Tag: mvp

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic wins NBA MVP

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Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had a remarkable season, and that special was rewarded after he was named the NBA’s MVP on Tuesday.

Jokic, who won the award for the first time in his career, is the lowest-drafted player(41st overall selection in 2014) to be named league MVP 

The 26-year-old center becomes the first player to earn the honor as a member of the Nuggets. He is also the first player from Serbia to be selected as the NBA MVP and joins Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) as MVP winners from Europe.

In his sixth NBA season, Jokic played all 72 games and averaged a career-high 26.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, a career-high 8.4 assists, and 1.32 steals in 34.8 minutes. With his season averages, Jokic ranked 12th in the NBA in points, ninth in rebounds, sixth in assists, and 22nd in steals. He is the third player in NBA history to average at least 26.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

This season, he broke the franchise records for career double-doubles and triple-doubles. He also became the first Nuggets player to start an NBA All-Star Game since 2011.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (586 points) finished in second place in the MVP voting, followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (453 points) in third place, Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo (348 points) in fourth place, and Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (139 points) in fifth place. 

If Embiid could have found a way to stay healthy, he probably wins the award, especially when considering that the 76ers had the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, give credit to Jokic; he did it all for the Nuggets and is well-deserving of league MVP.

The Nuggets play Game 2 of their second-round playoff matchup against the Suns on Thursday night. Phoenix leads the series 1-0.

Embiid: ‘My goal is Defensive Player of the Year and MVP'(VIDEO)

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76ers C Joel Embiid has proven that he is one of the best big men in the NBA. Last season, Embiid had career highs in points(27.5) and rebounds(13.5) per game, and games played(64). However, near the end of last season and in the playoffs, Embiid struggled with knee tendonitis, which impacted his performance. 

To become a better player, Embiid felt he had to lose weight. According to the fifth-year player, he has lost 20 pounds. The 25-year-old Embiid believes the weight loss will help him as he tries to achieve four goals this season: winning a championship, getting the number one seed, winning Defensive Player of the Year, and becoming an MVP.

“Going into this year, one of the things we gotta focus on is we really want that number one seed, and that’s going to take 60 and over in wins,” Embiid said at 76ers’ media day. “And I know that team success also helps me when it comes to my goal is Defensive Player of the Year and MVP…

“My whole mindset is focused on winning. I gotta win at least 60 games. I know it’s going to put me in a better situation when it comes to other things, so that’s what I’m focused on, and obviously, you gotta championship. We got a championship-caliber team. We have a chance to win it, so it’s all about building that team chemistry and making sure everybody stays on the same page. I think we are going to be fine.”

Obviously, Embiid has to play more than 64 games to win MVP, and he expects to do that.

“It’s definitely going to be over that,” Embiid said.

Philly has the talent to be in the mix for an NBA title, and Embiid has the ability to be an MVP and DPOY. Therefore, if the 76ers have one of the better records in basketball and Embiid stays healthy, maybe all Embiid’s goals will be fulfilled. 

Listen below:

Photos: Bellator 216 weigh-in

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Bellator 216: MVP vs. Daley takes place tomorrow Saturday, February 16, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The event will air live on DAZN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Complete Bellator 216 Weigh-in Results:

Welterweight World Grand Prix Matchup: Michael Page (170) vs. Paul Daley (170)

Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Mirko Cro Cop (234.5) vs. Roy Nelson (259.5)

Heavyweight Main Card Bout: Cheick Kongo (236) vs. Vitaly Minakov (240.5)

Welterweight Main Card Bout: Yaroslav Amasov (169.75) vs. Erick Silva (170)

Women’s Flyweight Main Card Bout: Valerie Loureda (123.5) vs. Colby Fletcher (122.25)

Preliminary Card:

Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Tyrell Fortune (246.25) vs. Ryan Pokryfky (250)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Patrick Casey (155.75) vs. Nekruz Mirkhojaev (154)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Vinicius De Jesus (171) vs. Rodolpho Barcellos (169.5)

165-Pound Catchweight Bout: Kemran Lachinov (166) vs. Kastriot Xhema (165)

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Reginaldo Felix (185) vs. Justin Sumter (185.5)

Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Jesse Kosakowski (168) vs. Rodolfo Rocha (170.5)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Demetrius Plaza (169.5) vs. Andrews Rodriguez (169.5)

Photos/courtesy: Bellator

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Highlights from Week 3 of the BIG3

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(TULSA, OK) July 9, 2017 — BIG3 kicked off Week 3 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday.

MVP Russell Westbrook was there to check out the action.

Sitting courtside, BIG3 co-founder and music legend Ice Cube added enthusiasm to the arena throughout the day, most notably during halftime of Game 4 when the crowd enticed him into an incredible performance of It Was A Good Day.

Check out the highlights from Sunday:

 GAME 1: 3 Headed Monsters (50) vs. Power (32)

 

GAME 2: Killer 3s (51) vs. Tri-State (44)

 

GAME 3: Ghost Ballers (50) vs. Ball Hogs (45)

 

 GAME 4:  Trilogy (50) vs. 3’s Company (42)

Highlights courtesy of FS1

LeBron James on not being a MVP finalist: ‘This league knows what I bring to the table’

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The NBA announced the three finalists for MVP today. Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden were the top three vote getters for MVP. One name that was missing is LeBron James. Based off what we seen during these playoffs, King James might be the real MVP.  However, the MVP award is based on the regular season, so it’s kind of hard to argue with the three finalists.

LeBron addressed the snub after the Cavs 130-86 victory over the Celtics in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals:

 

Westbrook not a MVP candidate?

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According to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Russell Westbrook is not a MVP candidate. Cuban’s MVP candidates are Lebron James and James Harden. We all know that Westbrook and Cuban have had their issues over the years, but Cuban sounds silly when he says Westbrook is not a MVP candidate.

As far as I am concerned, if Westbrook ends the year averaging a triple-double, and OKC is at least one game over .500, in my mind he is the MVP. The reason is simple no one has averaged a triple double since the 1961-62 season(Oscar Robertson). In reality, the thought was that it would never be done again.  End of the day, that is enough for me to give Westbrook the MVP!