Some things happen in an NBA season that I think need to be celebrated with unofficial awards. I have decided to list some unofficial awards and their winners.
Individual performance of the year - James Harden
I could have picked half a dozen of Harden's games this season or Westbrook 20/20/20 game but I decided to go with James Hardens 50pt triple double v the Lakers. At the time Houston were below .500 and the Lakers were sitting pretty at 17-10. In only 35 minutes, Harden managed to score 50 on over 50% shooting with 10 rebs and 11 assists. At the time, for that Rockets team to leave Staples Center with a win was a big statement to send out.
Game of the year - Chicago Bulls v Atlanta Hawks
Who'd have thought 2 teams that both had under 30 wins this season would be involved in the game of the year? On March 1st 2019 we saw the 3rd highest scoring game in NBA history as the Bulls and Hawks saw their game go to quadruple overtime. The Bulls won 168-161 thanks to 47-9-9 from Zach Lavine while rookie Trae Young put up 49-16. I don't think we will see another game like this for a long time.
Best dressed - PJ Tucker
The Houston Rockets are a very stylish team with the fashion headlines mostly going to Harden, CP3 and even Iman Shumpert. Other players around the league are well dressed such as LeBron, Westbrook and Schroder but for me, PJ is the man. His style is always on point, always 10/10 and he gets the right balance in all of his outfits.
Dunk - Derrick Jones Jr.
Okay so, this was sort of a 'Thrunk' (a thrown dunk) but it was so good it had to top my list. The Heat were being blown out by the Raptors but this deffo got the crowd to their feet. At bad alley from Bam probably left coach Spo annoyed but seconds later Jones Jr grabbed the ball mid air from what seemed like miles away from the basket and somehow controlled the ball enough to be able to throw it down. This dunk got so much hype online (and rightly so) but could you imagine if it was over an opposing player!
Biggest Failure - LA Lakers
In hindsight the chance of failure was always high, mostly because the expectations were so high. LeBron did play very well this season but his injury ultimately cost the Lakers a playoff spot. The roster was a mismatch of young guys with vets who were very set in their ways, add Lebron to this mix and the chance of bad tea chemistry was there. The whole AD trade did not do the young guys any favours either as there was a chance any or all of them could be shipped off. The other injuries to various key pieces hurt them too. Magic Johnson proved to be a terrible decision maker and Luke Walton did not put his own stamp on the team. The icing on the cake was trading Zubac away for nothing to their neighbours, the LA Clippers were he is now flourishing in the playoffs. Just to add insult to injury, DLo and Lou Will who were traded away for nothing are playing great for their teams. From the top down the Lakers had so many problems, that not even a King could fix.
Funniest Interview - Kawhi Leonard
I may have cheated here and also may be recycling an old joke but Kawhi's first interview as a Raptor was hilarious for 1 reason: the Laugh. The most awkward laugh I've ever seen and not one interview all season topped it.
Bromance - Bobi & Tobi
Although this 'bromance' didn't start this season, it is still the best. Having played together in Detroit where they were traded for Blake Griffin, they were in LA together until the 6ers traded for Harris and Boban was thrown in. They've now been on 3 teams together, in 3 different cities so I understand how close they have become. The closest we've come to a bromance like this was the Stache Bros in OKC.