I Love This Game | NBA 2K20 (PS4)

[RoyalTy]

PLAYOFFS DAY 37 | SATURDAY MAY 29, 2021

[RoyalTy]

Chicago's Russell Westbrook named 2020-21 NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year

SUNDAY | May 30, 2021 -- Chicago Bulls guard Russell Westbrook is the recipient of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2020-21 NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today.

With his second NBA MVP award of his career after winning the award in 2017, Westbrook becomes the first player to earn the honor as member of Chicago Bulls since Derrick Rose in 2011. Westbrook received only 60 first place votes from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters as well the fan vote, making for 101 ballots. It is the lowest a winner has received since Steve Nash earned 57 first place votes en route to his 2006 MVP. Westbrook received 69 votes when he won the award in 2017, but unlike that season the runner-up was much closer.

Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden finished in second place, earning 35 first place votes. He was followed by Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (3 first place votes) in third place, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (2 first place votes) in fourth place and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (1 first place vote) in fifth place.

In his 13th NBA season, Westbrook played all 82 games and averaged 22.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and a career-high 2.4 steals per game in 33.0 minutes. With his season averages, Westbrook ranked 9th in the NBA in points, 3rd in assists, and 2nd in steals. He made a NBA-leading 737 field goals and shot 48.7% from the field, 32.5% from three-point range and 63.1% from the free throw line. Westbrook led the NBA in triple-doubles with 20 and was fifth in the NBA in double-doubles with 49. His 171 career triple-doubles is an NBA record, with the next active player being LeBron James with 90.

Behind Westbrook, Chicago posted a 55-27 record and earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2021 NBA Playoffs, all while shooting a NBA-best 47.2% from the field. Chicago last won at least 55 games in the 2010-11 season, and last shot with at least 47% accuracy in 1996-97.

An NBA All-Star selection for the seventh consecutive season and 10th overall, Westbrook was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month in December and earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week five times, tied with Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns for the most Player of the Week awards.

[RoyalTy]

PLAYOFFS DAY 38 | SUNDAY MAY 30, 2021

[RoyalTy]

PLAYOFFS DAY 39 | MONDAY MAY 31, 2021

[RoyalTy]

PLAYOFFS DAY 41 | WEDNESDAY JUNE 2, 2021

[marshdaddy]

Rough way for the Nets to go out. No answer for a prime Giannis.

Not at all shocked to see LeBron power the Lakers back. Couldn't believe they'd go down in five. AD coming back clearly flipped this thing

[RoyalTy]

Rough way for the Nets to go out. No answer for a prime Giannis.

Not at all shocked to see LeBron power the Lakers back. Couldn't believe they'd go down in five. AD coming back clearly flipped this thing

Agreed, Giannis averaged 30.2 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 4.8 APG in this series, even while deciding to shoot 7-for-29 from three. Brooklyn really didn't have an answer for him even with trying out everyone from Durant to PJ Tucker to Deandre Jordan and Isaiah Hartenstein. Nic Claxton only played in Game 1, his shooting dropped from .473 to .419 this season so he was losing playing time long before the playoffs came.

AD has been having a monster season (I wanted to give him DPOY), the Lakers felt his absence falling down 3-1, but it could have easily been a 2-2 series with Game 3 being close. Not only is AD helping the Lakers get back in rhythm on offense, he allows them to change matchups defensively and completely shut down Brandon Ingram. Ingram had 7 points in Game 1 and just one 20+ point game this series. More noticeably is he's taken 17.6 FGA in Games 2-4 but just 10.3 FGA in Games 1, 5 & 6.

Appreciate the comment

[RoyalTy]

PLAYOFFS DAY 43 | FRIDAY JUNE 4, 2021

[marshdaddy]

There it is. Had a decent feeling we weren't going to see LeBron go down like that.

[RoyalTy]

There it is. Had a decent feeling we weren't going to see LeBron go down like that.

AD had to fend off the allegations too, he might actually be trying to take the mantle as the Lakers best player, at least this year