LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished 1-2 in MVP voting and 1-2 in the NBA Finals last season, are the first two Players of the Month. In November, James led the Heat to an Eastern Conference-best 11-3 (.786) mark, averaging 25.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 53 percent. James tallied at least 20 points in all 14 games, marking the first time in his career he opened the season with
NEW YORK — LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in December and January. James led Miami to a 16-5 (.762) record for games played in December and January, matching the best start to a season in franchise history, behind averages of 29.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. A three-time Eastern Conference player of the week so far this season, James ranks second in the NBA