The MVP Debate

One thing's for sure - this year's NBA MVP will be a foreigner with a surname that starts with the letter N.

The MVP has come down to a race between two close friends and former long-haired teammates: Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

Interestingly, they were Mavs teammates a couple of years ago and were a spectacular duo. Seeing them run the floor with their floppy blond hairdos, hitting some threes was a delight. They came to the Mavs the same year and transformed them into a consistent playoff team. Though the Mavs were Western contenders (even reaching the West conference finals) for several years, they were not able to 'get over the hump'. It seemed that the Mavs organization gave up on the partnership.

You know the story, Mavs owner Mark Cuban did not want to give Nash the big contract, forcing the latter to sign with the Phoenix Suns, which in turn became the a small-ball, running and gunning team (similar to the old Mavs, but even faster). Nash went on to lead the NBA in assists and won back-to-back league MVPs.

This year, Nash's statistics are even better than his two MVP-seasons. This alone would be enough to award him a third straight MVP.

However, I believe it is Nowitzki, who led the Mavs to the finals last year, who deserves the award this time. His numbers have been impressive. More importantly, he is the best player in the best team (in terms of regular season standing) in the league right now. He has improved his passing and has become more of a team player (a big reason for the improvement of Josh Howard). Also, I believe it is quite difficult for a player to win the award 3 years in a row. I know it's unfair but it's actually true. One has two remember that MVP voting is done by 125 members of the media. A lot of factors come into play. One of those is the fact the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson never won the award three straight years. Do you think Nash is as good as those two? Again, it's really unfair coz if there was no other deserving player this year, Nash wins it hands down. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Nash, his best bud is having an equally tremendous year.

And the first-half winners are...

The second half of the NBA season is underway. I look back at the first half and hand down my own set of awards to the deserving players.

Most Valuable Player

Kobe Bryant – There are 81 big reasons why number 8 is number 1. Many have compared him to the great Michael Jordan and why not? They have similar numbers. They have pretty much the same built, the same shoe company, the same charisma, the same moves, the same killer instinct, and even the same swagger. In fact, Kobe has surpassed MJ in some scoring feats, notable the 81 point game that is considered the highest scoring game ever recorded. The bottom line is Kobe is single-handedly carrying the Lakers, which would make the playoffs if the season had ended now. Right now, Kobe Bryant is the best NBA player – not LeBron James nor anyone else. His all around game is brilliant and his clutch shooting is even more impressive. And like MJ, there’s no one better with the ball when the game is on the line. Kobe Bryant has patterned his game after His Airness. And so far, he’s doing a good job at it.
(Runners-up: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash)

Rookie of the Year

Chris Paul – This is a no-brainer. At the all-star break, Chris Paul leads all rookies with averages of 15.9 points and 7.7 assists on the season.. Speaking of all-star, he should have been in Houston as an all-star as he has carried the overachieving New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets to the seventh-best record in the very tough Western Conference. The fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest, Paul is the best rookie point guard in a while. For a third time in as many months, he has been named the NBA Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference.
(Runners-up: Channing Frye, Andrew Bogut)

Coach of the Year

Avery Johnson – Although experts pick Detroit’s Flip Saunders, I’d have to say Avery Johnson deserves the award more. He has steered the much improved Dallas Mavericks to the second best record in the NBA. Since taking over midway through last season, he currently has a winning percentage of 82% (59 wins, 13 losses). The “Little General” has transformed the once run-and-gun Mavs to a very respectable defensive team. Flip Saunders, on the other hand, has led the Pistons to the NBA’s best record. But let’s not forget that the Pistons were already a great team, having been in the NBA Finals the past two years and winning it all in 2004.
(Runners-up: Flip Saunders, Mike D’Antoni)

