After the best dunk, the Rookie of the Year was announced.

Donovan Mitchell, as the only rookie averaging over 20 points, was unsurprisingly selected as the Rookie of the Year.

Following the Rookie of the Year, came the best block and best play.

The pattern of this year's awards ceremony was easy to discern: a significant award followed by two entertaining ones.

It was both serious and engaging.

This first showing after Tatum took over the league was received quite well by fans and media.

With the initial awards handed out one after another, what remained were the heavyweight accolades.

Next up was the announcement of the NBA Executive of the Year.

All three candidates for this award had compelling reasons to win.

Neil Olshey's moves during the offseason were impressive, trading away the unstable Butler and bringing in Holiday and Jokic.

A deal that didn't initially seem great turned out to be quite successful.

The Mavericks ultimately finished the regular season ranked second in the West, ahead of the Warriors and Rockets.

That final record alone was enough to make Olshey a candidate.

Jon Horst's performance was even more remarkable.

He brought the Big Three to the Bucks during the offseason and acquired Horford at the trade deadline, forming a four-star lineup.

Although the Bucks only finished third in the East, they ultimately went to Game 7 against the Cavaliers in the playoffs.

As a new lineup, this was quite an impressive achievement.

Perhaps this was one of the advantages of holding the awards ceremony after the season, as the judges had more comprehensive data to consider.

Of course, the most eye-catching and controversial of the three was Dell Demps.

Building the "Hard-Work Four" and achieving 80 wins would have easily secured the Executive of the Year award for any general manager at any time.

But the point of contention was also the "Hard-Work Four."

It's no exaggeration to say that Walker and Butler came to the Pelicans because of Tang Tian, not because of Demps.

So all three had their reasons, making this award quite suspenseful.

"The recipient of this award is a general manager from the West."

After opening the envelope, Barkley deliberately created suspense, causing a stir in the audience and piquing the viewers' interest.

The cameraman also focused on Demps and Olshey.

Both of them unconsciously straightened their backs.

For a general manager, this award was undoubtedly the most convincing proof of their ability.

"Is it Neil Olshey... or Dell Demps?"

Barkley's further suspense drew boos from the audience.

Kenny Smith couldn't stand his partner any longer, snatched the envelope, and announced the final result.

"The 2017-2018 NBA Executive of the Year is Dell Demps!"

When Demps' name was announced, the camera immediately focused on him.

He stood up with a beaming smile, marking his second Executive of the Year award in his career.

Although Walker and Butler came because of Tang Tian, the series of moves to free up salary space were impressive.

Especially the ability to trade away Boban's contract, which was considered the best deal of the offseason.

So awarding him this prize was well-deserved.

Demps went on stage and gave his acceptance speech.

According to idle reporters at the scene, his 200-word speech mentioned Tang Tian 10 times.

This data spoke volumes: Demps's reverence for Tang Tian was almost obsequious.

This was completely normal; he was close to being unemployed before Tang Tian arrived, and after Tang Tian came, he won the Executive of the Year award twice.

It's no exaggeration to say that his life was completely changed because of Tang Tian.

Not to mention that the "Hard-Work Four" trade was Tang Tian's idea in private.

Because it was so exaggerated, Demps received many contemptuous glances from his peers when he stepped down.

Demps didn't care, but instead looked down on them; they didn't even have the chance to be as obsequious as he was.

After the Executive of the Year, the next two awards were interesting.

One was the Best Dressed Award, which went to Westbrook.

The reason for the award was naturally his unconventional and always fashionable style of dress.

When he came on stage, he was wearing a pink checkered suit with suspenders underneath, drawing whistles from the audience.

It must be said that Westbrook really led the way in terms of dressing.

After the Best Dressed Award was the NBA Sportsmanship Award.

This award was given to Lillard of the Trail Blazers.

Lillard was one of the league's few one-man-one-city quasi-superstars, leading the Trail Blazers to become one of only two teams to defeat the Pelicans during the season.

And his performance in the playoffs was even better, not only leading the team to eliminate the championship favorite Rockets but also pushing the Pelicans into overtime.

He could be said to have won this award without controversy.

After these two awards, followed another significant award, and it could be said to be the most significant award to date.

Defensive Player of the Year.

Interestingly, two of the three candidates were from the Pelicans.

If the award ultimately went to the Pelicans again, then tonight's awards ceremony would truly be a clean sweep for the Pelicans.

A comparison of the defensive stats of the three candidates.

Gobert: 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 0.8 steals.

Butler: 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks.

Tang Tian: 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.3 blocks.

In terms of stats, Butler was undoubtedly the most outstanding.

This season, he played more of a defensive stopper role alongside Tang Tian, and the data perfectly reflected this.

However, as in previous years, the opposing players who felt it most deeply were still Tang Tian.

It's no exaggeration to say that, apart from inside mismatches, basically no one could get past Tang Tian's defense, the four-time DPOY.

"The 2017-2018 Defensive Player of the Year is..."

Barkley's words once again whetted the appetite of the audience.

"An unexpected result."

And his next sentence was equally annoying, met with a chorus of boos from the audience.

"Jimmy Butler."

But this time Barkley was actually telling the truth.

The final result was indeed somewhat surprising.

Even Butler didn't expect it; it wasn't until Walker next to him gave him a push that he stood up.

He went on stage amidst applause and cheers from the audience.

Tang Tian also smiled and applauded him.

Butler made a lot of personal sacrifices this season, and this award was the best reward for him.

"I really didn't expect to win this award, I thought... I'm sorry, Tang, I ended your four-peat."

Butler was very honest, but his words drew cheers from the audience.

Most of those who came to participate were players, and someone being able to end Tang Tian's dominance, even if it was only for one season, was exciting enough.

Tang Tian smiled and shook his head, signaling that it was okay.

He would be a little upset if someone else ended his streak, but in Butler's case, he couldn't be happier.

And even if it was a long shot, this award still belonged to the Pelicans in the end; it was staying within the family.