Report: Derrick Rose Wins NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award
Derrick Rose, Dime #63
You could say we had a feeling. Sometimes you just know. But when we sent Dime #63 to the printers six weeks ago, we took a chance by declaring Derrick Rose the NBA’s Most Valuable Player – Chicago’s first since the G.O.A.T. himself. Was it risky? Sure. LeBron could have picked it up for a third year in a row. Dwight Howard, channelling Hakeem Olajuwon, could have altered history. But we knew when it was all said and done, at 22 years old, Rose would become the youngest MVP in league history.
Sources are reporting that Rose will receive the award during a press conference this afternoon, with David Stern presenting it to him again before Game 2 against the Hawks on Wednesday at the United Center. With that, consider these amazing facts:
- Rose will become the first MVP winner since Dave Cowens in 1973 to win the award without receiving one vote the previous year.
- Rose will become the first third-year player to win the award since Moses Malone in 1979.
- Rose will become the first MVP to win the award within four years of his high school graduation.
What do you think? Did Rose deserve to win the MVP?
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May 3rd, 2011 at 11:38 am
north says:
Since he can’t play D except for roaming passing lanes this should have been Dwight’s award. I give it an *.
Rose’s numbers are great don’t get me wrong but they’d still make the playoffs without him, no, not #1 but maybe #7. The Magic without Dwight? We’ll see soon enough I guess.
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:04 pm
JAY says:
@ north
If anyone told you in October of last year that the Bulls would own the best record in the NBA at season’s end, would you have believed him? THAT’s why D-Rose deserves the MVP. He lifted his teammates far above any expectations. Throughout the whole season people were waiting for them to cool down.
And you can’t say with any certainty that the Bulls minus Rose would make the Playoffs. We all wrote off the Nuggets when Melo was traded and they did even better without him… and some people bought into the Melo/Amare hype. Expectations can make even the best of us look foolish.
BTW, how could a team led by Boozer, w/o a point guard(or any quality guard for that matter) make the playoffs? That’s a terrible lineup without Rose.
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:15 pm
top_gun says:
Everyone knows he doesn’t play the greatest defence but when the games on the line he makes the plays. Like that block on Rondo to win the game. Or how he sacrifices his body game after game by repeatedly going to the paint. You can’t deny the fact that he just lead his team to the best record in the NBA even with the team dealing with major injuries to their key players.
He’s gotten better every year and he definitely deserves it. I also think Howard is equally deserving of the award, maybe next year. If KD improved his game from last year, he would’ve been in the conversation as well.
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Chicagorilla says:
North was the first to post on the article about Rose winning MvP…how ironic, since you have been hating on him for 2yrs or so now. No matter how stupid you look, you just keep at it lol.
Youngest ever to do it…wow. I gotta admit i would’ve never thought Rose would win MVP in his entire career before this season. Then about 30 games in he made me change my mind. Amazing day for Chicago sports in general for this kid to do what he’s done.
Oh and if he doesnt play defense, then name the times that guards have killed him this season? There may be a handfull of games where the opposing pg had a above avg night vs Rose. Anyone suggesting that he doesnt play D is clearly not watching the games, don’t know basketball, or just hating altogether.
One of the most improved parts of Roses game was his defense. He’s not a 1st team defender yet, but it wouldnt suprise me if he’s there next year or the year after.
MVP baby!!!! It don’t get too much better than that
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:11 pm
panchitoooo says:
@ “MVP baby!!!! It don’t get too much better than that”
World Champion and Finals MVP is alot better then that, but since it dont get much better for D. Rose then guess Atlantas taking him out this series…no doubt he derserves the award and respect that comes with it.
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:12 pm
SWAT says:
@chica-im sure it could have been better if ATL didnt give yall the business the other night, right? lol
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:15 pm
jerkishbehavior.com says:
hi haters and I have 5 words for you: I told you fools so.
Where’s first & foremost? Dwight who?
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:20 pm
John says:
Steve Nash won MVP twice. Defense isn’t a requirement.
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Austin Burton says:
And since when is being a lockdown defender a prerequisite for MVP? Steve Nash has two MVPs. Dirk Nowitzki has an MVP. Magic (3 MVPs) never made an All-Defensive Team. Barkley and Iverson (1 MVP) never made an All-Defensive Team. It certainly helps a candidate’s case if he impacts a game defensively like a Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan, but it’s just part of many loose criteria.
