Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Nov 16, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap (4) defends against New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Atlanta Hawks won 110-90. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

To the ire of many New York Knicks/Carmelo Anthony fans, Paul Millsap has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week:

It’s pretty cool that Millsap grabbed the award for the Eastern Conference, while Kevin Durant was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. As you know, the Hawks and the Thunder will square off tonight and it will be interesting to see how each player does for their respective teams after claiming the awards.

Here’s a bit from the Atlanta Hawks release on the news:

"ATLANTA, GA —– Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap was today named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks in 31.0 minutes per game (.508 FG%, .815 FT%). The Hawks went 3-1 for the week (2-0 on the road).On 1/22 at Orlando, Millsap compiled 24 points, six boards, five assists, five blocks and three steals, becoming the first player in franchise history to ever reach those numbers in a game, and the first in the NBA since Dwyane Wade on 3/25/11. For the week, the eighth-year veteran ranked tied for third in the East in free throws made (22), tied for fourth in blocks per game, tied for sixth in steals per game and ninth in points per game.The release also stated that this award was the first player of the week honor of Millsap’s career.However,  many fans are upset that Carmelo Anthony didn’t bring home the award for the East, and they’ve got a pretty good case to defend him:Paul Milsap – 21.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG Carmelo Anthony – 37 PPG, 8.3 RPG Guess who won Eastern Conference Player of the Week!— Max Marcilla (@Max_Marcilla) January 27, 2014Despite spelling Paul’s name wrong, I’d probably have to agree with the Anthony supporters on this one and say that he was more deserving of the award. The guy scored 62 points against the Bobcats and didn’t turn the ball over a single time. That’s kind of impressive. Granted, it was against the Bobcats, and he didn’t have an assist… but still.What are you thoughts on the award? Did Paul Millsap deserve it or was Carmelo Anthony robbed? Let us know in the comments below.Published on 01/27/2014 at 3:28 PM ESTLast updated on 07/10/2019 at 4:40 PM EST ATLANTA, GA —– Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap was today named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks in 31.0 minutes per game (.508 FG%, .815 FT%). The Hawks went 3-1 for the week (2-0 on the road).On 1/22 at Orlando, Millsap compiled 24 points, six boards, five assists, five blocks and three steals, becoming the first player in franchise history to ever reach those numbers in a game, and the first in the NBA since Dwyane Wade on 3/25/11. For the week, the eighth-year veteran ranked tied for third in the East in free throws made (22), tied for fourth in blocks per game, tied for sixth in steals per game and ninth in points per game.Paul Milsap – 21.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG Carmelo Anthony – 37 PPG, 8.3 RPG Guess who won Eastern Conference Player of the Week!— Max Marcilla (@Max_Marcilla) January 27, 2014"