Jokic followed his MVP season in 2020-21 with an even better campaign that saw him put career numbers in points (27.1), rebounds (13.8), and shooting percentage (58.3). The only thing that might steer the voters elsewhere is the fact that his Nuggets finished 6th in the Western Conference.

Embiid, who was Jokic’s biggest rival last year, already took home the scoring title by averaging 30.6 points in 68 games this season. He also had 11.7 boards and 4.2 assists while the 76ers took the fourth seed in the East.

Finally, Antetokounmpo is looking to win his third MVP award in four years. He also had monster numbers that included 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this season while being regarded as the best defender out of the three finalists. The “Greek Freak” is on the most successful team since the Bucks finished No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA also revealed the finalists for other regular-season awards. The Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley are the finalists for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. On the other hand, the Defensive Player of the Year award will go to Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), or Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics).

Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), and Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs) are finalists for the Most Improved Player award. At the same time, Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Cam Johnson (Phoenix Suns), and Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) are candidates for Sixth Man of the Year.

Finally, Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), and Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) are the finalists for the Head Coach of the Year award.

The post Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo Revealed as NBA MVP Finalists appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Luka Dončić

Coming off a stellar season, many NBA experts are predicting that the young Slovenian phenom will snag the MVP crown this year. At this point, nothing would really surprise us with this guy.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greek Freak is coming off winning the aforementioned MVP award two years in a row. On one hand, that suggests he’ll win it again. On the other hand, voters may get bored and decide to give it to someone else.

James Harden

Harden has dominated the league in scoring over the last few years, with only one MVP to show for it. With a vengeance to prove himself in the playoffs, could this be the year he gets his second?

Kawhi Leonard

Somehow shockingly, the two-time NBA Finals MVP has never won a regular season MVP. Perhaps that says more about his clutch factor in the postseason, but for the sake of his legacy, hopefully this year will be the one that he finally gets it.

LeBron James

LeBron was awarded the MVP a total of four times throughout his career. Voters have backed off from him since, but if he leads the Lakers to the top of the West again, they may give him his fifth.

Kevin Durant

Coming off of a year-long injury, Durant is certainly a wild card. Then again… he’s Kevin Durant, so he’s certainly a candidate for this prestigious award.

The post Top NBA MVP Candidates for the 2020-21 Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

James, who received only 16 of 101 first-place votes for the award, finished in second place behind the Milwaukee Bucks’ young star as the league’s top player during the 2019-20 season.

The 35-year-old NBA legend and future Hall of Famer, a four-time recipient of the award who nonetheless hasn’t taken home the trophy since 2013, averaged 25.3 points, 10.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Western Conference’s top seed on the season.

When speaking to the media about his thoughts on the vote following the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, James didn’t bite his tongue. “You know, not saying that the winner wasn’t deserving of the MVP. But that pissed me off. And I finished second a lot in my career, either from a championship, and now four times as an MVP,” he stated when asked about the vote.

LeBron will now have the chance to take a little bit of the sting out of his mouth about his MVP second-place finish as he looks to guide the Lakers to another NBA title, which would be the fourth of James’s career.

The post Lakers’ LeBron James Upset After NBA MVP Voting appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

James Harden, the NBA MVP last season, makes the cut again after another torrid scoring performance this season. The bearded slasher led the league in scoring with 36.1 points per game to lead a potent Houston Rockets offense. He also chipped in 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.

The favorite this year, however, might be Bucks phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” is currently leading Milwaukee to a deep playoff run after an excellent regular season in which he averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He was insanely efficient on offense, shooting nearly 57% from the field.

Rounding out the field is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George. He also had a strong 2018-19 campaign, scoring 28 points per game and leading the league with 2.2 steals per game.