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:36 pm
panchitoooo says:
@north
should’ve wore your sun screen cause your getting burnt left and right…
May 3rd, 2011 at 1:43 pm
rkirby says:
If Derrick Rose got an award for lifting his team past expectations, then Kobe Bryant deserves like 2-3 MVP’s for the 2005-2006 season. Smush Parker, Luke Walton, Radmonovic, Brown/Mihm was the Lakers starting lineup in a loaded West. That was one of the most egregious injustices of the David Stern era. <–idea for a Dimemag article?
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:03 pm
FIRST & FOREMOST says:
@ Freakishbehavior
I’m right here. I didn’t say Derrick Rose wouldn’t win the award. I said he doesn’t deserve it over Dwight Howard’s season.
The reasons have been well documented over the last few weeks. Since there isn’t a set criteria for the award, it has been accepted by those that matter to make this the Regular Season Offensive Player Of the Year Award.
It is what it is.
@Austin – Defense is brought into the equation as that person’s set of criteria for the award. You listed past winners that weren’t known for defense but that only proves that voter would not have voted for those players. If a voter prefers to reward a player that has a combination of influence on both sides of the ball, that is his/her opinion. Should Ben Wallace have a Finals MVP for slowing down Shaq in his prime? Should James Harrison have a Super Bowl MVP for his pick-6? If you don’t factor in the defensive side of basketball it is very easy to hand out MVPs to Nash, Dirk, Magic. Should the MVP be solely basen on record & offense? Should winning the DPOY handicap you from winning the MVP as well? [If your middle name isn't Jeffrey]
“And that’s all I have to say about that”
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Detroit Dave says:
Does anybody know how close the 2nd place vote was? I’m just wondering where Dwight ranked?
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:17 pm
darko's doughnuts says:
ROSE IS ROSE. Great season for a great young player. Yes, he has flaws in his game that can still be worked on. Yes, Dwight had an MVP-type season that drew him worthy MVP consideration. But Rose took this award rightfully. Now, if he can just get Noah to cut his hair…(and Korver, for that matter – no NBA player should haver the Bieber cut!!!)
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Bizz says:
So for those that wanna rag on D-Rose for defence, yet he’s a part of the league’s top defence, and opposing pgs were getting torched by him yet not the other way around…I don’t see how you could even point to defensive flaws in Rose’s game to disqualify him for MVP, yet try to qualify Howard as an MVP when he was nowhere near as reliable as a crunch time offensive closer as Rose was. Even if you want to use Howard’s defence vs. Rose’s offence to cancel out, Rose led his team to 60+ wins and a #1 seed, while his front court had a bunch of injuries, in a conference that they were supposed to be no better than 4th.
Definitely the right call in giving Rose the MVP. No complaints here.
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:03 pm
panchitoooo says:
simply put, D. Rose was the MVP for his #1 ranked(62-20) regular season Bulls and D.Howard was MVP for his #8 ranked(56-26) regular season Magic. So if 7 teams have a better record than the Magic and those teams have superstars like KD, Kobe, Lebron, Wade, and Dirk, cant you make an arugment that they deserve the MVP more than Dwight since they carried their respective teams to more wins in the regular season?
if youre not the MVP for the top 5 teams in the league then how can you be the MVP overall?
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:04 pm
FIRST & FOREMOST says:
@Bizz & others, stop pretending Chicago thrives with 1 on 1 defense and Rose shutdown every PG. Rose did his part in an excellent help defense system. Watch ANY game of the bulls and pay attention to their rotations. Just last week, look at the final possessions where the Pacers gave games away.
Rose takes forever to get around the pick. Collison proceeds to have a staring contest with Noah/Gibson while Deng is glued to Granger. Rose finally recovers and Collison picks the first bad idea that pops into his head. Gameover. Not like for the whole 48 it was iso at the top of the key and Rose took his lunch money every time down.
Look at Rondo over the past few years when Thibs was there. Yeah he digs down and plays passing lanes better than Rose but the Celtics and now the Bulls move as a unit on defense.
Yes, I’ll say Howard’s Defense = Rose’s Offensive contributions. But can you make the opposite claim of Rose’s defense being equal or better than Howard’s Offensive contributions?
