NBA 2022 Playoffs: Who will win the Larry Bird Award?
Two candidates are contenders for the NBA’s newest accolade. Check out who could win it.
FollowEarlier this month, the NBA introduced its newest accolades: The Magic Johnson and Larry Bird awards for the best players in the western and eastern conference finals. On Friday, the Inaugural Magic Johnson award winner was announced as award-winner Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to reach their sixth final in eight years. On the other hand, the Larry Bird award is still up for grabs as the Heat-Celtics series has gone to seven games. There are two primary contenders for the prize: Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler.
The series started roughly for Tatum as the Celtics lost Game 1 after a complete collapse in the third quarter. A significant part of this collapse was the Celtics’ turnovers, where Tatum can be held responsible as he had six turnovers. Tatum scored the ball well with 29 points on 21 field goal attempts and nine free throw attempts, but it came in a loss partially due to him. Game 2 was a bounce-back game for Tatum and the Celtics, as Tatum scored an extremely efficient 27 points to-go-along with five5 rebounds and five assists. The Celtics would win Game 2 by 25 points. Game 3 was Tatum’s worst game of the series, as he only scored ten points on 3/14 shooting from the field and had six turnovers as the Celtics went 2-1 down in the series. The Celtics needed a big performance from Tatum in Game 4, and they got just that as he scored an efficient 31 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, and a couple of2 blocks as the Celtics blew out the Heat by 20 points. The Celtics won again in Game 5, and even though Tatum wasn’t as efficient in scoring, he contributed to the team’s success by playmaking at a high level. Tatum ended the game with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists. Tatum scored one of his most efficient 30-point games ever in Game 6, with 30 points on just 12 field-goal attempts and eight free throw attempts. However, his seven turnovers were a problem, as the Celtics narrowly lost the opportunity to go to the Final.
ALSO READ: NBA 2022: Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler's masterclass in numbers
Butler began the series on fire with 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals. He played a crucial role in the second half, which would get the Heat the win. Butler was one of the only offensive performers for the Heat in Game 2 as it was they were thrashed 127-102. In Game 3, Butler was part of the big first quarter, giving the Heat a 20+ point lead. However, Butler could not return in the second half due to a knee injury. Though he returned for the next game, this injury seemed to have impacted him, as Butler looked like a shell of himself. The Heat lost back-to-back games, as Butler scored 19 combined points on 30 shots in Games 4 and 5. Butler played with the season on the line away from home in Game 6. He was never injured, scripting: 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and a block to steer lead the Heat to a crucial win and a Game 7 at home.
Both Tatum and Butler have already made compelling cases for the award. Their performances and the result of the seventh 7th game will have a big say in who wins the prize.