Defensive Player of the Year

Ben Wallace – It is only fitting that the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year should come from the NBA’s best defensive team – the best team for that matter. Big Ben, a two-time winner of this award, deserves it one more time, being the anchor on defense for the league-leading Detroit Pistons. As usual, he is among the league leaders in rebounds, blocked-shots, and steals. More importantly are the intangibles and hustle that he brings into the game. His defensive plays often have a big effect on the outcome of a game, just like his two blocks against Pau Gasol in the all-star game which ignited the Eastern Conference rally to win.
(Runners-up: Bruce Bowen, Andrei Kirilenko)

Most Improved Player of the Year

Boris Diaw – The emergence of Frenchman Boris Diaw has made people forget about Joe Johnson, who was traded to the Hawks last year. It was Diaw who was one of the lesser-known names involved in that trade. And as it has turned out, he has become one of the most versatile players in the league, and a fantasy stud. He is able to play all 5 positions on the court, which he has, making it easier for the Suns to run their offense without all-star Amare Stoudemire.
(Runners-up: Mike James, Smush Parker)

NBA All-Star Weekend 2006

It was another fun NBA All-Star weekend, the greatest showcase of talent and entertainment. Here are the events for the weekend that I watched on TV together with some of my thoughts on each:

Rookie Challenge

76ers other “A.I.”, Andre Iguodala scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in the second half as the Sophomores defeated the Rookies 106-96 in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. Iguodala, the game's Most Valuable Player, was dominant as he made 13-of-17 from the field, mostly on a flurry of dunks and 3-pointers. It was like a one-man dunking exhibition. Surely enough, it was just a preview of what was in store in the Slam Dunk contest, which he would be participating in.

Shooting Stars Challenge

Team San Antonio, comprised of current Spurs all-star Tony Parker, former Spurs sharpshooter Steve Kerr and WNBA star Kendra Wecker of the Silver Stars, won the 2006 RadioShack Shooting Stars challenge. Thanks to Tony Parker, who hit the half-court shot on his first try, their team had a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds. Interestingly enough, Kobe Bryant of team Los Angeles also made the half-court shot on his first attempt, while Tracy McGrady of the host city Houston made it on his second. This made me think that, perhaps, one of these years, there’d be a half-court shoot contest similar to the current three-point shooting contest. To me, the highlight of this event was not any of the shots made on the court, but it was actually a glimpse of Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria beaming with pride as Tony hit the clinching shot.

Skills Challenge

Miami's Dwyane Wade won the 2006 PlayStation Skills Challenge champion, defeating Cleveland's LeBron James in the final round by completing the obstacle course in 26.1 seconds to James' 33.7-second time. Defending champion and my bet Steve Nash, and rookie sensation Chris Paul were eliminated in the first round, setting up the duel that would probably be a glimpse of one of the NBA’s future superstar rivalries. At 6’8”, I believe LeBron was the tallest competitor in the history of the event, and yet he moved like a true point guard as he hurdled the course. Yet, he never had a chance as D-Wade lived up to his billing as the NBA Live 06 cover boy.

Three-Point Shootout

One of my favorite NBA players, German sensation Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA’s annual Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout 2006. He made 7-of-8 shots at one point and scored a total of 18 points in the final beating Washington’s Gilbert Arenas by 2 points and 2001 champion Ray Allen of the Seattle SuperSonics, by 3. The 7-foot Nowitzki became the tallest player ever to win the event, and with his height, blond tops, and of course impeccable shooting, reminded me of a young Larry Bird. What was even interesting was Nowitzki almost did not make it through the first round. Replays would show that his last shot, a two-point ball, did not make it before the buzzer. Had it not been counted, he would have been eliminated and instead of him, his teammate Jason Terry would have moved on.

Slam Dunk Contest

The NBA’s slam dunk contest is back! To me it was the best one since the Vince Carter-Tracy McGrady-Steve Francis showdown years ago. However, I was disappointed at the results.

It should've been Andre Iguodala's second trophy ceremony of the weekend. Instead, it turned out to be a controversy as 5’9” Nate Robinson won the event after a first-ever “dunk-off” to break the tie. Robinson needed 14 attempts to complete his final dunk – performing a transfer of the ball between each leg before lobbing the ball with his left hand off the glass -- all while midair -- and then catching it for the throw down. He got 47 points for that while Iguodala, who only needed 2 tries to complete a reverse between-the-legs dunk, got 46.