All in all, the award is already his and these comments won’t change history. Congrats Mr. Rose
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:08 pm
JAY says:
Cosign Bizz. The pro-Howard guys want to point out Rose’s “flaws”, like Howard has none.
The Bulls clear out for Rose late in games because they trust him to make plays. Last I checked, the Magic don’t dump the ball into Howard and react to defence…. they do that for 3 quarters but in the 4th, he doesn’t see the ball often. You pro-Howard guys will chalk that up to the guards not giving him the ball…. but then how can he be MVP if his teammates don’t even trust him to make the plays late in games.
It boils down to the Magic finishing exactly where expected (some may even consider a 4th place seed worse than expected)… and Rose helping his team leap frog the Celts, Heat and Howard’s Magic…. and the Lakers… and the Spurs.
and here’s something worth mentioning….
CJ Watkins
Keith Bogans
Luol Deng
Carlos Boozer
Joakim Noah
^^^^ that’s the lineup that north said would be a seventh seed in the East. Good fuckin luck with that one.
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:30 pm
JAY says:
“Yes, I’ll say Howard’s Defense = Rose’s Offensive contributions. But can you make the opposite claim of Rose’s defense being equal or better than Howard’s Offensive contributions?”
Who cares? The Magic finished worse than expected. Where the team finishes plays a part in the voting. Look at the pre-season standings. Pretty much every major publication expected the Magic to finish directly behind Boston and Miami. Thibs and D-Rose won their awards because they led the Bulls to the best record. Stop looking at individual stats, or giving your opinion about offensive/defensive contributions. That shit don’t matter. Switch Orlando/Chicago in the standings and D-Howard gets the award.
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:43 pm
FIRST & FOREMOST says:
@Jay we already talked about Synergy
The question at hand is value. You bring up Howard finishing 8th and 7 teams with superstars finsihing ahead of him. Okay. The Spurs have a trio of Manu-Parker-Duncan, as a unit their regular season was suberb and then they shut it down. Since they are a trio of talent their individual value is worth less. Same goes for Wade-Lebron-Bosh. Miami needs them to be great but they have the talent to allow Bosh to take games off. Bosh goes 1 for 18 and the team losses by less than 5.
Kobe dealt with Bynum not being there, Gasol playing soft at times, but he still had Odom-Artest-Fisher to rely on so once again Kobe’s value to his team is diminished. He can always play within the stystem and his team has a good chance to win the game.
Durant was the favorite to win the award but along came Westbrook and Durant’s value to the team dropped. He still led the league in scoring, he still produced great performances, but having such a good 2nd option hurt his chances of winning.
Dirk has Tyson to handle the defensive side of things and Terry to pick up some of the scoring load. He even missed games and the Mavs sucked. But as a team Dirk’s value isn’t a god as Howard’s or Rose’s was to their teams.
Rose had some terrific games and you guys like to bring up clutch as if games are only played in the last 5 minutes and only on offense. Yes Rose was clutch but how many 4th quarters did the opposing team score less than 20 points? Great team defense by the Bulls and Rose handling the offensive production. Howard was his team’s defense and on offense, even though Orlando opted to not go to him he still had to be accounted for due to offensive rebounds. Tip-ins still count as points, right? Besides, in the waning moments of a game, what team goes to their big man for a basket? Z-Bo gave way to Rudy Gay when he was healthy. Manu gets the last shot in SA. Kobe in LA, Joe Johnson over Al Horfod, Roy over Aldridge, Melo over Stat, because it is harder to feed a post player with 10 seconds left in area that can easily be double teamed.
Da**it freakish, you got me doing this stuff again.
May 3rd, 2011 at 4:01 pm
FIRST & FOREMOST says:
@Jay – So because people can’t predict the future those that miss expectations are considered failures? If you expect to get straight A’s but you end with a 3.25 GPA was that semester a failure? If you thought some girl couldn’t cook but she ended up giving you the itis, does that make her Iron Chef worthy? Was Miami’s season a failure because they only won 58 games? Isn’t it easier to do your job when people don’t expect you to be perfect? No one was hounding the bulls after they lost a game or barely won saying, “fire the coach!”
