2016-2017常规赛落下帷幕！各大奖项花落谁家？

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　　So, the four of us here at Ball Don’t Lie — Dan Devine, Kelly Dwyer, Eric Freeman and Ben Rohrbach — figured snapshots from our coverage⁴ this season would be the best way to tell the story of our ballots⁵. Consider this a timeline of moments that helped shape our decisions during an entertaining 2016-17. Keep in mind: these awards are completely subjective⁶. So they also happen to be 100 percent accurate.

　　EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

　　Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors⁷ (unanimous)

　　MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

　　Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks⁸ (unanimous)

　　COACH OF THE YEAR (To be continued …)

　　Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs (Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach)

　　Dec. 5, 2016: “His philosophy — shaping young minds so that they might contribute to a greater society in the future — is no different than the one that has served Popovich so well, whether on the basketball court or in his wine business. It is the so-called Stonecutter’s Credo from Jacob Riis: ‘When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it — but all that had gone before.’ Hammer home the importance of being prepared, educated, respectful, disciplined people, and eventually it might sink in, person by person, so that together we avoid repeating history and meeting a disastrous⁹ end. And if Popovich wins a sixth NBA title along the way, that would be nice, too.”

　　DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

　　Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach)

　　Dec. 20, 2016: “Gobert has been on the cusp of that stardom ever since making his reputation as a top rim¹⁰ protector in the second half of the 2014-15 season. The big man has remained a very solid player and recently signed a deserved four-year extension that could be worth as much as 102 million dollars. That new deal hasn’t kept Gobert from improving — in fact, he’s having what looks to be a breakthrough season.”

　　Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (Dan Devine, Eric Freeman)

　　Dec. 21, 2016: “It speaks to Draymond’s unrivaled defensive versatility¹¹ that he ranks among the frontrunners for this award even as more and more fans and media members acknowledge that he can cost the Warriors wins with his antics. The Warriors have enough talent to withstand any injury, but Green might be the difference between a very good team and a championship favorite.”

　　SIXTH MEN OF THE YEAR

　　Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets (Eric Freeman, Ben Rohrbach)

　　Dec. 21, 2016: “The former Clipper and Hornet/Pelican is shooting 43 percent on 8.4 3-point tries per game — essentially¹² the same prolific¹³ efficiency as Stephen Curry’s first MVP season. Only the Lakers’ Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson have scored more points from the bench, and neither has been as impactful as Gordon, who has done his work in lineups that consistently outscore opponents and operate on an elite¹⁴ offensive level.”

　　Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors (Dan Devine, Kelly Dwyer)

　　Dec. 29, 2016: “After the whistle, Iguodala jumped in the air, put the ball between his legs, around his back and alley-ooped it to an awaiting Shaun Livingston for the dunk.

　　“As the events unfolded, the announcers dubbed¹⁵ it ‘the greatest fast break that never happened.’ It was a sequence you might see practiced at a Harlem Globetrotters game, Rucker Park or the AND1 Mixtape Tour, and yet the Warriors pulled it off randomly¹⁶ with the relative ease of a layup drill. Of course, the NBA features the best basketball players in the world, and in a few short seconds the Warriors were happy to remind us all of the fact they have a handful of them, even if they were working after a whistle.”

　　ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

　　Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (Eric Freeman)

　　Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks (Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach)

　　Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers (Dan Devine)

　　MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

　　Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (unanimous)

　　March 25, 2017: “At this point it is fair to conclude that we’re looking at Russell Westbrook, fully¹⁷ formed. After a near-season of telling anyone who would listen that we’d probably never see anything along Westbrook’s lines, he’s come to remind us to take it in now as we can. A prime Westbrook and his fitful team may never look like this again, the setting may never reveal itself in such a way to lead to this sort of end times-style of performance, and the onus¹⁸ is on us to properly document what has and will continue to be a season for the ages.”

　　COACH OF THE YEAR (Part II)

　　Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets (Dan Devine, Eric Freeman)

　　“His Rockets, estimated to be a 45-win oddity by most and a flameout by some, are on pace for a 57-win record while working with the No. 3 seed in the West. James Harden reacted fabulously¹⁹ to D’Antoni’s insistence²⁰ that he act as a point guard, he’s well on his way toward acting²¹ as the MVP favorite heading into April (voting season), and no star has paired as seamlessly with his new coach as Harden has in 2016-17 since Derrick Rose’s MVP turn with Tom Thibodeau in 2011 or, perhaps, Steve Nash during his MVP runs under Nash in 2005 and 2006.” — March 29, 2017

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