Lakers guard Derek Fisher won the Magic Johnson Award, given by the Pro Basketball Writers Association to a player in reward of his performance on the court combined with his co-operation with the media.
Fisher beat out Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Houston's Yao Ming, San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Portland's Brandon Roy in post-season balloting by PBWA members.
Fisher rejoined the Lakers this season after asking the Utah Jazz to let him out of his contract so his family could be in a larger city where his daughter, Tatum, could receive a specific treatment for a cancerous tumour in her eye.
The PBWA also voted Jim LaBumbard and his Toronto Raptors staff the NBA media relations staff of the year.
GAME FACE
Kevin Garnett is pretty fired up even for the most perfunctory pre-season games, so the idea that he would pick things up in the playoffs is, well, scary.
Coach Doc Rivers said before Game 3 of the NBA finals last night, though, that Garnett only has one game face.
"He can't get any more intense. I don't think it's humanly possible,"
Rivers said. "So you don't see much change with him."
Garnett's arrival in Boston sparked the biggest one-season turnaround in NBA history, as the Celtics went from a 24-win team last year to an NBA-best 66-16 this year after the additions of Garnett and Ray Allen to mainstay Paul Pierce.
It's not just because Garnett has averaged 20 points and 8.5 rebounds a game over his career. His attitude has rubbed off on his teammates.
"I see the same guy every day,"
Rivers said. "You know, I just try to remind him that his (desire) can't get in the way of doing his job. Sometimes you want it so bad that it kind of blocks you from performing."