So because the world didn’t recognize the potential of the Bulls, that automatically makes them the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Is Tom Brady a better QB than Peyton Manning just because of what they accomplished and where they were drafted? Not taking into account the Pats had superior defenses & special teams every year.
Aight, I’m done. Nice chatting with you guys as always. Enjoy the games tonight.
May 3rd, 2011 at 4:12 pm
panchitoooo says:
if your most VALUABLE player cant score during crunch time from anywhere he gets the ball he loses his VALUE. and if he cant consistently hit free throws during the most VALUABLE times in the game he loses VALUE. what VALUE do you get from losing games besides experience? its Dwight Howards VALUE that make the Magic win and lose games and if they lost more games than 7 other teams in the league how valuable is he. thats like saying Kevin Love should be up for the MVP too cause he so VALUABLE to his team regardless of their record.
May 3rd, 2011 at 4:26 pm
panchitoooo says:
@First and Foremost
Are you saiying that Dwight Howard thinks his season was a successful one? Disregarding what people thought before the season started do you think the Magic had a very successful season? 2 years ago they went to the Finals and lost, last year they went to the Eastern Confernce Finals and lost, and this year in the 1st round they lost.
if your suppose to get a 4.0 GPA to get into college and you get a 3.25 GPA and are not accepted thats means you fail, seems to be that your alright with accepting failure.
May 3rd, 2011 at 5:53 pm
crossphaded says:
so who won the contest for writing the best explanation why D-Rose should win MVP? I haven’t seen any updates regarding that? Adidas slippin with their prize? hehe
May 4th, 2011 at 7:59 am
FIRST & FOREMOST says:
@Panchitooooo
You are comparing apples to oranges. The MVP is a regular season award. So failing in prior postseasons is now a handicap to a player’s most recent regular season? Should Lebron/Nash/Dirk/Kobe/Malone have their regular season MVPs revoked because they lost in the postseason?
Is Vince Young collegiate career a failure because he didn’t pan out in the NFL? No, because that would be like someone comparing a regular season to a postseason.
Stop pretending that the Clippers didn’t beat the Bulls because of a missed free throw. It happens. Since we are talking about being clutch as if everything done before that doesn’t set the tone for the game, why not include Clutch defense. Why omit the value of having a Center that controls the paint so in the final seconds of a game you pretty much know the other team has to come out shooting a contested jumper instead of a lay-up?
May 4th, 2011 at 8:25 am
JAY says:
@ F&F
Panchitooo is on the right path with his post. Expectations set a bar… or a “goal”. If you don’t reach that bar, it’s a failure. I’m sure Van Gundy was SATISFIED with a #4 east finish…. but “happy”? I doubt it.
And Howard never really seemed satisfied with his teammates this year. and when things didn’t go right he never seemed to try to lift their spirits. In fact, he made it apparent to me, watching on TV, that he wasn’t happy. He always made “that face”… you know the face I’m talking about. The one Perkins makes when he complains to refs, but Howard makes that face to his teammates. Rose is ALWAYS clapping his hands, approaching teammates after misses, and just being a leader on the court. Leadership qualities and lifting your teammates plays a role in MVP voting, no?
Yes, Dwight is the reason for the Magic’s spacing. Yes, Dwight is the reason the are a decent defensive team. But compared to Rose, he does nothing to mentally uplift his team. NOTHING. Rose is everything a leader should be and is great with his teammates and coaching staff. Dwight is a great individual player.
May 4th, 2011 at 9:07 am
JAY says:
“So because the world didn’t recognize the potential of the Bulls, that automatically makes them the greatest thing since sliced bread?”
I see your downplaying the Bulls finishing with the best record, but I know you understand how significant that is. In today’s era of collecting star-studded line-ups, Rose led that team to finish ahead everyone with a trio or quartet of stars. Nobody said the Bulls overachieving makes Rose the greatest thing since spliced bread. It just makes him MVP.
“Besides, in the waning moments of a game, what team goes to their big man for a basket?”
Memphis went to both Z-Bo AND Gay when they played together… not just Gay. The Spurs still dump it to Duncan late… that team is a 3 headed monster in the final minutes. Kobe takes the late shots because that’s what he does. Even if Phil Jackson drew up a play for Gasol, odds are 60/40 Kobe takes the shot. Lol. Joe Johnson is the Hawks leader, of course they go to him over Horford. Melo is one of the best clutch players in the game today. and you would go to Aldridge for shots in the final minutes over a healthy Roy? While we’re at it… the Bucks dump it in to Bogut too.
