The 1998-1999 NBA season was doomed to be uneven, and after michael Jordan, the "god of basketball" in the previous season, scored one of the greatest shootouts in NBA history in game 6 of the Finals, he once again led the Chicago Bulls to complete the "triple crown" feat, so he also retired and chose to retire for the second time in his career.
Jordan's departure from the league triggered a series of fuse, in that era, except for top players like him, most stars were difficult to get a satisfactory annual salary, but the league still had to limit the salaries of players. After a series of discussions, the players' union chose to put pressure on the team's bosses, and the two sides were full of contradictions, which eventually led to a long shutdown in the NBA this season.
When the final negotiations are completed, the NBA has only 50 games left to play this season, and for many players, rushing to play is not something they expected. People like Win Baker and Sean Kemp don't even train regularly, and when they return to the team to report, they rush back to the team with a big belly that a professional player shouldn't have.
It also led to a lot of players not being able to find the right form, coupled with the fact that the game was too intensive, and a series of incredible things happened this season. Speaking of the MVP of this season, few fans can remember who the final winner is, to know that O'Neal, who was at the peak of that year, actually failed to enter the top five, only ranked sixth, so let's take a time train and review which stars were in the top five of the MVP list that year.
Fifth place: Jason Kidd
The 25-year-old Kidd, who has not been as extravagant as some players in this year, even if the league is in a shutdown, he also chooses to train on his own when there is no ball to play. And it turns out that when the official start of the game, Kidd quickly entered the state of the game. In all 50 games, he started all and averaged 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The Suns didn't experience any pain after losing "Lightning KJ" Kevin Johnson, and Kidd took over the gun of his predecessor.
Kidd became the first point guard of the year this season, not only becoming the assist king of the season, winning the first "Player of the Month" trophy of his career, but also being selected to the NBA's Best Team and Best Defensive Team at the end of the season. However, in the playoffs, the Suns led by Kidd suffered a tragic defeat and were swept out by the Portland Trail Blazers, which humiliated the team. As a leader, Kidd failed to help the team win even one victory, and indeed his personal ability needs to be further improved.
Fourth place: Aaron Iverson
Like Kidd, Iverson began to show signs of becoming a superstar in his third season in the league. In his 48 games, he averaged 41.5 minutes per game, contributing excellent statistics of 26.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals. At the same time, he became the league's leading scorer and the player with the longest average playing time per game. The Philadelphia 76ers also recorded 28 wins and 22 losses under his leadership.
Iverson's strong scoring ability and the agility to travel back and forth from any place on the field made it difficult for teams that were still admiring interior towers to figure out the best way to defend him. In addition, although short in stature, AI can rely on its own excellent judgment and excellent defensive awareness, constantly interfering with the opponent at the defensive end, and rarely being eaten by the opponent because of the disadvantage of height and weight. Iverson led the team through the first round in the playoffs, but he was completely powerless against the old Pacers. Ranking fourth in the MVP, for the AI at that time, it was also an affirmation of his strength.
Third place: Tim Duncan
You know, this season is only the second season of "Stone Buddha" Duncan entering the league, the second-year rookie he and the big brother "Admiral" David Robinson, together led the team forward, and finally in the playoffs all the way to the flat, won the championship of this special season, and he himself was only 22 years old, he was crowned FMVP.
In the regular season, Duncan averaged 21.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, while the team achieved an excellent record of 37 wins and 13 losses under his leadership. It's hard to imagine such a dominant performance, and leading the team to such an excellent record, and actually only ranked third on the MVP list. That season, the "twin towers" of Duncan and Robinson formed a barrier in the team's interior line, and it was difficult for players to easily score on the heads of both of them, and the Spurs' defensive efficiency and overall efficiency this season were high in the first place in the entire NBA.
Duncan's excellent performance at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends was able to rank at the forefront of history that year. In the end, I didn't get the MVP, which can only be said to be "too young".
Second place: Alonzo Monin
As the only top center that could match O'Neal that year, Mourning also maintained a fairly regular training before the start of this shrinking season, averaging 20.1 points, 11 rebounds and a staggering 3.9 blocks per game, making Mourning the king of blocks that season, and like Jason Kidd, he was also selected to the NBA's best team and defensive "double team", and he was the first center in that year. The Heat's inner line, in the case of Mo Ning, the intensity of the defense is not inferior to the Spurs at that time, and even many times Mo Ning alone can solve the defensive problems of the inside line, which is valuable that he is only 2.08 meters, completely short center, and can actually have such a dominant performance.
In addition, he is also the team's scoring king, and his restraining power on the inside line on the offensive end, as well as his excellent confrontation ability, allows him to stand in that era of long people, and even be able to eat the opponent's inside line many times. However, that season, they were the first in the East, but they were defeated by their old rival New York Knicks, achieving the second "black eight" miracle in history, and also nailing themselves to the column of shame. Not being able to get the MVP was indeed a pity for Mo Ning, who was at the peak at the time.
First place: Carl Malone
That year's MVP trophy was finally won by the Jazz's old predecessor, "Postman" Malone, who was 35 years old and 11 months old at the time, and became the oldest MVP winner in history so far. This season alone, Malone has averaged 23.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, a far cry from his peak stats, and his scoring is even his lowest in 12 years. However, this season's Jazz, led by him and Stockton, as well as the 1998 Finals team, also achieved a record of 37 wins and 13 losses. Although he is 35 years old, Malone can still turn the river and the sea on the inside, and his body is still as hard as his big iron elbow.
In addition, his and Stockton's "blocking" tactics, which also beat most of the league's teams in the regular season, were such a simple tactic, but they were used to the extreme by the duo. At this age, it was difficult to find a second person in the league at that time besides the retired Michael Jordan. Of course, the team's record and personal data, Malone compared to, is still relatively good. In the end, Malone was also recognized by the selection, and defeated Mourning and Duncan by a slight margin, thus lifting the second MVP trophy of his career.