Wednesday, May 7, 2014

KD 4 MVP/Goodbye Mark Jackson

Yesterday a big day in the NBA so let's just get to the nitty-gritty.  After years of playing second fiddle to LeBron James for the coveted MVP trophy, Kevin Durant finally got his and gave an emotional speech where he thanked his momma and his teammates.  I'm a fan of Kevin Durant.  I like his gameplay and the fact that he hates all the nicknames the public want to give him.  (He's more of an initials type of guy.)  But it took him a negative nickname from a newspaper in Oklahoma (didn't know they were literate there) to give him the spark he needed to take down the Memphis Grizzlies AKA the slowest team in the NBA since the 2013 Memphis Grizzlies.  Shit, that would motivate me too.  If someone wrote in the comments section in my blog and called me "Mr. Unreliable" I'd go on a string of masterfully written pieces so good they would have to fit it in the American Constitution.  But no one has ever written that about me and no one ever will.  Why?  Because I'm so damn reliable with this blog shit.



This MVP was well-deserved for Kevin Durant and even though LeBron put up another good season, Kevin Durant was un-fuck-wit-able.  And KD didn't win MVP because people were tired of LeBron James winning.  (Though that does help.)  KD has long been trying to get his star up there in the upper echelon of NBA greats for sometime now.  Two Years ago KD and King James were in one of the tightest MVP races I could remember.  At the time I was still upset over the Decision and was going for Durant.  James won but I couldn't be upset because it wasn't like he didn't deserve it.  I just thought Durant deserved it more.  The following year was a no-brainer.  LeBron had this streak of six 30+ plus games shooting 60% or more from the field and led the Heat to a 28 game win streak.  KD joining the 50-40-90 club couldn't push him over the hump.  But now here we are.  In a season where Durant averaged 32 ppg shooting over 50% from the field, a season in which he scored 25+ in 41 straight games passing MJ's streak of 40, Kevin Durant is finally MVP.  LeBron tried to make it competitive when he went for 61 (which doesn't top Melo's 62) but Durant ended that discussion fairly quickly and he did it in the absence of Russell Westbrook.  (Some would argue that helped.)  KD was undeniably this year's Most Valuable Player but I remember as the season went along and I knew that he was most deserving of the prestigious award a startling thought came to my mind.  What if the voters somehow fuck up on the vote?  It's happened before.  So here I present 5 questionable MVP decisions.



(1961-1962) Bill Russell over Wilt Chamberlain

Now I'm not saying Bill Russell isn't that dude.  He deserves all the MVPs he's won (which is a lot).  He had an MVP worthy season that year.  But Wilt AVERAGED 50 ppg.  50!  No one had ever done that and no has since.

(1978-1979) Bill Walton over George Gervin

I don't know if I picked this one because I don't like Bill Walton or because I genuinely believe the Iceman had a better season.  (It's mostly because I hate Walton.)  Why do I not like Bill?  Is it his voice?  Is it everything he's ever said while commentating a game?  Is it because Luke is his seed?  Either way he put up an 18 and 12 season which is cool I guess.  Not mind-blowing.

(1989-1990) Magic Johnson over Charles Barkley

If anything I just find it curious that Chuck got more first place votes but Magic came up with the MVP.  (It's those second place votes.)  Michael was also in the running but Chuck had some pretty impressive numbers that year.

(2004-2005) Steve Nash over Shaquille O' Neal

Nash is probably one of the best point guards in NBA history and he did lead the Phoenix Suns to success in the regular season/failure in the playoffs.  (Just like Chris Paul.)  But O' Canada himself didn't deserve MVP over Shaq especially when Nash posted numbers like 15 and 11 and when Shaq turned the Miami Heat into instant contenders.  Dirk would have also been a good choice.

(2005-2006) Steve Nash over LeBron James

I'll go ahead and say that if Steve Nash deserved to win the MVP only one time it would be this year.  He did join the 50-40-90 club.  (Remind you of someone?)  But I still find it ridiculous that he's a back to back MVP winner.  You know who doesn't have 2 MVPs?  Shaq.  Kobe. (And I HATE Kobe.)  Dr. J.


Kevin Durant almost because part of an infamous club of MVPs who lost in the first round of the playoffs.  Do you know who is also part of that club?  Our good friend Dirk Nowitzki who along with his #1 seeded Mavs lost to the heroes of the We Believe Warriors squad.  It's not a fun club to be a part of but with this trophy on his mantel above the fireplace KD can focus up on avenging our loss to the Clippers.  Maybe, just maybe, he might fuck around and end the Lil B curse by winning a ring.


Here's the other big news of May 6, 2014.  Mark Jackson, coach of the Golden State Warriors, got fired.  Coaches get fired all the time.  Sometimes it makes sense, like when a coach fails to get his team to the playoffs.  When coaches get fired after a winning season it gets confusing.  George Karl got fired after winning Coach of the Year last year.  As asinine as it sounds the decision can be justified.  (Sorta.)  George Karl took a pack of players who would come off the bench on most elite teams and turned them into a top tier unit.  Unfortunately for them they lost in the first round in the playoffs (to the Warriors), which had been a tradition of George Karl.  Under Mark Jackson the Warriors improved their record every year and made the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time since the early 90s.  On one hand he has had some trouble with the higher ups and had some issues with his coaching staff.  The higher ups believe that with the roster we have now the Warriors underachieved.  Maybe, maybe not.  Did the Warriors blow some games at home to teams we should not be losing to?  Yeah, of course.  But I will say this: the players loved Mark Jackson.  They believed in him and cherished him and for that reason I would argue it wasn't the best decision.  Also when you fire a preacher I'm not too sure it sits well with the man upstairs.  But whether or not this was a mistake depends almost entirely on who supersedes him.  I just want to say thank you Mark Jackson.  I didn't believe in you when you first came but you took this team to place it hasn't been in a while.  I wish him well in his future endeavors and look forward to the future.



In case you read this and were wondering the whole time, "who is this genius?", I am El Guapo and thank you for taking precious time out of your day to read this blog.  If you have any comments, questions or suggestions leave them in the comment section below.  Follow me on Twitter @ELGUAPO3 or Instagram @CAPTAINCRUNCHTIME.  Have a great day and stay Guapo out there!







2 comments:

  1. That jab at Oklahomans was low and unwarranted, even for you. You must really love Durantula huh? Steve Nash was a better pg than cp3 ever was and will ever be in those two seasons, that is why he won mvp. I blame D'Antoni for their failure in the playoffs. Hes the best since JKidd and there hasn't been one better since (Lillard/ Steph?).

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  2. Mark Jackson was fired because Joe Lacob doesn't want a coach who constantly swings his dick around. It was not about his coaching performance, which I think most people can agree was average AT WORST.

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