The NBA needs an All-Postseason Team
The league isn't shy about awards. Add some more.
Good morning. Free Brittney Griner. Let’s basketball.
After the Sixers got trucked in Game 5, Joel Embiid was asked about the MVP race.
He congratulates Nikola Jokic, he backs the bus over Bill Simmons (dude’s been metaphorically clotheslined by Draymond Green, Embiid and the entire city of Houston now, I would say that the lesson here is “never tweet” but it was on a podcast just perhaps maybe it’s just “never say ‘F— [Player X]’) and he says he doesn’t know what else he needs to do to win it. Later in the evening, Charles Barkley ridiculously claimed that Embiid’s distress over not winning MVP led to the Sixers getting beat so bad. A truly ridiculous narrative given that a) Embiid notes that he’s known for weeks, since Tim Bontemps’ final MVP straw poll for ESPN during the regular season, that Jokic was going to win, b) Embiid isn’t actually showing any distress over the circumstances and c) Embiid has a broken face and got hit in the face during the game, and also has a torn thumb ligament.
There’s not really a good solution to make everyone feel good when they lose out on an award after an epic season. Jokic vs. Embiid has some Admiral vs. Dream qualities about it, maybe even a twist on Duncan vs. Shaq. Perhaps Embiid will get the upper hand and win MVP next year; perhaps one of them will start winning titles to reset the battle lines. I will say that based on history and given Denver’s quick postseason exit, it will take something incredible for Jokic to win MVP next year, no matter his numbers. So Embiid is already on first base there, ignoring other candidates.
But again, in these highly competitive races, there’s no solution to make the runner-up feel great. And yet, the NBA does have a path toward relieving some of the undue overwroughtness of the MVP award and its regular season limitations. Why doesn’t the NBA invent the All-Postseason Team?
FIBA has All-Tournament teams. The NCAA does that, too. Hell, the NBA came up with two All-Bubble teams that just included the eight or so regular season games that 2/3rds of the league played in Orlando! T.J. Warren made it. Caris LeVert made it. It’s history, folks.
As it stands, there is exactly one individual award for postseason excellence: Finals MVP. And that award is only open to players on two teams, considering the results from 4-7 games. Being amazing in the first round, second round or conference finals gets you nowhere in terms of individual glory. And clearly we’re all obsessed with individual glory here. So let’s open up a route toward recognition for excellence. Let’s get some trophies for 2020 Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler and 2021 Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker. Let’s get some hardware for 2021 Trae Young, 2021 Joel Embiid and 2020 Jamal Murray.
And go one further: have a separate Postseason MVP award open to all postseason combatants. That avoids the unwritten rule that Finals MVPs come from the winning team — you can give the 2015 Finals MVP to Andre Iguodala and the 2015 Postseason MVP to LeBron James.
Further still: open up the super max eligibility to those who win a postseason award any time during their rookie deal. Jayson Tatum, if you make the second team All-Postseason in 2020 for your work in the bubble, congratulations, the Celtics have the option of giving you more money to lock in for your second contract.
The playoffs matter more, right? So let’s act like it when it comes to awards and salaries.
Rest in Peace, Bob Lanier
Bob Lanier, one of the greatest Pistons ever, has died at age 73 after an illness. He starred in Detroit in the 1970s and Bucks in the early ‘80s and averaged 20-10 for his career, being inducted into the Hall of Fame in ‘92. He was before my time, but he’s one of those names you always hear in conversation around the best centers after the Russell and Wilt era, a peer of Kareem.
Big man wears kneepads, you know you don’t want it in the post. My condolences to Lanier’s family and friends.
Scores
NBA
Sixers 85, Heat 120 (MIA leads 3-2) — Yuck, Sixers.
Never competitive. Brutal.
Mavericks 80, Suns 110 (PHX leads 3-2) — Yuck, Mavericks.
At least Dallas was competitive for a half of basketball. Phoenix drowned them with defense, transition and surgical scoring in the third.
Shout out to Marquese Chriss, feeling the need to remind Phoenix fans what they could have had by … getting into a kerfuffle with beloved Sun Bismack Biyombo and chasing him into the tunnel.
WNBA
Aces 76, Mystics 89 — Washington didn’t have Natasha Cloud (protocols) and kept falling behind in the first half. But the Mystics put it together in the second half and started drilling Las Vegas all over the floor to get the huge win. Elena Delle Donne opened up her bag in the fourth and poured it out on the court. A joy to watch.
There might be something special happening in D.C. The play to tie the game — Rui Machida with an outlet bounce pass to Myisha Hines-Allen who hit a cutting Ariel Atkins in full stride — was special. The chemistry appears to be off the charts early. Listen to MHA talk about rookie Katie Benzan.
Hines-Allen is everywhere, Shakira Austin is getting some early run, Shatori Walker-Kimbraugh is doing things, Machida is as advertised. A lot to like here. And Alysha Clark is still coming soon!
Lynx 76, Fever 82 — Lynx are down bad. Might be a long farewell season for the legend Sylvia Fowles.
Schedule
All times Eastern.
Bucks at Celtics, 7, TNT (Series tied 2-2)
Warriors at Grizzlies, 9:30, TNT (GSW leads 3-1)
Sparks at Dream, 7
Liberty at Sky, 8, CBS Sports Network
Storm at Mercury, 10, Amazon Prime
Links
Ja Morant is probably out for the remainder of the playoffs with a bone bruise in his knee. Brutal news for Memphis.
Tyler Tynes, Darius Garland. Go read it.
Joe Cronin has been named the general manager of the Blazers after spending much of the last season with the interim tag following the dismissal of Neil Olshey. This is an ENORMOUS offseason for Portland given that Cronin spent his time dropping salary like crazy to add new talent around Damian Lillard, moves that included moving his longtime co-star C.J. McCollum. The draft lottery next week could be important here.
Peter Holt Jr., the co-owner of the Spurs, insists that the team is not leaving San Antonio. Rumors have been flying because the Spurs are planning to play some home games in Austin next year.
Richaun Holmes, who sat out the last few weeks of the season due to personal issues, has been granted sole custody of his son after judges dismissed his ex-wife’s accusations of domestic violence and threats. I’m hoping for the best for the family.
And finally: Adam Sandler plays an international scout for the Sixers in this new Netflix movie Hustle. It’s got some Boban, it’s got some Ant Man, it’s got Kenny The Jet. I’m in.
Free Brittney Griner. Be excellent to each other.
This is such a good idea. Of course, denying the best players the right to get a max/supermax is...in the interest of the owners, so any new awards are off the table. Owners can say, well hey, shouldn't the basketball canon recognize Embiid a decade from now since he took his (flawed in increasingly baroque ways) team to the second round over and over? And was denied a trip to the Finals by one of the most amazing shots in NBA history? And of course the basketball canon will not recognize him without awards or trips to the Finals.