Look for close races in battles for NBA awards

Expect some close races for the major NBA awards. Here's a look at Mike McGraw's picks and analysis:

MVP: This figures to go down to the wire between Houston's James Harden and Golden State's Stephen Curry. Both are worthy winners, but I'd choose Harden because he just did so much for his team - 27.4 points, 7 assists and carried the Rockets to the No. 2 seed in the West with limited help from Dwight Howard. Russell Westbrook is third, LeBron James fourth and Anthony Davis fifth.

Coach of the year: This should rightfully be a tie between Golden State's Steve Kerr and Atlanta's Jeff Budenholzer. The Hawks were the bigger surprise of the two, so Budenholzer wins if you're forced to pick one. Milwaukee's Jason Kidd and Boston's Brad Stevens could have won in a normal season.

Defensive player of the year: Joakim Noah won in a landslide last year, but this time it will be close. Anthony Davis, league-leader in blocked shots, will get some votes. Golden State was No. 1 in opponents field-goal percentage, so Draymond Green will get support. For a lockdown defender, it's tough to beat San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard, who would get my vote.

Most improved player: Jimmy Butler had so much early momentum, he might actually fade in some voters' minds. He went from a 13.1 scoring average to 20.0 while his field-goal percentage rose 70 points. So Butler still stands out among the often-mentioned contenders, such as Draymond Green, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton and Miami's Hassan Whiteside, who would be an odd choice since he didn't play in the NBA the past two seasons.

Rookie of the year: Nikola Mirotic should finish second, but the winner is Andrew Wiggins. It's not his fault the Timberwolves were terrible. High draft picks usually land on bad teams.

Sixth man award: Jamal Crawford missed 18 games, which may prevent him from getting this award a third time. Toronto's Lou Williams perfected the "spark off the bench" role and should win.

All-NBA first team: James Harden, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Pau Gasol.

All-NBA second team: Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul (Clippers), LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers), Paul Millsap (Hawks), DeMarcus Cousins (Kings).

All-NBA third team: John Wall (Wizards), Kyrie Irving (Cavs), Blake Griffin (Clippers), Zach Randolph (Grizzlies), DeAndre Jordan (Clippers).