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Inaugural NBA Awards Feature Several Iconic Moments, Though Show Can Improve

Drake last night at the inaugural NBA Awards Show in Manhattan "carried much of the show" until "fading in the second half," according to Stefan Bondy of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. The rapper "opened his monologue with a bunch of one-liners, ragging on the Knicks," Warriors F Draymond Green's podcast and "of course, LaVar Ball" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/27). The CBC wrote under the header, "Toronto's Drake Brings A-Game To NBA Awards." The host "started with a swish ... and a couple of great roasts" of Raptors G DeMar DeRozan. But he then "went to the bottom with a questionable joke about slavery." Drake then "regained his footing, throwing shade around the room full of the league's greatest stars" (CBC.ca, 6/26). SI.com's Rohan Nadkarni writes of the show, "Not that bad!" Drake "performed fairly well" and "kept the show moving along." His jokes "weren’t too tame, and he tried his best to leverage his relationships with players into comedic moments." But Drake "did stumble on the timing on a couple of his jokes" and he "moved too fast." The show was also "lacking in star power" without the likes of Cavaliers F LeBron James, Warriors F Kevin Durant or Spurs F Kawhi Leonard, who was an MVP finalist. It is "going to be very difficult for the NBA to have its stars commit to showing up to an awards show when most of them are on vacation all over the world." The show "won’t feel special if the biggest names aren’t in attendance" (SI.com, 6/27). 

RESPECT YOUR ELDERS: NBA.com's Lang Whitaker notes Basketball HOFers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson were "on hand to present" Bill Russell with a lifetime achievement award. After "pointing to each member of the group," the smiling Russell "raised a conspiratorial hand alongside his mouth and announced, 'I would kick your ass'" (NBA.com, 6/27). SI.com's Dan Gartland writes Russell "brought the house down with some brutal smack talk." The reaction from the crowd was "almost as good as Russell’s joke." Gartland: "Drake was great, but maybe Russell should host this thing next year" (SI.com, 6/27). USA TODAY's Adi Joseph wrote under the header, "Bill Russell Talking Trash Was Easily The Best Moment Of The NBA Awards Show" (USATODAY.com, 6/27). The Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur tweeted, "The best part was that Bill Russell told all those Hall of Fame centres he would kick their ass AFTER ONE OF THEM GAVE HIM HIS CANE" (TWITTER.com, 6/26).

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: THE RINGER's Paolo Uggetti wrote Drake "proved to be a tremendous, risqué host, but with a league that thrives off candid social media moments and authentic player personalities, the overdue NBA awards took itself too seriously." A "genuinely touching moment came when" Spurs VP/Basketball Operations Monty Williams "received the Craig Sager Strong Award for what he endured after his wife’s tragic death last year." But the "undeniable reality was that it felt like an exhibition trying too hard to be prestigious and unnecessarily ornate." By the time Thunder G Russell Westbrook "won his inevitable MVP award, the show had lost any cohesion." Westbrook, who "gave a genuinely moving speech thanking his family and teammates, deserved more after a historic season" (THERINGER.com, 6/26).

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
: In Toronto, Doug Smith wrote the idea for the Awards is "too contrived, too long after the end of the season and too forced." Smith: "I get that they want to make a 'show' out of it somehow, to put maybe some drama into the announcements and celebrate the great seasons that players have put together." But this "seems to be a case of fixing something that’s not broken." Giving season-ending awards out "one at a time during the playoffs, when every winner got the award in front of home fans so they could celebrate right along with them worked fine" (TORONTOSTAR.com, 6/26). In Phoenix, Greg Moore writes the NBA "clearly is trying to extend its relevance by delaying the announcement of regular season honors, and the flood of media coverage that will last well into the week is evidence that it’s working." Moore: "So even though we’ll pay attention when the awards are announced, we won’t care nearly as much as we would have if the NBA had made the announcements in a window between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/27).

TWITTER REAX: GQ Magazine's Nathaniel Friedman: "I totally forgot this show is going to announce the MVP. Great job, NBA Awards." Complex' Russ Bengtson: "Did the awards ceremony go to overtime too? Sorry MVP, whoever you are, it's bedtime." The Undefeated: "The tribute for Monty Williams and his family was absolutely beautiful." Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock: "So I really watched the entire Big3 and missed the NBA Awards show. I'm cray." Bleacher Report's Howard Beck: "Reminder: breakdown of how all of us media types voted will be released on NBAdotcom [today], so you can scream at us then." ESPN's Rachel Nichols: "Happy to be next to @ZachLowe_NBA at the NBA Awards. He is introducing me to the agents I don't know; I explained to him who Rihanna is."

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