Awards Rumors
Five years ago, he slayed a giant when he won Finals MVP in leading the San Antonio Spurs over the two-time champ Miami Heat. On Thursday night, Kawhi Leonard became a superteam killer again when he finished off the Golden State Warriors’ two-year run as champions and again earned the Bill Russell Trophy. The Toronto Raptors star capped an historic postseason by reaching an historic achievement: the first player in history to win Finals MVP with teams from both conferences. Leonard earned the honor following the Raptors’ 114-110 Game 6 victory to close out a 4-2 series win.
Chris Mannix: Kawhi Leonard received ten of the 11 first place votes for Finals MVP. Hubie Brown was the outlier, voting for Fred VanVleet.
Jorge Sierra: Kawhi Leonard is the first player with multiple Finals MVP awards and no regular season MVP trophy. Just an FYI.
Andrew Greif: Clippers coach Doc Rivers has won the PBWA’s Rudy Tomjanovich Award for “cooperation with the media and fans, as well as his excellence on the court.” It’s the second time he’s won it — last time was 2011-12.