The winner of the award will be announced on June 24, 2019 at the NBA Awards in Los Angeles. The event will be presented by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

The post Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, James Harden Named NBA MVP Finalists appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jokic followed his MVP season in 2020-21 with an even better campaign that saw him put career numbers in points (27.1), rebounds (13.8), and shooting percentage (58.3). The only thing that might steer the voters elsewhere is the fact that his Nuggets finished 6th in the Western Conference.

Embiid, who was Jokic’s biggest rival last year, already took home the scoring title by averaging 30.6 points in 68 games this season. He also had 11.7 boards and 4.2 assists while the 76ers took the fourth seed in the East.

Finally, Antetokounmpo is looking to win his third MVP award in four years. He also had monster numbers that included 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this season while being regarded as the best defender out of the three finalists. The “Greek Freak” is on the most successful team since the Bucks finished No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA also revealed the finalists for other regular-season awards. The Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley are the finalists for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. On the other hand, the Defensive Player of the Year award will go to Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), or Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics).

Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), and Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs) are finalists for the Most Improved Player award. At the same time, Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Cam Johnson (Phoenix Suns), and Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) are candidates for Sixth Man of the Year.

Finally, Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), and Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) are the finalists for the Head Coach of the Year award.

The post Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo Revealed as NBA MVP Finalists appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Luka Dončić

Coming off a stellar season, many NBA experts are predicting that the young Slovenian phenom will snag the MVP crown this year. At this point, nothing would really surprise us with this guy.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greek Freak is coming off winning the aforementioned MVP award two years in a row. On one hand, that suggests he’ll win it again. On the other hand, voters may get bored and decide to give it to someone else.

James Harden

Harden has dominated the league in scoring over the last few years, with only one MVP to show for it. With a vengeance to prove himself in the playoffs, could this be the year he gets his second?

Kawhi Leonard

Somehow shockingly, the two-time NBA Finals MVP has never won a regular season MVP. Perhaps that says more about his clutch factor in the postseason, but for the sake of his legacy, hopefully this year will be the one that he finally gets it.

LeBron James

LeBron was awarded the MVP a total of four times throughout his career. Voters have backed off from him since, but if he leads the Lakers to the top of the West again, they may give him his fifth.

Kevin Durant

Coming off of a year-long injury, Durant is certainly a wild card. Then again… he’s Kevin Durant, so he’s certainly a candidate for this prestigious award.

The post Top NBA MVP Candidates for the 2020-21 Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

James, who received only 16 of 101 first-place votes for the award, finished in second place behind the Milwaukee Bucks’ young star as the league’s top player during the 2019-20 season.

The 35-year-old NBA legend and future Hall of Famer, a four-time recipient of the award who nonetheless hasn’t taken home the trophy since 2013, averaged 25.3 points, 10.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Western Conference’s top seed on the season.

When speaking to the media about his thoughts on the vote following the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, James didn’t bite his tongue. “You know, not saying that the winner wasn’t deserving of the MVP. But that pissed me off. And I finished second a lot in my career, either from a championship, and now four times as an MVP,” he stated when asked about the vote.

LeBron will now have the chance to take a little bit of the sting out of his mouth about his MVP second-place finish as he looks to guide the Lakers to another NBA title, which would be the fourth of James’s career.

The post Lakers’ LeBron James Upset After NBA MVP Voting appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

James Harden, the NBA MVP last season, makes the cut again after another torrid scoring performance this season. The bearded slasher led the league in scoring with 36.1 points per game to lead a potent Houston Rockets offense. He also chipped in 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.

The favorite this year, however, might be Bucks phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” is currently leading Milwaukee to a deep playoff run after an excellent regular season in which he averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He was insanely efficient on offense, shooting nearly 57% from the field.

Rounding out the field is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George. He also had a strong 2018-19 campaign, scoring 28 points per game and leading the league with 2.2 steals per game.

The winner of the award will be announced on June 24, 2019 at the NBA Awards in Los Angeles. The event will be presented by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

The post Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, James Harden Named NBA MVP Finalists appeared first on yoursportspot.com.