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NBA Regular Season Awards
The best of both conferences
By Steve Manske
To keep in the spirit of spring I will unveil my 2007-08 NBA regular season awards by conference just like they do in baseball. The NBA had many surprises and disappointments so let’s get down to it.
Eastern Conference:
Team of the Year: Boston Celtics
This team improved by more than 40 games this season thanks in large part to the additions of Kevin Garnett and former Buck Ray Allen. The Celtics lead the NBA in wins and were a dominant 25-5 against the powerful Western Conference. Look for the Celtics to make a run at the NBA title this postseason.
Most Disappointing Team: Miami Heat
Two years ago this team was holding the World Championship trophy and now they’re an NBA D-League all star team. The Heat at one point lost 26 of 27 games and only won 14 games. The only other candidate for the worst team was this team that made everyone sick to their stomach in this state and that was the Bucks, who lost twice to the pathetic and lowly Heat.
Coach of the Year: Doc Rivers
The team may have been retooled in the off season, but Rivers did a good job of making these stars work together and finish with the most wins. Second in the running for the coach of the year was Stan Van Gundy, who led the Orlando Magic to their first 50 win season since 1999.
MVP: Kevin Garnett
The “Big Ticket” helped lead the way for the Celtics in points and rebounds and added a presence in the lane that the Celtics lacked. He also made everyone on his team around him better by creating more open looks for Allen and Paul Pierce.
Western Conference
Team of the Year: New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets may be the number two seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, but they won the most games in franchise history with 56 wins. What made this improvement special is that they didn’t even make the playoffs last year. The West also has more then a handful of teams that won over 50 games, so what they did was remarkable.
Most Disappointing Team: Dallas Mavericks
Yes, they had 50+ wins, but they drew a lower seed in the playoffs and could be headed for an early exit. Two years ago they went to the NBA Finals and last year they won over 60 games. What makes them so disappointing is they’re practically the same team and adding Jason Kidd to the lineup hasn’t helped much.
Coach of the Year: Byron Scott
The coach of the Hornets was outstanding, leading this young squad to the two seed in the West. He got as much as you could out of his young players in David West, Tyson Chandler and Chris Paul.
MVP: Chris Paul
This star guard of the Hornets fits the definition of this award perfectly. He can score, pass and defend, which is a rarity in the NBA today. He creates good open looks for his teammates and can knock down almost any shot you allow him to take.
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