals. Both teams have questions entering the playoffs, but they are complete opposite sides of the spectrum. The Bulls questions centre on injuries and in particular the numerous problems that have hampered Derrick Rose’s season. The Bulls continued to win in his absence and finished with the best record in the league, but the post-season is different. They need his scoring punch and playmaking ability on the court, as their offense can be pretty porous in his absence. The 76ers have been in freefall recently after they took the league by storm at the beginning of the season. Their easy schedule got harder and their coach, Doug Collins, appeared to lose his team’s focus. Their squad may have reached their ceiling, so expect this to be the 76ers last hurrah together.

Key Man: Chicago would probably be favourites in this series with Rose, but this series is vital for him to get fitness. Playing against a good defense, the Bulls will also rely on his abilities to get buckets if they are in funk.

X-Factor: Both teams have invariably had the advantage when their bench took to the floor this season. Philadelphia’s main scoring punch comes from their second unit, whereas the Bulls defensive intensity often picks up with their bench. Something will have to give.

Prediction: There will be some rocky moments for Rose and the Bulls, but not enough. With good defense on both sides, expect the games to be close but the Bulls should do it in five.

Miami Heat (2) v New York Knicks (7)

This is the series that everyone wanted to see. What’s not to like here? Star power on both sides, two great cities and the big superstar match-up of the likely MVP and the form player in the league – LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. There’s no point avoiding it, these playoffs are about James. In his ninth season, the time is now. The doubters are as loud as ever, all of them waiting for failure. Injuries have slowed down Dwyane Wade, so the Heat have become James’ team and he looks ready for the challenge. In his way are the rejuvenated Knicks. Anthony finally looks at home and is scoring like his old self. They may not be as good as the hype, but isn’t the NBA a much better with playoff games in the Madison Square Garden with a relevant Knicks again?

Key Man: Anthony will likely get his, but Amar’e Stoudemire needs to win his match-up with Chris Bosh. The Knicks will hope for close 20 points a game.

X-Factor: The Heat have been poor all season defending the three-point-line. If the likes of Steve Novak and J.R. Smith can hit consistently from downtown, this could be a long series.

Prediction: The Heat swept the Knicks in the regular season, and the Knicks may not have enough scoring punch to keep up. Heat in five is the predicition.

Indiana Pacers (3) v Orlando Magic (6)

The third seed Pacers have slipped under the radar this season. In the shadow of the teams in the big markets, they have quietly put together a great year. Now in the playoffs, and the national stage, it’s time for people to take notice and they won’t get a better chance to win a series that this time around. Coming off a season of turmoil, the Magic could not be in a worse position. All the antics from Dwight Howard were ignored because he wins series exactly like this one, but he is out for the season after back surgery. It will be a busy off-season in Orlando and there are problems they will likely have to face sooner rather than later.

Key Man: In the absence of Howard, 7ft 1 Roy Hibbert faces 6ft 9 Glen Davis. Hibbert is coming off his first All-Star appearance and this is exactly the type of match up an All-Star should dominate.

X-Factor: The Magic will rely on three pointers more than ever. To have any chance, Ryan Anderson and company will have to hit a lot of them.

Prediction: This is a bad match up for the Magic – Indiana’s size and athleticism should dominate, so Pacers should win in five.

Boston Celtics (4) v Altlanta Hawks (5)

Age was meant to end Boston’s challenge in the playoffs last season – and maybe the season before that – alas, do not underestimate the pride of this team. Entering the All-Star break, they were rock bottom and people expected Danny Ainge to blow up the squad and start over. Thankfully, he stuck with it and Boston started winning games again. Defense had been their staple since Kevin Garnett arrived and they are once again the stingiest defense in the league. The Hawks continue to win games, and have become an ever-present in the playoffs. They have failed to win a big series which much of the same squad. Without star Al Horford for this series at least, it’s tough to see a different outcome in these playoffs. But the Hawks’ athleticism is a tough match-up for the aging Celtics.

Key Man: Garnett and Paul Pierce will have their hands full with Josh Smith and Joe Johnson, so Boston will look to Rajon Rondo to make the difference. Rondo likes the big stage, and could have a big series.

