Minnesota’s
Kevin Garnett wins NBA MVP
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Kid is all
grown up, and he has an NBA MVP award to
prove it.
Kevin
Garnett got 120 of 123 first-place votes
to beat two-time winner Tim Duncan for the
honor Monday, three days after his Minnesota
Timberwolves won a playoff series for the
first time.
‘‘I
wouldn’t be nothing without those
knuckleheads, believe me,’’
Garnett said. ‘‘It’s a
team game, and I’ve always kept that
perspective.’’
He
has played at an MVP level for years, but
this was a breakthrough season for the Wolves.
They earned the top seeding in the Western
Conference playoffs with a franchise-best
58-24 record, then ended a string of seven
straight first-round exits from the postseason
by beating the Denver Nuggets.
‘‘This
is best situation I could ever think of,
or dream of,’’ Garnett said.
Garnett
joined Larry Bird as the only players to
average 20 points, 10 rebounds and five
assists for five consecutive years.
He
received 1,219 points in voting by sports
writers and broadcasters in each of the
league’s cities. San Antonio’s
Duncan was next with 716 points, and Indiana’s
Jermaine O’Neal finished third with
523. Peja Stojakovic and Kobe Bryant were
next.
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