NABC Chapter 589 The first unanimous MVP in NBA history is born!
Chapter 589 The first unanimous MVP in NBA history is born!
Although the Knicks substituted their reserves and unilaterally declared the game garbage time, the Heat indeed failed to mount any effective counterattacks in the remainder of the game.
In the next few minutes, even though it was starters against substitutes, the Heat couldn't find any rhythm at all.
Although the 20-point gap did not widen further, the rate at which it narrowed was also quite slow.
As time ticked away, with five minutes remaining in the game, the score difference between the two teams was still 17 points!
By this point, Van Gundy, looking at the Knicks starters who were already panting heavily and chatting and laughing on the other side, knew that tonight was going to be like this.
In fact, with the series essentially over, Van Gundy simply called a timeout and substituted all his starting players.
There's no need to continue.
The last five minutes of the game went by incredibly fast! There were no timeouts, no fouls, and no unexpected events that paused the game. Both sides just went through the motions and quickly finished the last few minutes.
124: 109!
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Heat by 15 points, securing their third consecutive victory and taking a 3-1 lead in the series!
They only have one more game left to sweep the Heat!
At the same time, everyone knows that the next game will just be a formality.
The Heat gave it their all tonight!
Their current strength is just that—barely enough to make the playoffs, and they can't compare to a top powerhouse like the Knicks in any way.
Making it to the playoffs is just a first-round exit to get a feel for the competition.
The most important thing about this night wasn't actually the game between the Heat and the Knicks. The most important thing was the team's tribute to Mourning, Riley's rare display of genuine emotion, and of course, Lin Tian's post-game interview.
"Miami moved me. They deserved the championship, and they needed one. Of course, I caused them the most trouble on their road to the championship. Although I have absolutely no regrets about that, I still have great respect for the Miami fans and the team."
"All I can say is that maybe I will never be able to bring a championship to Miami, but I will win this one this year. I will win the championship with your icon and soul, Alonzo! That's my promise to you."
"Lin, I think after you say that, you'll become one of the most popular visiting players in all of Miami," a local Miami reporter said with a smile. "We'll always welcome you! As long as you can help Alonzo realize his dream, because that's our dream too!"
"So you're going to throw the fourth game so we can win easily and have more energy to prepare for the second round? You know, the second round is really tough, much tougher than the first round."
"What I'm trying to say is, could you at least give him a break or rest 3-5 of your key players?"
"Go to hell!"
Lin Tian's shamelessness completely broke the Miami reporters' defenses, and the slight sense of gratitude they had just felt vanished.
You're a bastard, always a bastard!
But his remarks tonight are consistent with Lin Tian's usual persona and behavior.
That's just how he is—arrogant, conceited, and never willing to say a kind word.
A complete bastard.
But this very scoundrel has dominated the league and all the teams in the league over the past few years!
Although he and his team fell in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, everyone believes he can make a comeback this year. Everyone believes that Lin Tian and the Knicks can give the league a surprise and give all their supporters a surprise this year.
Two days later, Game 4 of the series was rather dull. The Heat, already down 0-3, failed to unleash any more energy in their desperate situation, and they didn't put on many impressive performances.
During the game, the Heat's most eye-catching moment was when Odom dribbled brilliantly, changed direction with ease, blew past three Knicks players in a row, and then made a no-look behind-the-back pass to Van Gundy, who was standing on the bench watching the game.
The scene was quite exciting.
Van Gundy's lips twitched incessantly, clearly he was considering whether to just beat Odom up to vent his anger.
This isn't the first time this guy has done something like this, but passing the ball directly to the coach is truly a first.
"Looks like Odom's found the magic formula for turning the game around," Barkley said, suppressing a laugh. "Let the coach play! Judging by Stan's physique, he's probably a short, stocky rebounding expert like me!"
Barkley's joke was basically the last highlight of the game.
118: 100!
The Knicks defeated the Heat in four consecutive games, easily sweeping them to advance to the conference semifinals!
It is worth mentioning that Lin Tian once again delivered an amazing performance in this series. He not only achieved a triple-double in four consecutive games, but also had a super triple-double of 50+ points in one game!
This season, Lin Tian has become increasingly unbelievable and unstoppable!
It's also worth mentioning that during the break between the first rounds of the competition, the league once again presented all the regular season awards!
Chris Paul unsurprisingly won Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie First Team, along with Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, Channing Frye, and Charlie Villanueva.
As for Felton, whom Jordan selected with the second overall pick, he barely made it into the All-Rookie Second Team thanks to a slight improvement in the second half of the season.
Jordan misjudged again.
However, Lin Tian knew very well that Jordan's misjudgment was only just beginning, and it would continue!
The Sixth Man of the Year award went to Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies. This guy is averaging 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season, and he's a well-rounded, reliable all-rounder.
The Most Improved Player award goes to Boris Diaw, the Suns' breakout all-around forward who has been instrumental this season. He's averaging 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Not only has he firmly established himself on the team this season, but he's also become the team's second setter and most important playmaker after Nash.
