Kevin Durant will be named the NBA’s MVP this week, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
The news comes as little surprise, as Durant was widely expected to take home the award, particularly after a transcendent stretch where he averaged close to 36 points per game during the month of January, and recorded an historic streak of scoring at least 25 points per game in 41 straight contests.
The report was published in advance of Game 7 against the Grizzlies, and while the Thunder were favored heavily, there was of course a chance that there could be an awkward award presentation should the Grizzlies find a way to pull the upset.It had been widely anticipated throughout the league that Durant would earn the award for the first time in his career. The most likely scenario is a Monday or Tuesday news conference and a pregame ceremony Tuesday or Wednesday right before Game 1 of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, provided that Durant’s Thunder win their Game 7 at home Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
If the Thunder lose, chances are fans will have to wait a bit for the most uncomfortable MVP news conference since Dirk Nowitzki’s in 2007. He was given the award after the Dallas Mavericks, who went 67-15 that season, were bounced in the first round by the Golden State Warriors.
Durant’s accomplishments this season, along with at least a small amount of voter fatigue where LeBron James was concerned, made this award a relatively easy decision.
Durant becomes the first player since Allen Iverson in 2001 to win both the scoring title and the league MVP in the same season. Durant led the league in scoring with an average of 32 points per game, and did so by a wide margin -- Carmelo Anthony was second on that list, finishing with an average of 27.4 points per contest.
We all had Durant winning with James finishing second on our nonexistent ballots, and while this announcement was somewhat expected, it’ll be interesting to see who ended up finishing third in the voters’ eyes when the official results are released.