Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) strips the ball from Houston Rockets forward Michael Beasley (8) in the fourth period as the Houston Rockets face the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the playoffs at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, April 18, 2016.
After back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Defensive Player of the Year race, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took his place at the top of the hill Monday night, claiming the title by 165 total voting points.
Green garnered 73 of 100 possible first-place votes and 434 total voting points, with Utah’s Rudy Gobert finishing second (16 first-place votes, 269 points) and back-to-back winner Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs falling to third (11 first place votes, 182 points).
At the inaugural NBA Awards Show Green claimed the award he has so coveted, becoming the first winner in franchise history, and was sure to thank the work of his teammates. His team was quick to congratulate him:
Green led the league in steals per game (2.03) and finished 12th in blocks per game (1.39). Also, one of three Warriors to be selected as All-Defensive First-Teamer — Andre Iguodala (2013-14) and Nate Thurmond (1968-69, 1970-71) — Green became the first in franchise history to be selected three times.
Joining Green at the center of the honors, General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers was named the NBA Executive of the Year. He becomes the first Warriors executive to claim the honor twice, previously winning following the 2014-15 season.
Via fan vote, Klay Thompson won the Performance of the Year for his 60-point outburst on Dec. 5.
Green and Stephen Curry were co-recipients of the Assist of the Year, selected through fan vote, for a full-court, two-part alley-oop to Kevin Durant on .
The Dubs rounded out their 3-for-3 night in fan-vote awards with Durant’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 45.3 seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Finals being named the Best Playoff Moment.
The biggest winner of the night was perhaps the least surprising. By a voting-point total of 888 to 753, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was named the MVP over Houston’s James Harden. Harden was a worthy contender, after leading his Rockets to a No. 2 seed in the West averaging 29.1 points and a league-leading 11.2 assists per game. Westbrook, though, became the first player since Oscar Robertson since 1961-62 to average a triple-double.
Westbrook led the league in scoring (31.6 points per game) while finishing third in assists (10.4) and tenth in rebounds (10.7).
Last modified June 27, 2017 6:39 pm
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