The first round of the playoffs continued, with the Celtics ultimately defeating the little parrots, advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the fifth consecutive year after forming their Big Three.

On the other side, the 76ers successfully achieved a "Black Eight" upset, knocking off the top-seeded Bulls in the East.

Derrick Rose's season-ending injury shattered the Bulls' dream season once again.

With the first round in the East completed, the second round was about to begin, but the Western Conference remained intensely competitive.

The Clippers and Grizzlies, Lakers and Nuggets, were all tied at 3-3, heading into decisive Game 7s.

Before the Game 7s, the league announced the regular season MVP.

Derrick Rose, the Bulls' core player, played inconsistently due to injuries, and since he was the MVP last season, he was essentially out of the running.

The Spurs in the West played standard team basketball this season, with Tony Parker's 18 points and 8 assists being the best stats, clearly not MVP-caliber.

Consequently, for the first time in history, the core players of the second-best teams in the East and West became the strongest contenders for the MVP.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks, with a 53.1% field goal percentage and 36.2% three-point percentage (2.4 attempts per game).

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder averaged 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks, with a 49.6% field goal percentage and 38.7% three-point percentage (5.2 attempts per game).

The Thunder had a record of 46 wins and 20 losses, while the Heat had 45 wins and 21 losses.

Both players were neck and neck in terms of stats and team record, making the selection a matter of luck.

In fact, even the experts were hesitant to make a definitive prediction before the actual result was announced.

LeBron James had already won two MVP awards in 2009 and 2010, while Kevin Durant had never won one.

Therefore, purely from the perspective of the results, Durant had more reason to win the award, which would influence the final decision of the voters.

Moreover, the Thunder team consisted entirely of homegrown players, while the Heat were a "brotherhood" team, which would also influence the reporters' votes.

Taking all these details into account, Durant had a slightly higher chance of winning.

In the end, LeBron James received 34.16% of the votes, surpassing Durant's 28.28%, and was named regular season MVP for the third time in his career.

Notably, James received 85 of the 121 first-place votes, a significant advantage.

The result surprised many.

"Bullshit.jpg"

Durant posted this emoji on his personal Twitter after the results were announced.

The "Twitter King" fully expressed his dissatisfaction with a single emoji.

Serge Ibaka missed out on the Defensive Player of the Year award, Durant missed out on the MVP, and after the Thunder had their best season in franchise history, it didn't seem to impress the reporters.

Or, in the eyes of the reporters, the path of "brotherhood basketball" was much more difficult than that of a team built through its own development.

After winning this MVP, James was also showing a tendency to replace Kobe Bryant as the league's top player.

The Heat also held a press conference specifically for James.

Teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, as well as Heat president Pat Riley, attended the press conference.

"LeBron's performance is simply incredible, he dominates both ends of the court every game."

Wade gave his old friend the highest praise.

"Without a doubt, he's the one who leads us."

Bosh was also generous with his praise.

"I always believed in him, he is the best player in the league."

Riley was even more direct.

James gave his acceptance speech at the end.

"I have to thank my fiancee, Savannah, she is the most important person in my life, I have to thank my mother, she gave me life..."

James choked up several times while giving his speech.

He entered the league as a prodigy, the league's designated number one player.

But the failures in Cleveland, coupled with the lack of success in Miami, caused him immense psychological pressure.

This MVP was the greatest affirmation for him.

"...Thank you to all the reporters who voted for me, I really appreciate you, but for me, personal honors are no longer that important, I want to lead this team to win the final championship, we failed last year, but not this year."

At the end of his speech, James also expressed his determination.

Last year was the first year of the Heat's Big Three, and there was still the excuse of needing to mesh.

But this year is the second year, and they have also introduced a strong reinforcement like Shane Battier, if they don't win the championship, the criticism will only be greater.

This was the attitude he had to show.

After the press conference, the buzz on Twitter was unstoppable.

"The best player without a championship? Pat Riley is senile!"

"Riley is just jealous, Kobe hasn't retired yet, why is he in such a hurry to find a successor?"

"I'm siding with Durant this time, this has nothing to do with burner accounts, his performance this season is more deserving of the MVP."

"It's useless, I'm a Kobe fan, but Kobe will always get old, the league needs the next spokesperson."

"I'm really looking forward to the Lakers being like the Mavericks last season, and slapping everyone in the face in the end, Kobe winning the championship against the Heat, Miracle 2.0 version."

"Dude, you're just asking for hate, your Lakers are still fighting the Nuggets, a team without a superstar, to the death!"

"Nothing is impossible, the Mavericks were third in the West last year, the Lakers are the same this year, who would have thought the Mavericks could win the championship last season?"

...

Not long after the MVP results were announced, the two Game 7s in the West had already begun.

The Lakers narrowly defeated the Nuggets 96-87, with Steve Blake scoring 19 points as a key contributor off the bench.

This made Lakers fans really hopeful, the Lakers and Mavericks' trajectories were indeed similar.

In the other Game 7, although Blake Griffin only contributed 8 points and 4 rebounds, thanks to the outstanding performances of Nick Young and Kenyon Martin off the bench, the Clippers ultimately won 82-72, successfully advancing to the second round.

Tang Tian's previous words were spot on, they really had to face the Clippers, a rival with a lot of history.

"Those guys got lucky." Manu Ginobili seemed to be more looking forward to playing the Grizzlies.

"Good news, the Clippers are easier to beat than the Grizzlies." Boris Diaw stated some facts.

The series between the two teams was in two days.

The Clippers had just gone through a Game 7 and needed those two days to rest.

League President's Office.

President David Stern and Vice President Adam Silver were standing by the window.

Silver held a list of Rookie of the Year candidates in his hand.

The NBA's major awards are voted on by reporters, but the league has a significant influence in the process.

Sending emails to reporters before voting, saying some suggestive things, this is common practice.

"Do you still think Kyrie Irving is more suitable for Rookie of the Year than Tang?" Stern asked.

"Yes, Irving's playing style is more flashy, the game is more entertaining, he will bring more fans to the league." Silver said with certainty.

He had already given Stern his advice on the Rookie of the Year selection at the end of the season.