Chapter 142 Godfather

Tang Tian on the previous season was synonymous with all-around offense and defense. His statistics explained everything, not to mention the actual effect.

But now he didn't even make the shortlist?

Was it really because he retired and they didn't want to give him the honor?

That was a natural assumption.

But then the question was, if that was the case, why invite him?

Fans were puzzled, but they could only wait until the final MVP result came out.

The Defensive Player of the Year was eventually won by Gobert.

All three had excellent defensive performances during the season, but without Tang Tian, this bug, plus Antetokounmpo and Leonard were both the core of their respective teams.

In comparison, Gobert better embodied the meaning of this award.

And the unspoken rule of the NBA was that interior players inherently had a huge advantage in the selection of this award.

Holiday won the Best Teammate Award. He played for the 76ers, Pelicans, and Mavericks in his career, working hard and diligently, and deserved it.

The Best General Manager was won by the Lakers' "Magic" Johnson, who also won the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award.

After other awards, large and small, were announced successively, the last and most anticipated by fans was the final MVP award.

And it was at the stage where the nominees were announced.

If Tang Tian was among the nominees, the MVP would basically be Tang Tian's.

The Pelicans had a good record, and in terms of statistics, he stood out from the crowd, and others were not even in the same league as him.

If not, that was another story.

The first candidate announced was Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo led the team to the best record in team history, and became the Eastern Conference champion with a 12-0 record in the playoffs.

Although the performance in the Finals was average, it didn't detract from the overall achievement.

Moreover, the MVP was based on the regular season, and he still deserved a nomination.

The second to be announced was Leonard.

The Spurs had the best record in team history, and Popovich was indispensable, but Leonard, who also had an outstanding performance, was also a key factor.

It was no exaggeration to say that as James aged, he was the second most comprehensive player in offense and defense besides Tang Tian.

He also deserved a nomination.

There were three nominations in total, and this last one became particularly interesting.

The Lakers, who were first in the West, had no one selected yet, and James or Durant were both possible.

Many fans were already guessing who the last one would be on the hotline.

Tang Tian hadn't come out at this point and was already seen as a lost cause. In fact, there was already a foreshadowing when he wasn't selected for the Defensive Player of the Year.

Sure enough, even retiring required choosing the right time.

Some fans were even discussing who among Antetokounmpo, Leonard, James, and Durant was more deserving of the MVP.

The third nomination came out.

Tang Tian!

This result was unexpected by many.

James and Durant were not selected!

But this was also reasonable. With James and Durant joining forces, it was impossible for both of them to be selected, and it wouldn't be appropriate to select either one alone.

It was the same as the Warriors team back then, where Curry and Durant were not included in the MVP selection range that season.

When the result really came out, the fans were relieved.

Not being selected for the Defensive Player of the Year wasn't too strange, after all, Leonard and Antetokounmpo, who were selected, didn't win the award in the end.

As for Tang Tian, he played the team's offensive core last season, and his defense wasn't as eye-catching in comparison.

It seemed that the league still followed their rules. Although Tang Tian announced his retirement, his historic performance last season would not be erased.

As soon as Tang Tian was pushed out as the third candidate, the discussions on social media about the MVP selection all stopped.

Averaging 37.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks, with a 54% shooting percentage and 40.3% three-point shooting percentage.

82 points in a single game, 14 40+ triple-doubles, 38 points in a single quarter, 102 points in a single game!

Scoring champion, assists champion, and average triple-double for the season!

The Pelicans also had 60+ wins and became the third in the West.

If these statistics weren't enough to make him the MVP, then the recipient of this MVP would be the most controversial in NBA history.

Tatum came to the stage, opened the envelope containing the final result, and then announced the final result.

"The regular season MVP for the 2018~2019 season is... Tang Tian! This is also his fourth consecutive season winning this honor, congratulations, Tang."

The result announced by Tatum was not suspenseful.

Just as the fans knew, as long as he was selected, there would be no suspense in this result.

Tang Tian got up and walked to the stage, and cheers and applause rang out from the audience.

Although there were many fans outside who questioned Tang Tian, most of those who were there were players, and they knew Tang Tian's contribution to the league.

And to put it another way, Tang Tian's retirement meant that they had the opportunity to pursue the championship again, and they were happy in their hearts.

"Thank you President Tatum, thank you to the selection committee, thank you to all the fans, thank you to everyone, I am very happy to receive this honor."

Tang Tian's appearance on stage now had the air of a celebrity.

This was a real instant switch.

"...The last thing I want to thank is my wife Elizabeth, my family, they have given a lot for me, what I want to say is, I now have enough time to be with you."

Tang Tian's next words also brought bursts of applause.

Life is greater than basketball, and other players will also say these words about spending more time with their families, but truly reaching Tang Tian's level is also the first in history.

"Finally, I want to say to Giannis and Kawhi, don't give up because of this election failure, because the future is yours."

Tang Tian's last words made the atmosphere at the scene happy.

This was probably the most showy but unproblematic thing to say at this point in time.

Antetokounmpo had just lost to Tang Tian, and Leonard was Tang Tian's younger brother. Tang Tian's words were not only a joke, but also had the flavor of appointing a successor to the league.

The cheers at the scene didn't die down for a long time.

Just when everyone thought Tang Tian was done.

"Last but not least, remember to pay attention to the upcoming 2019 China Basketball World Cup, this summer will be very exciting."

His next words made the audience laugh.

Tang Tian was still Tang Tian, he really had a way with words.

And the series of words completely eliminated the previous tension.

"Godfather! Godfather!"

I don't know who started shouting, but the uniform shouts echoed throughout the awards ceremony.

Godfather, Tang Tian's earliest nickname, appeared in 2011.

In the blink of an eye, 8 years had passed. Tang Tian retired from the NBA stage, and Godfather, like the God of Basketball, had become a legend and classic of the league.

Similarly, it was also the greatest totem among their new generation.

Listening to the shouts of the players at the scene, Tang Tian was a little moved.

But he wasn't too sentimental, after all, he wasn't really fading out of the stage forever.

For him, when the time was right, he would come back again.