Tang Tian had been the very definition of all-around offense and defense last season. His statistics spoke for themselves, not to mention his actual impact.
And now he had not even made the finalist list?
Was it really because he had retired, so they were no longer willing to give him honors?
It was a perfectly natural guess.
But that raised another question: if that was the case, why had they invited him here?
The fans were confused, but all they could do was wait for the final MVP result.
Gobert ultimately won Defensive Player of the Year.
All three had been outstanding defensively that season, but without Tang Tian, that bug-like presence, and with Antetokounmpo and Leonard both serving as their respective teams' Core Player...
By comparison, Gobert better embodied the meaning of the award.
Besides, the NBA had an unwritten rule: big men inherently held a huge advantage in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Holiday won the Best Teammate award. He had played for the 76ers, Pelicans, and Mavericks during his career, working tirelessly and diligently without complaint. It was well deserved.
The Lakers' "Magic" Johnson won General Manager of the Year, and he also received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award.
After all the other major and minor awards had been announced, the final and most anticipated award for fans was the MVP.
And it started with the announcement of the finalists.
If Tang Tian was among the finalists, then the MVP would basically be his.
The Pelicans' record was solid, and in terms of statistics, he stood above the rest. The others were simply not on his level.
If he was not, then it would be a different story.
The first finalist announced was Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo had led his team to the best record in franchise