X-Factor: Health. Both teams have injuries, but Boston, in particular, are carrying a few hobbled players. If injuries catch up with their aging players, it could finally spell the end of an era.

Prediction: This should be the most competitive series in the East. In the end, experience and home advantage wins out. Celtics in seven.

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James

Even though voters may be still reluctant to vote for LeBron James, the truth is this isn’t even close. In arguably his best season of his nine so far, James has dominated night in, night out. Even in this condensed season, which has been full of injuries and poor play, his brilliance has been one of the only constants. Stats don’t tell the whole story, but once again his are off the charts. He averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists while shooting an incredible 53 per cent from the field. The Miami Heat are also 13-1 in games that Dwyane Wade has missed. Defensively, he has been incredible, as he usually takes on the task of guarding the opposition’s best player. Ultimately, James will be judged on his post-season exploits. He is on course to become the eighth player to win the MVP for a third time. The previous seven all won a championship. No pressure then Lebron.

Honourable Mentions: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul.

Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich

The lockout season wasn’t supposed to suit the San Antonio Spurs with an aging squad and the prospect of playing every other night. Against all odds, they have compiled the best record in the league and are two games away from home field advantage for the playoffs. Gregg Popovich once again had to deal with a serious injury to Manu Ginóbili, along with the mid-season retirement of TJ Ford. He has been carefully managing Tim Duncan and Tony Parker’s minutes. His squad hasn’t missed a beat as he has put together one of the deepest teams in the league with Danny Green, Tiago Splitter and new signing Stephen Jackson all getting big minutes. His Spurs teams of old used to win by defense, but as his stars got older, he has changed his philosophy. This season, his team have the best offense in the league and are one of the most enjoyable teams to watch. He has upset a few people by resting his players in some games, but Popovich has only one goal in mind: a championship. The four-time NBA champion has once again proved himself the best coach in the league.

Honourable Mentions: Tom Thibodeau, Frank Vogel.

Rookie of the Year: Kyrie Irving

In truth, the race for Rookie of the Year was over when Ricky Rubio blew his knee out in March, so the standout contender remains Kyrie Irving by some distance. He leads all rookies with 18.8 points per game, to go along with 5.5 assists. The next highest scorer is Brandon Knight with 12.9 points. Perhaps most impressive is how easily he has transitioned to the NBA on a poor team. He is clearly the best player on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he has led them to some impressive victories. With the game on the line, Irving has been incredible. He has the best clutch (last five minutes of the game, with five points or less between the teams) numbers in the league, shooting 54 per cent for the season. A few injuries recently have slowed down his and the team’s progress. At just 20, Irving is undoubtedly a star in the making and the Cavaliers can finally move past Lebron James’ departure.

Honourable Mention: Kenneth Faried, Ricky Rubio.

Most Improved Player: Ryan Anderson

Most Improved Player is one of the most difficult categories to vote for. There are no set criteria for the award. It could go to an up-and-coming star who has made another jump in production or to a player that has some out of nowhere that has taken the league by storm. This was Jeremy Lin’s award to lose before he got injured. The sheer hype and hysteria surrounding him was incredible, but he just hasn’t played enough to win. Ryan Anderson deserves the award – he has improved his numbers across the board for a playoff team. He has gone from a solid rotation player to a feared weapon, becoming one of the best three-point shooters in the league, hitting 40 per cent of them. His points have gone from 10.6 points a game last season to 15.9 this campaign.

Honourable Mention: Jeremy Lin, Greg Monroe.

Defensive Player of the Year: Tyson Chandler

Plenty of votes will go to the Miami Heat’s James for in this category, and rightfully so. But is a perimeter lockdown defender as important as a big man, clogging up the middle, blocking shots and intimidating players coming down the lane? It’s open to debate. Dwight Howard has won the last three titles doing exactly that, and he could win again. Tyson Chandler has changed the identity of the New York Knicks. Defensively, they have been porous for years, but big-man Chandler – who joined this season – has given them a backbone and a new attitude. It’s the same attitude that he brought to champions Dallas Mavericks last season and possibly they’re missing without him now. The numbers don’t lie in this case, in the three games he has missed this season, the Knicks gave up an average of 116.3 points per game. With him on the floor, they give up 93.8 points a game.