The Defensive Player of the Year award went to Ben Wallace once again, marking his fourth time winning the award. With him on the court, the Pistons can build an impenetrable wall, withstanding the attacks of almost every team in the league.
Yes, almost all of them!
They faced the Knicks four times in the regular season, winning only once. In the other three games, the Knicks scored over 100 points each time, including the season opener where the Knicks crushed them, completely ruining their perfect championship night!
It can be said that the Knicks played the Pistons in the most straightforward way, attacking their strongest points and areas of strength, and then winning by doing so!
This is why, despite the Pistons having a better defense than last season and still being the defending champions, the Knicks are favored both inside and outside the league.
They can destroy you by destroying your core skills. Can you do the same?
Can't do it?
Then don't say anything more, you can't beat the Knicks!
This is how most people in the league view these two teams today.
As Ben Wallace once again lifted the Defensive Player of the Year trophy, he was naturally selected for the All-Defensive First Team!
It's worth mentioning that, besides Ben Wallace, the other four players selected for the All-Defensive First Team are Lin Tian, Kobe Bryant, Andrei Kirilenko, and Ron Artest!
The fact that the Lakers and Pistons each have two players selected is quite reasonable, given that both teams have had very strong defensive capabilities this season.
Lin Tian's selection was somewhat difficult for some people to accept.
Lin Tian's haters have stepped up to attack him: Making the All-Defensive Team for the team that allows the most points per game in the league is an absolute joke!
"If Lin can make the All-Defensive Team, then my grandma can too! It's the worst defensive team in the league anyway!"
"I have no problem with Lin winning MVP and making the All-NBA First Team; he deserves it. But making the All-Defensive Team? Good heavens! Look at how awful the Knicks' defense is!"
"Those people who voted really don't understand football at all! If they knew even a little bit, they wouldn't have voted for Lin!"
"Lin was indeed an elite defender in the past, but that was then! I think voters should watch the games more carefully, rather than making decisions based on habit! It's unfair to those who work hard on defense!"
What these people said is not wrong. Due to the team's tactics this season, Lin Tian's defensive threat has been greatly reduced. In order to improve the team's speed and efficiency, Lin Tian would even leave his defender behind and rush in to grab rebounds from time to time.
His defense is indeed not as good as in previous seasons.
However, it depends on who you're comparing it to!
Compared to Lin Tian himself, he has indeed become worse.
But how does it compare to the rest of the league?
Lin Tian's fans launched a counterattack almost immediately!
Various defensive highlights, defensive moments, and all sorts of data flooded the internet. In the blink of an eye, these fans, relying on their overwhelming numbers and verifiable data and matches, instantly proved one thing.
That means Lin Tian is simply inferior to himself!
But compared to others, he is still an elite defender, and he still has the ability to make all his opponents feel hopeless and helpless.
He deservedly made the All-Defensive First Team.
But even after the haters were completely defeated and offered no resistance, the topic did not end.
The main issue is that Lin Tian's fans are unwilling to end the discussion.
Especially after Lin Tian's opponents failed to mount an effective counterattack and were completely dominated, Lin Tian's fans began their one-sided celebration.
"Our Lin is awesome! Even his worst skill is in the top five in the league!"
"They don't play defense this season, yet they still manage to dominate 99% of the backcourts in the league."
"What is absolute strength? This is it!"
"The things I don't do, the things I dabble in occasionally when I'm bored, are still better than what you people who specialize in and research this do. Where can you go to argue with that?"
"If you're feeling envious and jealous, then find someone like Lin to be your idol!"
In short, almost overnight, the topic of conversation shifted from questioning Lin Tian to praising him.
Lin Tian himself felt a little embarrassed.
Dude, am I that good? Good enough that everyone can reach a consensus in the blink of an eye?
happy!
After all, Lin Tian isn't a saint. He plays basketball because he likes the spotlight and being showered with compliments.
Happiness! It's that simple.
Then, perhaps because there was really no suspense this year, and almost everyone expected it, the All-NBA Team and MVP awards were announced particularly early!
They were all announced in the first round.
Lin Tian!
Once again, they became the biggest winner.
This season, Lin Tian can become the strongest contender for MVP with just one triple-double per game!
If you add suffixes like "Player of the Month" (dominating the league for six consecutive months), "best record in the league," "best assists," and "best rebounds under 195cm" to the triple-double average, then the MVP award becomes even more certain!
Lin Tian has done a perfect job this season!
He won Player of the Month every month, and he has never left the top spot in the MVP rankings since the first season. His team was the best in the league all season, and his team's offensive firepower was so strong that it was already the best and strongest in history.
With a player like Lin Tian, if he doesn't win the MVP award, who would dare to?
Last year's situation could be explained as aesthetic fatigue, but if Lin Tian isn't given the ball this year, even the most fanatical fans would storm into magazines and newspapers across the United States, drag out the reporters who voted, and beat them to a pulp.