It was clear to the crowd that Iguodala delivered the best dunk of the night in the first round, catching an Allen Iverson pass off the back of the glass and gliding under the backboard and rim for a reverse-slam on the other side. He then followed that up in the final round with another perfect 50 on a lob off the glass featuring a behind-the-back, hand-to-hand transfer slam.

I would still have to agree that Nate Robinson was also spectacular. His most impressive dunk came in the final round. Walking across the court, he handed Spud Webb his old Atlanta jersey No. 4. Robinson, who also wears the same number for the Knicks, caught a bounce pass from the 1986 slam-dunk champ and jumped over all 5 feet, 7 inches of him for a spectacular jackknife slam.

However, I believe Iguodala deserved to win. That crazy behind the backboard dunk alone was the single most creative dunk I’ve ever seen. As for Robinson’s, jumping over a guy was nothing new. In fact, even Vince Carter dunked over a 7’2” guy in a game in the 2000 Olympics.

Overall, I believe the judges – a panel of Houston legends -- Kenny Smith, Elvin Hayes, Rudy Tomjanovich, Moses Malone and Clyde Drexler, are to be blamed. Except for Malone, all of them seemed tentative and had to glance at each other before they revealed their scores.

They clearly lowballed Iguodala with a 44 on his final attempt of the final round to force the first tiebreaker in the competition's history.

In the end, even one of the judges, Elvin Hayes, who awarded 10 points on Robinson’s final dunk, didn't feel too good the results. He felt that the wrong guy won. "I think Andre's (last dunk) was much more difficult and had a lot of power and energy in it….I just feel Andre won but it is all in the tally of the points."

• It is interesting to note that it was 20 years since the only other 5-footer, Spud Webb, won the event. Also, for the second consecutive year, the jersey of an Atlanta Hawk 1980s Slam Dunk champ was worn on the court and was part of the winning dunks. Last year it was Dominique Wilkins' no. 21 that was worn by then winner Josh Smith.

All Star Game

The 2006 NBA All-Star Game came down to an MVP showdown between LeBron James and Tracy McGrady, both high school-to-NBA superstars. In the end, it was a matter of which team won the game. The Eastern Conference won, 122-120, and expectedly James, at 21 years old, became the youngest All-Star MVP ever. He scored 29 points, fueled a second-half comeback and disrupted McGrady's potential tying jumper as the Eastern Conference rallied for a victory over the Western Conference in the 55th annual midseason showcase.
Unlike many of the past All-Star games, this one was relatively lifeless. For the first time that I could remember, defense was actually played. No doubt that it was because of the four Detroit Pistons who were fielded altogether by East coach (and Detroit coach) with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Western Conference All-Stars held a 21-point lead at one point during the game, but let that lead slipped away late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. LeBron James started it, but the Pistons quartet eventually broke it down. They started pushing the ball more and Ben Wallace's two blocks on Pau Gasol hyped up his entire team. No wonder why the Pistons are currently the best team in the NBA. The East eventually tied the game at 97 with almost a quarter left in the game.

There were some flashes of individual brilliance, led by McGrady and James, the superstar swingman of the Cleveland Cavaliers. McGrady, in front of the hometown crowd, scored 36 points, as his teammates kept feeding him the ball. He linked up with several Kobe Bryant lob passes that translated into spectacular dunks.

And yet, compared to the previous all-star games, this one had lesser highlights. Two missed dunks by Vince Carter and Rasheed Wallace’s left-handed three pointer that missed badly typified the kind of show the NBA superstars had put up. In fact, my favorite highlight was Shaquille O’neal at the free-throw line. He threw his second free throw attempt off the backboard and slammed it home. However, it was a lane violation.

The 2006 midseason classic wasn’t as entertaining, nevertheless it was a good hard fought game. And in that game of superstars, the youngest one seemingly rose to the occasion. He would definitely become the King of the NBA for many years to come.