You should be asking yourself, what team has a big man who is by far his team’s best player, but the guards take the last shots. There’s only one answer… Orlando. All of those examples you brought up are guards who are arguably better or at the same level with the big men they play with. Who on Orlando is “arguably” better than Howard? Or close to being equal?? There’s no reason for Howard to have just 3-4 touches in the final quarter. He’s by far their best player, and he shoots damn near 60% from the field. It’s either coaching, or trust. and VG isn’t a dumb coach. He knows he has the most dominant player in the game.
May 4th, 2011 at 10:04 am
Emrah says:
Dave Cowens 1973 is wrong, it was Steve Nash 2005
(first MVP winner since … to win the award without receiving one vote the previous year.)
May 4th, 2011 at 10:37 am
FIRST & FOREMOST says:
“I see you’re downplaying the bulls finishing with the best record…” I sure was. 62 wins is 62 wins is 62 wins. Since there isn’t a set in stone criteria for this award, I can downplay whatever factors I feel to make a case for any reasonable player. I choose to have a more balanced approached of offense/defense for the full 48.
I think “clutchness” is overrated. Look at boxing. Just because a guy throws a flurry at the end of a round doesn’t mean he should win that round especially if he was using his eyelids to block punches during the other 2:50 of that round. If a wing player gets called for a charge, gives up 3 point play, throws the ball out of bounds, and still hits the gamewinner, was he really that clutch? If an arsonist burns down your house but heroically still saved your life do you press charges or not?
It’s not how you start it’s how you finish… Usain Bolt set a world record shutting it down after 80 meters.
Don’t look at the last shots of a game, ask yourself how they got in that position in the first place.
Quit playin’, John Salmons/Jennings/Boykins are the “heroes” for the Bucks. Dirk is the only 6’10+ guy that actually gets the ball [high post] for a game winner. Frye hit a couple off of long rebounds. So and So in Indy got a tip in at the buzzer. Minny never goes ISO-Love FTW. We’ve seen Sac-town look off DMC [for good reasons though]
Props to Jay & Panchitooooo
May 4th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
JAY says:
Don’t accuse someone for comparing apples to oranges then turn around and do the exact same thing. I don’t know where this conversation went, but I enjoy the topic. Lol. I’m not even going to touch that arson thing. Lol
“Clutch” is never a word used in track & field and/or boxing because it doesn’t apply. A flurry late in a round isn’t clutch… it’s called trying to steal a round. Boxing is based on objective judging… not points. You don’t get 2 points for every punch. If a round was even in a boxer’s(or his corner’s) mind, they throw punches to try and steal the round. When was the last time you heard of a boxer get his face bloodied in a round, then throws a flurry in the last 10 secs, and ends up winning the round?? It never happens. Not the way you portray it.
Track is not the same as basketball. It’s more about physical work and technique than it is mental. Basketball is primarily a mental game. Pressure can f*** with a player’s mind.
Look at football for a sec. The greatest clutch QBs, the dudes who rarely made mistakes in the final 2 mins… the Montana’s, the Elway’s, the Marino’s, the Mannings… when the pressure is at its highest late in game, you’re telling me their ability to consistently come through in the 2 minute drill is overrated? Fact is, the pressure to hit shots (or complete passes) isn’t the same in the first half of a game compared to the last couple of minutes… not in a close game. If “clutchness” is overrated, then Chris Webber clutchness is moot compared to Kobe. Webber has flubbed a lot of games and on some occasions he just refused to shoot. Some dudes like Webb just don’t like when the pressure is on them to hit the shot. Other guys love it, welcome it, and thrive in it.
And i’m confused by this…
“It’s not how you start it’s how you finish…” then, one line later you say…
“Don’t look at the last shots of a game, ask yourself how they got in that position in the first place.”
^^^ If it not about “not how you start, it’s how you finish”, why are you asking me to not look at the last shots? Aren’t those contradictory statements?
May 4th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
QQ says:
PURE CLASS ACT.
It’s hard to dislike a guy like this.
