The Whiteboard: NBA Award snubs and how James Harden drove the Clippers

One of the twists the NBA has added to their award presentations over the years is the announcement of three finalists well in advance of each award being handed out. It adds another layer of conversation and the opportunity to point out a lower level of snubs with players who didn't finish in the top three.

Those finalists were announced Sunday evening and while there weren't all that many surprises there were a few eyebrow-raisers.

Surprises in the NBA Award Finalists

Anthony Davis wasn't a Defensive Player of the Year finalist

Davis getting left out of the finalists in favor of Bam Adebayo was easily the biggest surprise. As Zachary Rotman pointed out, Davis averaged more blocks, more steals and more rebounds. He also played more games and more minutes.

The Heat defense was clearly better than the Lakers — allowing 111.5 points per 100 possessions, fifth in the league, compared to 114.8 points per 100 possessions, 17th in the league for Los Angeles. But Adebayo had much better defenders around him and it wasn't like the Heat defense was so good that they demanded recognition — seven other teams finished with one point per possession of the Heat, above or below their mark.

There is an argument that players sometime get the benefit of the doubt in terms of coverage and public perception by virtue of playing for the Lakers but in this case I think Davis has a very strong argument that he should have been included instead of Adebayo.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn't an MVP finalist

To be clear, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic were all phenomenal this season and if you put Giannis up against either of them individually, I'm not sure who you knock out. But it is wild that Giannis averaged 30.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting a career-best 61.1 percent from the field and he couldn't even make the top four. Yes, the Bucks struggled to meet expectations but they still won 49 games, finished third in the Eastern Conference and Giannis put up arguably the best year of his career in terms of individual proudction. The depth at the top of this league is just wild right now.

Jalen Williams wasn't a Most Improved Player of the Year finalist

The NBA probably got the ballot right here with Coby White, Tyrese Maxey and Alperen Sengun. And it would have been even more complicated if Scottie Barnes or Jalen Johnson had met the minimum games played requirement. But it is at least a little surprising that Jalen Williams didn't get more of a bump as the third-most important player on the second-best team in the NBA.

In his second season, Williams significantly improved his scoring average, from 14.1 to 19.1, increased his assists per game from 3.3 to 4.5 and shot a game-changing 42.7 percent from beyond the arc after hitting just 35.6 percent as a rookie. He's an incredibly versatile defender, fills multiple roles on offense and is already in discussion as one of the best third-wheels in the entire league. Maybe he doesn't get as much credit because he has so much talent around him and expectations were already so high. But he improved a ton this year and that improvement was essential to the Thunder, one of the most surprising teams in the league.

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Game 1 between the Heat and Celtics gets chippy

The Boston Celtics absolutely thrashed the Miami Heat in Game 1, 114-94. But one of the most dramatic moments in this blowout came when Caleb Martin collided with Tatum late in the fourth quarter, resulting in an ugly fall.

For his part, Martin said the collision was accidental and there is at least one camera angle that appears to show Jrue Holiday inadvertently pushing Martin into Tatum. But Celtics broadcaster Brian Scalabrine didn't mince words (h/t Sports Illustrated), saying, "Erik Spoelstra called a timeout with a left down by 16, 30 seconds later that play happens. That looked shady to me."

For their part, the Celtics seemed to be drawing some motivation from the physicality in what is already a series with emotional stakes. After the game, Kristaps Porzingis told reporters, "I think we matched. I don't know if [the Martin collision] was an accident or not. Those kinds of plays happen. But a little bit of action? I think it's good for the playoffs. It was fun," per ESPN.

Game 2 isn't until Wednesday night.

READ MORE:

• Jayson Tatum sparks Celtics to win over Heat, downplays fall by Chris Herring, for ESPN
• Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum, refuse to let Heat disrupt their game by Jared Weiss, for The Athletic

QUICK HITTER: James Harden can still drive-and-kick

James Harden was the driving force for the Clippers in their, 109-97, Game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks. He finished with 28 points and 8 assists, helping fill the void left by Kawhi Leonard's absence. His scoring and shooting — 6-of-11 from beyond the arc — captured most of the headlines but his aggressiveness attacking the basket was just as noteworthy.

Harden finished Game 1 with 19 drives after averaging just 10.4 drives per game during the regular season. He passed on 12 of those 19 drives, an extremely high rate and one that would have led the league by a decent margin during the regular season among primary ball-handlers. Only three of those passes turned into assists but he also recorded two secondary assists (a pass that led directly to an assist).

His ability to collapse the defense and keep the ball moving was huge for the Clippers offense and a perfect counter-balance to his outside shooting.

Recommended Reading:

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