Honourable Mention: Lebron James, Serge Ibaka.

Best Sixth Man: James Harden

This one isn’t hard as James Harden is the best player coming off the bench in the league. He would probably start for every other team in the league. In a move, that isn’t often seen from young players, he has embraced his bench role, sacrificing his own personal numbers in doing so. He is the fulcrum of the team’s offense when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are getting their rest and he can be the third option at the end of games. He is scoring almost 17 points a game at 49 per cent and is a danger any time he takes to the floor, as shown last week when he exploded for 40 points against the Phoenix Suns. His importance to the Thunder was highlighted against the Lakers this week when he was knocked out of the game. Offensively, they fell apart in the second half without his playmaking skills and the Lakers came from 18 down to win.

Honourable Mention: Lou Williams, Mo Williams.

The Celtics have heard all the doubters, but it takes a lot more than doubters to quench the flame of champions.

Everyone thought they were too old and they couldn’t overcome their injuries.

Entering the All-Star break, the detractors were vindicated – the Boston outfit were 15-17, out of sorts and in danger of missing the playoffs.

After the All-Star break, it all changed.

The rotation was altered with Kevin Garnett moving to centre and Ray Allen was given a bench role.

Anchored by Garnett, their defence took over. Rookie Avery Bradley, in the starting line-up for Allen, played some sensational defence, including a highlight-reel block on Dwyane Wade in their first meeting this month.

They have looked like the Celtics of old and since the All-Star break, they are 18-7, climbing up the standings into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Their outstanding form peaked in Miami on Tuesday night as they went into the Heat’s American Airlines Arena and won 115-107.

The Heat have the best home record in the league and they wanted to win this one and were desperate to send a message, knocking the Celtics back a peg.

Instead it was Boston that sent the message. Sure, it took a near-perfect offensive game to win it as they hit jumper after jumper, and their defence was torched at times by Lebron James and company.

But the message was clear: they are afraid of nobody.

Every run made by the Heat were answered by big shots from Boston. The Celtics were fist-pumping and celebrating a little harder than most regular season games – it sent a message to the rest of the league too: don’t sleep on this team.

In the playoffs, it is questionable whether they could repeat this kind of performance four times in a series.

But they have three future hall of famers who have hundreds of games in their career and they won a title together in 2008.

And Tuesday night highlighted that they will not shrink from any challenge and they are certainly not afraid of Miami Heat or anyone else for that matter.

Memphis Grizzlies look like championship contenders

What do the Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers all have in common? They’ve all lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in April.

That’s four teams with genuine hopes of making a notable impact in the playoffs who have lost to Tennessee franchise in little over a week.

They were a popular sleeper or dark-horse pick at the start of the season, but a slow start culminating with a few injuries to key players cooled talk of an unlikely but possible NBA championship.

They have recovered and just finished a brutal run of eight games in 11 days with a 6-2 record – the Western Conference is officially worried.

Their recent form has raised them to the fifth seed in the West, just one loss behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the third seed.

On current form, they should be favourites to claim the third seed.

The common conception in the NBA is that you need a superstar to win a championship and Memphis doesn’t have one, which is why they will remain underdogs.

They do have three players with All-Star credentials in Marc Gasol, Zac Randolph and Rudy Gay.

They have a defensive player of the year candidate in Tony Allen while they have solid options in every position, not to mention a livewire on the bench and potential game-changer in OJ Mayo.

They have at least five players who could score 20 points on any night and, as a result, are the team that nobody wants to face in the playoffs.

No team has a match-up that they can exploit against Memphis in a series – the Lakers’ size can be combated by Gasol and Randolph, Oklahoma Thunder’s athleticism on the wings can be slowed down by Allen and Gay.

They are peaking at the right time and their goal is to make noise in the playoffs like they did last year.

The Grizzlies lost to the Thunder in game seven last year in round two of the playoffs, without Rudy Gay.

