![]() Despite Embiid winning his first Kia MVP, the Sixers came up short in the playoffs, blowing a 3-2 lead to the Celtics in the conference semis.Ĭheck out these awesome highlights of the 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid! Sixers stars Harden and Embiid became the first pair of teammates to win the assist and scoring titles, respectively, since former San Antonio Spurs legends George Gervin and Johnny Moore did so in 1981-82. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals since 1999. With superstar forward Jimmy Butler leading the way, Miami became the first No. 2) on the road in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. ![]() 5 seeded New York Knicks in the semifinals and then the Boston Celtics (No. The Heat, who nearly got knocked out of the AT&T Play-In Tournament – losing to the Hawks and then trailing in the fourth quarter against the Bulls – continued to prevail on their way to the franchise’s seventh Finals appearance. The 2023 playoffs were filled with surprises as the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated by the No. Several stars missed time due to injuries, including: Kawhi Leonard (29 games), James (27 games), Damian Lillard (24 games), Karl Anthony-Towns (53 games), Devin Booker (29 games), Davis (26 games), Durant (35 games), Paul George (26 games), James Harden (24 games), Bradley Beal (30 games), LaMelo Ball (46 games), Zion Williamson (53 games) and Khris Middleton (49 games). Additionally, Kings coach Mike Brown was named Coach of the Year in his first season with the team. Star guard De’Aaron Fox earned his first All-Star nod and received the inaugural Jerry West NBA Clutch Player of the Year award, too. The Sacramento Kings ended their league-worst 16-year playoff drought, going 48-34 and clinching the No. After a buyout, the former Kia MVP ultimately landed with the LA Clippers. After the trio missed the 2021-22 playoffs, their woes rolled over into a 25-27 record, which prompted a shakeup by GM Rob Pelinka, with Westbrook off to the Jazz in a three-team deal. The Los Angeles Lakers’ experiment of uniting James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook fizzled out midway through its second season. Irving landed in Dallas, with Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and future picks heading to Brooklyn. Durant was dealt to Phoenix in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks and a future pick swap. The Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era ended in Brooklyn after both players requested deals. Player movement did not stop in the offseason, as multiple blockbuster trades shook up the NBA landscape at the February deadline. James drilled a mid-range turnaround jumper to snag the throne as the scoring champ. 7, 2023, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league’s all-time scoring leader, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points, which had stood since his retirement in 1989. Blazers PG Lillard later matched him – in regulation – with his own career- and franchise-high 71 in Portland’s win over Houston on February 26. Cavs guard Mitchell notched a career-high and franchise-record 71 points in an overtime win against the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 40 games), six more than the previous season and three more than any season in NBA history. Scorers went to work throughout, with a record 19 players averaging 25 points or more (min. Defensive struggles and lack of cohesion led to an abysmal 11-30 road record and a 6-seed out West. Despite their successful run to a fourth title in eight seasons, the defending champions never returned to their postseason form. Opening night of 2022-23 featured the Golden State Warriors receiving their rings. 6 entering the season were grandfathered in, but no player could pick that jersey number going forward. 6 on the sideline near the scorer’s table, too. 6 was being retired league-wide and that the NBA would pay tribute to him throughout the season.Īll players wore a commemorative patch on the right shoulder of their jerseys and every NBA court displayed a clover-shaped logo with the No. Before the start of the 2022-23 season, the NBA announced Russell’s No. In the offseason as well, a luminary and all-time great in the game was lost when Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell died on July 31, 2022. Denver also made what would prove a significant under-the-radar trade when it acquired role players Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. The San Antonio Spurs accelerated their rebuild by sending All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Hawks. The Jazz were the first to shake up the league, dealing their two franchise cornerstones as three-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was sent to Minnesota and four-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell was dealt to Cleveland. Before the 2022-23 season began, several players found homes with new teams in a cluster of offseason moves.
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