Awards like Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year basically required no guessing.
Based on their performances this season, everyone knew they could only go to Blake Su, the "top-tier rookie," and "Superman" Howard.
The real controversy, and the most meaningful award of all, centered on the Regular Season MVP, the honor that represented the very peak of the regular season.
Who should win it?
At first glance, the player most people would think of seemed to be... "King James" LeBron. For the moment, set aside the whole move to Miami.
As the MVP winner in each of the previous two seasons,
LeBron averaged 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks this season, leading the Heat to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Just looking at those numbers and that record,
he seemed to have every chance of winning MVP again, because... MVP criteria were not based only on individual stats. Team record mattered too.
However,
in the eyes of the fans, LeBron was not the first choice at all. In fact, in the Regular Season MVP race, he could not even squeeze into the top three.
"Uh... in my opinion, there are three MVP candidates. The first, without question, has to be the guy averaging 39.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.8 steals, and 3.5 blocks per game.
He won the scoring title, the blocks title, and the steals title.
At the same time... he led a weak Suns team to two separate 20-plus-game winning streaks in a single season. After the team had once been at the bottom of the standings early in the year, he carried them all the way to first in the West. No, first in the entire league.
Individually, he also became the youngest 50-point scorer, youngest 60-point scorer, and youngest 70-point scorer, and he even had insane single-game performances like 15 three-pointers and 72 points.
On top of that, he won Player of the Month for five straight months.
With that kind of godlike individual performance and team record, if Blake Su doesn't win MVP, it would be outrageous.
Of course,
you can't just dismiss everyone else.
Aside from the unbelievably great Blake Su, the Bulls' 'Windy City Rose,' Derrick Rose, has also played the best basketball of his career this season.
His offense has been gorgeous and impossible to stop, and his team finished first in the Eastern Conference.
Like Blake Su, he also led his team to the top of the conference as a lone core. He'll be one of Blake Su's rivals in the Regular Season MVP race.
Besides him,
'Superman' Howard's dominance in the paint, as well as the value of his defense to his team, can't be measured by numbers alone.
So,
even though his stats and record fall a little short, when it comes to Regular Season MVP voting, 'Superman' Howard can still be part of the race and rank third."
"I completely agree with the person above. Blake Su is the strongest MVP candidate, while 'Windy City Rose' Rose and 'Superman' Howard can also compete for it.
As for LeBron,
I don't think he has any chance at all.
He formed such a powerful 'Big Three,' yet they couldn't even get first in the East, let alone the best record in the league. Regular Season MVP? He really doesn't deserve it."
"Exactly."
"That's right!"
"Support Blake Su!"
"Stop arguing. It has to be Blake Su. The only question is how big his share of the vote will be."
"Correct! I'm calling it right now. If Blake Su doesn't win Regular Season MVP this season, I'll livestream myself doing a handstand while taking a dump."
"Good grief!"
"That's ruthless, man!"
"All in for Blake Su!"
"..."
The fans' debate was almost completely one-sided. Nearly everyone believed Blake Su, who had become a legend as a rookie, was certain to be named MVP.
Of course,
whether the fans' opinion matched that of the media reporters and basketball commentators who actually voted remained unknown. Everything would only be revealed once the results came out.
...
Right now,
the regular season had officially come to an end.
Three days later,
on April 18, the playoffs would officially begin.
Before that, the top eight teams in the East and West, sixteen teams in total, were all preparing hard. Every team carried a fierce will to fight, ready to battle it out in the playoffs.
The playoffs
were different from the regular season. On the playoff stage, nothing else mattered. There was only one goal, one purpose. Everything was for the championship.
So,
for the players, winning game after game mattered most. As for how they won, that was secondary. Whatever the tactics, whatever the offense,
as long as they could win, it was all fine.
Because of that,
ESPN and TNT both sent reporters to the arenas of the playoff teams, looking for players and interviewing them.
Among the "Thunder Trio," Kevin Durant said, "This year, we definitely won't go out in the first round like we did last year. We've gotten stronger, and we're going further.
The Mavericks won't stop us."
In response,
the Mavericks' lone core, Nowitzki, also replied, "Whether you can go further isn't decided with your mouth. It's done the way I do it.
When people question me, I answer them with win after win."
Over on the Grizzlies, Mike Conley was just as direct. "We'll make the fans who looked down on us regret it, and we'll let the league feel the Grizzlies' true strength on the playoff court."
In response,
the Suns' Nash was not modest either. During his interview, he said, "We started the season as a weak team, but we became first in the league.
That came from real strength.
Just watch. In this year's playoffs, the Suns, the biggest dark horse, are going to shock the entire league."
The leader of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, shrugged during his interview and said calmly, "We're the defending champions.
This year, we'll defend our title again, complete the three-peat, and build another Lakers dynasty."
Boom!
That domineering statement struck hard at the morale of the Nuggets, who no longer had "Melo" Anthony, making them feel the pressure before their first-round battle with the Lakers even began.
The Nuggets were shaken.
But... the Heat in the East, the team called the "movie's main villain," were not intimidated at all.
Facing the reporters, "Flash" Wade looked even prouder as he said, "This season, LeBron, Chris, and I not only took pay cuts, we also endured too much criticism, even abuse.
We sacrificed too much.
So we'll lay our cards on the table. We're here for the championship. Everything we sacrificed this year will be repaid with a championship ring.
We... are ready to win the championship."
Since they had already been treated like villains, and since they had already endured and sacrificed so much, Wade acted without hesitation. He simply laid his cards on the table and declared war on the entire league.
He told the entire league
that the "Heat Big Three" existed for one reason only: the championship!
Boom!
With Wade's bold declaration,
the playoff stage, where everything was for the championship, instantly filled with the smell of gunpowder. It felt as if one spark could ignite the entire league.
And it left the fans beyond excited.
Everyone knew that the tense, thrilling, spectacular playoffs, where teams showed their true strength, got serious, and proved what they were really made of... were about to begin!