With everyone fit, they hope to go even further this year especially considering the Grizzlies’ have their star back after an impressive showing last year – Randolph has returned from a torn medial collateral ligament in January.

The 30-year-old is coming off the bench to get his legs back, but he is showing signs of last season’s form with three straight double-doubles.

Sometimes, timing is everything and Memphis are coming to together at the right time for Memphis. This season’s sleeper have become the contender that every team wants to avoid.

When will Derrick Rose return?

The Chicago Bulls have shown they have a squad that is perfect for the shortened season. Their squad is deep, young and hungry and haven’t missed a beat even with all their injury problems. Despite having the best record in the league (41-11), the return of Derrick Rose is paramount to their success going forward. His return could bolster their pursuit of home field advantage for the playoffs – their tough run in includes two games against rivals the Miami Heat. More importantly, he needs some game time before the playoffs. They have shown they can win without him in the regular season – they are 13-5 without their superstar. But the playoffs are a different story and the Bulls will have no chance without Rose on the floor.

Miami must improve their away form

The Miami Heat have looked unbeatable at home this year. They have won 15 in a row and are 21-2 at the American Airlines Arena, which is the best home record in the NBA. But on their travels, they have looked anything but unbeatable and following two blow-out losses to Oklahoma City and Indiana Pacers this week, they fell to 15-11 on the road. They have struggled to match the intensity of their opponents as every team gives them their best shot. Home crowds are always up for the occasion too, as they might only get to see the superstars on the Heat roster, such as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, once a year. Ability alone can get the Heat past the less-talented teams but not against the top outfits who have ruthlessly exposed their lacklustre approach. In March, Miami were 1-6 away to teams currently in a playoff spot. It’s a trend that cannot continue, starting in Boston on Sunday.

Can the Knicks continue their upward trend?

The New York Knicks’ season has been a series of runs up and down the standings. Their failure to gel, the emergence of Jeremy Lin, the return of Carmelo Anthony, the firing of their coach and the injury to Amare Stoudemire have all been contributing factors. Their season hasn’t been short of a storyline and has been a constant battle to find the correct chemistry and system in their side. This has coincided with a series of runs which has seen them yo-yo up and down the standings. In January, they lost nine of ten games. The initial stages of ‘Linsanity’ coincided with seven wins in a row. When Anthony returned, they lost six on the trot, prompting the sacking of coach Mike D’Antoni. They have won eight of nine games since Mike Woodson took over the reins and they are back in the playoff picture. A couple of players have picked up injuries recently, but it is just another twist in their topsy-turvy season. One thing is for sure, if they continue their upward trend, no-one will want to face them and all their talent in the playoffs.

Kevin Love deserves to be considered in the MVP race

The Most Valuable Player trophy is usually given to a player who excelled for a team that won a lot of games in the season. Throughout the history of the league, it has been the mantra the voters have followed. Can Kevin Love buck the trend? James has endured his biggest regular-season slump in a few years and it has blown the race wide open. Kevin Durant, the other major contender, isn’t consistently the best player on his own team. Love has been a force all season, separating himself from a talented pack at the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he has undisputedly become the best power-forward in the game. Since Ricky Rubio went down with a season-ending injury, Love has stepped up again and again. He has averaged 30.5 points and 14.3 rebounds since Rubio got hurt – a run which included a 50 point game against Oklahoma City. Perennial losers, the Timberwolves find themselves just outside the playoff places. If the 23-year-old and his side can make another push over the last month of the season, the voters will have to consider his accomplishments.

How will the Western Conference standings finish up?

There is one thing you can bank on in the Western Conference: Oklahoma City and San Antonio Spurs will finish with the two best records. After that, there are no certainties. Four losses separate the LA Lakers in third place and the Denver Nuggets in ninth. The Portland Trail Blazers in 12th can consider themselves still in the race, and a good run could put them right in the mix. In the Eastern Conference, Miami and Chicago have separated themselves from the pack and things appear geared towards them fighting it out for a place in the NBA finals. The same can’t be said in the West and with so little between all the sides, home advantage will be a huge incentive for the remainder of the season. Expect an exciting month ahead in the conference.