With skills like that, he should be barking like Eddie freaking House every single time. But kid chose to be humble.
PURE CLASS RIGHT THERE.
May 4th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
First & Foremost says:
@Jay – From now on I’m going to bracket all of my sarcastic statements. As the saying goes, it isn’t how you start it is how you finish. People throw the prior 43 minutes of a game out the window. The saying is stupid.
Football is different because players don’t play both ways. Not like Elway/Marino/Brady intercepted or forced a fumble to get the ball back. Yes, by the definition of clutch, those guys lived it to the fullest. However, if they gave up a sack/fumble or just came off of back to back 3&outs, you can’t be considered clutch if you are the reason the game is closer than it should have been when you were already leading.
Kobe for example, if the Lakers are up 7 with 3 minutes left and then down 2 with 14 seconds left. Would he be clutch for hitting the game winner, coming off of 2 missed turnaround contested jumpers and a turnover? Players are judged by late game heroics but not criticized for their mistakes leading up to those points.
I agree that the pressure is different, but the points are still the same. If you slash your tires before driving to work, would you celebrate getting to work on time? You did something stupid but in the end, it didn’t cost you your goal. All that matters is that you win the game. Why is a photo-finish better than a convincing beatdown? The entertainment value…
May 4th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Bizz says:
A photo finish is just as good as a beatdown, because it all ends in a win. The difference is the pressure that you face when the game is on the line, it’s what separates superstars from MVPs, and the way Rose not only helped change a culture in Chicago, but actually LEADS his team, he gets guys to buy into a team concept, unifies his team, things that you can’t measure on a stat sheet are intangibles that are overlooked when naming an MVP.
Even if you want to play the “how does Rose play defence vs. Howard play offence” card, the fact of the matter is, the jump that Rose’s game has elevated to in the span of an offseason, world championships, an injured roster for half a season that he carried on his back…his assists are up, he’s added a 3 point shot to his game, he improved EVERYTHING about his game over the span of one season. Look at his split stats over the course of the year, especially playing against top teams, he was flat out dominant. Good overall pgs are a lot easier to find than good overall centers, and despite the players Rose faced, the #’s will show that PGs weren’t doing to Rose what he was doing to them. So for all the trash you wanna talk about Rose, even though he played against teams with good D, with all the factors against him, he still led the team to the #1 seed. The fact alone that some people feel that the best guy on the best team deserves MVP, all that would do is add to the argument that Rose should be MVP. Instead of hating on the guy for having the best season overall, respect what he did and leave it alone.
May 4th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
JAY says:
Clutch is referring to performing under pressure late in games. That’s all it means. Dudes who aren’t affected by that, are clutch. All that shit that happened earlier in the game, is put behind them. In all sports, shit happens. Guys miss shots. Guys get sacked. Guys make mistakes. The clutch guys don’t make those mistake when it comes down to the last minutes of a game.
Just as there are players like Webber who are amazing players for 95% of the game, but fail to finish strong under pressure, there are guys who are mediocre throughout the game, but you know you can count on them late in games (ie Robert Horry). Being clutch is a real thing. The clock isn’t a factor in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters.
I totally see your point of view, and understand your argument that the points mean the same throughout the game. But we disagree, that’s all.
And what happened to the Howard/Rose conversation?? Ha! We veered way off topic.
May 4th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
JAY says:
@ Bizz: “Instead of hating on the guy for having the best season overall, respect what he did and leave it alone.”
F&F isn’t exactly hating on Rose. He just thinks Howard is more valuable to his team than D-Rose was.
May 4th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
First & Foremost says:
@Bizz – they have an award for improvement. [So should Kevin Love have gotten some MVP votes] [Blake got 1 3rd place vote for his "improvement"] Yes, the difference bewteen Mike Vanderjack and Adam Viniteari is pressure. I’ll agree with you on that.
@Jay – Clutch/pressure situations can be felt in some sports more than others. The 12th strike in bowling is different from the 2nd because with each frame pressure builds. A closer in baseball has to come in cold and get 2 outs with runners in scoring position. That is trial by fire. In basketball, I feel that if you are shooting your team out of a game and then make the last shot, you are just like any other player.
“Clutch guys don’t make those mistakes in the last minutes of a game” Ehh, or people choose to remember the game winners.