Even if there are four meetings on the menu tonight, the die has been cast since Thursday concerning playoff posters and the play-off phase which will therefore oppose Memphis to Portland with 8th place in the Western Conference in sight. On an individual level, players have revealed themselves, stars have exploded or confirmed, and the NBA has decided to award its ” Bubble Awards« .
At Basket USA, we decided to play the game and here are our choices.
MVP | Damien Lillard (Blazers), 9 out of 10 voices
Cited only once as MVP on the editorial staff, Devin Booker put out eight very high-level games and led his squad like a charm. But he came across a Damian Lillard whose rise in power was irresistible, concluded with a qualification for the Blazers in play-in after another big performance.
The All-Star point guard could have taken the plunge after missing two crucial late-game shots against the Clippers last weekend, but he redeemed himself with three breathtaking outings at 51, 61 points and 42 points!
In the bubble, Damian Lillard shot 37.6 points at 39.5% 3-point success and 9.6 assists on average over 8 games, all crowned by the achievement of the collective goal. If there was to be a “bubble” MVP, it would undoubtedly be the Portland leader.
Coach | Monty Williams (Suns), 9 out of 10 votes
The speech of the coach of the Suns after the feat achieved by his family but not rewarded with a place in play-in says a lot about the adventure that Phoenix has experienced since entering the bubble.
If Gregg Popovich, who also contributed to the suspense by pushing his Spurs to their full potential or Nate McMillan, whose Pacers still showed a conquering face despite notable absences, would also have deserved to be mentioned, only Nick Nurse was cited alongside Monty Williams.
Around the guide Devin Booker, the Phoenix coach managed to involve everyone in the collective project and bring this dream to life that seemed unattainable at the start of the campaign. Even if the Suns have not achieved their mission, there is no doubt that the group and its coach will emerge grown from this experience.
ALL-BUBBLE 1ST TEAM
Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Luka Doncic, James Harden
Without taking into account the positions for this “All-Bubble 1st team”, as stipulated by the rules of the NBA, we find the five players who were the best performers in the “bubble” from a statistical point of view. With a UFO to accompany Dame Lillard, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic and James Harden, Pacers winger TJ Warren.
Warren started in the “bubble” with a point to 53 points with the basket of the win against Philly and he has hardly fallen in temperature since, stringing three games at more than 30 points including a hot shot at 39 points against the Lakers while also being decisive in the money-time. Even if he was less visible against the Heat before withdrawing, touched on the foot, TJ Warren will remain as the surprise of this very special end of the regular season.
Alongside this Top 5, it seems obvious, only Giannis Antetokounmpo was cited among the players of the “All-Bubble 1st team”, appearing three times, the Greek having also blackened the line of stats until his match against Washington and his suspension.
ALL-BUBBLE 2ND TEAM
Kawhi Leonard, Michael Porter Jr, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kristaps Porzingis
No LeBron James, although the Lakers star who officially became the season’s best passer collected three votes. We thus find Kawhi Leonard who artillery with constancy and efficiency and acclaimed 7 times.
Like TJ Warren, Michael Porter Jr also hit hard, taking advantage of the absence of many executives to be productive with Denver and justify the hopes that the Nuggets have placed in him (6 votes). With the same performance as in the regular season, Giannis Antetokounmpo again activated the “bulldozer” mode (5 votes), while Jayson Tatum, who also found his performance over the games with the Celtics, collected 4 votes.
At their side, we find another small surprise, the presence of Kristaps Porzingis, who also aligned the positive performances with Dallas even if the Mavs lost five of their eight games in the “bubble”.
Mentions : Caris LeVert (3), DeMar DeRozan (3), LeBron James (3), Joel Embiid (2) Gary Trent Jr (2), Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Nikola Jokic, Chris Paul, Paul George, Luka Doncic, et Kyle Lowry.
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