NBA Awards 2017 Live Free

NBA Awards 2017 Stream Free

For the first time, the NBA will announce the winner of the MVP and the league's other major awards during a live show televised on TNT. The awards show, hosted by rapper/entertainer Drake, will be held at Basketball City at Pier 36 in Manhattan, New York, on June 26.

There are three finalists each for the following awards: NBA Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year.

During this past NBA season, there seemed to be more talk surrounding the MVP award than the actual results on the court.

All season long, fans and reporters debated whether Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James deserved the honor.

Now, we'll finally get to find out who wins (we know who won't, as the four-time MVP James did not make the final cut of nominees) on Monday night during the first annual NBA Awards show.

Here's a look at the information for the event (which can be live-streamed through this link), followed by predictions for the six main honors.

Location: Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City

Date and Time: Monday, June 26 at 9 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Host: Drake

Website: NBAawards

    

Awards

Most Valuable Player

Nominees: James Harden (HOU), Kawhi Leonard (SA), Russell Westbrook (OKC)

Odds (from OddsShark): Westbrook (-1400), Harden (+700), Leonard (+2500)

While Leonard is the best two-way player in the NBA, and while Harden put up gaudy statistics for a team that reached the second round of the playoffs in the tough Western Conference, this award has to go to Westbrook, who was the first player to average a triple-double over a full NBA season since Oscar Robertson did so during the 1961-62 season.

Some might say that Westbrook committed far too many turnovers (5.4 per game) and took too many shots (24.0 a night), but he had to control the ball in order to make the Thunder offense work this year. As evidence, his teammates had a very poor collective shooting year, with OKC shooting an anemic 32.7 percent from downtown.

Westbrook's individual effort this season was phenomenal, and he should take home the MVP.

Pick: Westbrook

     

Rookie of the Year

Nominees: Malcolm Brogdon (MIL), Joel Embiid (PHI), Dario Saric (PHI)

Odds (author projection): Saric (EVEN), Brogdon (3/1), Embiid (3/1)

Joel Embiid would win this award hands down if he played close to a full season, but The Process only suited up 31 times last year. Next season, if he stays healthy, Embiid could be an All-Star, but until then, the Rookie of the Year award should go his teammate, Dario Saric, who broke out during the second half of the season.