That's why everyone says: the suspense of this year's MVP was pretty much over back in February! If there's any suspense left, it's the duel between Lin Tian and himself!
Could he possibly get a unanimous MVP vote?
In his previous career, Lin Tian was just one step away from the unanimous MVP award twice. His best performance was in 01 when he received 98% of the first-round votes!
That year, he led the Pacers to 75 wins and a 35-game winning streak in the regular season! But he still fell short of a unanimous vote.
What about this year? Will he be able to break the curse?
This is the biggest suspense of this year's MVP, and it's what everyone is looking forward to!
The league didn't let the suspense last long; they almost couldn't wait to announce the All-NBA Team and MVP for the season.
Unanimous vote!
When the MVP results were announced, everyone carefully reviewed the voting results and details, and then saw the expected and reasonable outcome.
That feels good! Everyone who supports Lin Tian feels good!
This is Lin Tian's due; no one else deserves this honor except him!
Meanwhile, Nash, Nowitzki, and others who had a chance to win MVP votes also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it was given to him; it satisfied him.
If I don't give it to him, and some foolish person votes for me, then next season when we face the Knicks again, the result, the scene...
Tsk tsk tsk, I can't even imagine it, I absolutely can't imagine it!
At the same time, with Lin Tian achieving the best record in the league, epic super stats, and super popularity, and with no particularly outstanding big names among his competitors, it would be a bit unreasonable if he didn't win the unanimous MVP this year.
Who would dare steal the top vote from him!
Just as Nowitzki and others feared, those who vote for him this year might face his wrath and be ruined later.
Lin Tian's fans went wild, chanting the title of "the greatest player in NBA history" even louder!
Furthermore, after this MVP award, it wasn't just the fans who were celebrating; even those difficult commentators, reporters, and other people either directly acknowledged it and fueled the frenzy, or remained silent in tacit agreement.
This MVP award has once again propelled Lin Tian to god-like status!
Another record that is unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated!
Lin Tian, who won the MVP award with a unanimous vote, naturally also received a unanimous vote in the selection of the best lineup!
Besides him, the other four players selected to the All-NBA First Team are Kobe Bryant, who averaged 31.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game and won the scoring title again!
LeBron James has made a leap this season, averaging 27.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.
Tim Duncan's output remains quite consistent, averaging 21.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
And Ben Wallace, who averaged 8.3 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game!
These five people together have become the strongest five-person group of the year!
Of these five players, both LeBron James and Ben Wallace are making their first All-NBA First Team selections.
Judging from the current situation, James will most likely occupy a spot on the All-NBA First Team for many years to come, while Ben Wallace's selection is purely due to good luck!
As for why he made the first team with these stats, and why it was just luck, you'll know once you see the second and third teams that followed!
Steve Nash, who averaged 18.8 points and 11.7 assists per game, was selected to the All-NBA Second Team.
Dwyane Wade averaged 27.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.
Dirk Nowitzki averaged 26.6 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Amar'e Stoudemire averaged 25.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.
And Shaquille O'Neal, who averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game!
O'Neal's stats were much better than Ben Wallace's, but as he got older and Kobe matured, O'Neal played intermittently this season, focusing on minor illnesses and taking time to rest, in order to prepare for the playoffs.
He only played 43 games this season, which is the biggest reason why he was only selected for the second team. Otherwise, he would never have been selected for the first team!
It's worth mentioning that two guys in the third unit are in similar situations to O'Neal.
The third team includes Gilbert Arenas, who averages 29.5 points and 6.6 assists per game.
Allen Iverson averaged 29.8 points, 6.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.
Elton Brand, who averages 25 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Kevin Garnett averaged 19.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.
And there's Yao Ming, who averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game!
Garnett played 48 games in the third unit, and Yao Ming played 45 games!
Both of them have suffered serious injuries this year, resulting in a decline in attendance and statistics. Otherwise, given their team's record and individual statistics, they would definitely not have been selected only for the third team!
But in any case, this year's lineup has been finalized!
New talents like Stoudemire, James, and Wade seem to have the attitude that "since I'm here this year, I don't plan to leave for the next 10 years," while some of the older generation of players are still able to hold onto their positions.
Some, on the other hand, are not far from being completely or even permanently squeezed out of the best lineup.
A new generation replaces the old!
In addition, the Coach of the Year award this year went to Avery Johnson, the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks who led his team to the top seed in the Western Conference. He led his team to 62 wins this year, surpassing teams such as the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs.
More importantly, with the Mavericks' resurgence, their past—letting Nash go the previous year, allowing Nash to win an MVP, and the Suns becoming one of the league's top teams—has finally been temporarily forgotten.
After all, we were still number one in the West without Nash, so the Mavericks could easily say: This is our team-building plan, and we don't think Nash is a good fit for our team.
With these regular season awards announced, the first round of the NBA playoffs has also concluded! (End of Chapter)