The Most Valuable Player - Fngb3's Blog

Fngb3's Blog

The Most Valuable Player

Posted on February 12, 2012 at 03:13 PM.

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The 2016-17 season is Ion Falls 6th in the league. He is 24 years old and the reigning NBA Finals MVP. His large afro from the year before has been braided into cornrows for the new season and his forearm has been inked with the final piece of the large tribal tattoo (#59) that covers his entire right arm.

As a legitimate veteran of the league the guy called Smooth has solidified his developmental regimen. The elite players in the game know that it's not their athleticism or talent that set them apart. There are plenty of should-have-beens who's stories should serve as examples to anyone who questions the importance of effort and dedication.

So he works on his game. It's a well worn rountine by now... polish the post moves (shot from the post, shot inside), study the game (offensive and defensive awareness), work the glass (defensive rebound) focus on defense (low post, cap boosts to on ball D and block)... Last season he also added a rigorous physical program. Throughout the season he began using his practice drills to develop his pick and roll game, as a ball handler, screener and defender. This along with time spent in the dribble course and Falls saw a significant increase in his ability to run in the open floor, his agility, and his ball handling (speed, quickness, off-hand dribbling, ball security).

The Magic's roster once again returned mostly intact, with a few rookies taken late in both rounds. The Magic's young players still looked mostly lost on the court and once again any serious chance of progress as a club was going to rest on the further development of Ion Falls.

The scouting report on Falls was very different than the ones from his first few seasons in the league.

-He was now a defensive stalwart, to generally be avoided by all but the best scorers.
-He could score from deep though mostly from open shots in transition, he could score off the block against most small forwards or guards, he could get his teamates easy buckets with his vision, he could impact the game with steals and protect the rim with his length and leeping ability (99 vertical).
-Because he had the ball in his hands his offensive rebounding numbers had dropped and he still liked to help out his guards a little too often against their matchups, occassionally giving up open shots.
-His biggest shortcomings were his ball handling abilities (poor in and out, behind the back, stepback; average spin, cross), spin layups (poor) and dunks (70, 60 standing dunk).

The gameplan against him was to double team when he posted and try to force him under the basket where he wasn't a strong finisher (85 inside shot) and try to strip or block the ball.

In the early half of the season the Magic's record was comprable to the previous seasons. They believed they were definitely post season material but felt that last years deep playoff run and championship was somewhat lightning in a bottle. Falls and Howard were becoming a great one-two punch, but Howard was the only player on the roster capable of the athletic finishes that capitalized on Smooth's ability to get the ball inside or up high for alley-oops.

That's when the Orlando Magic shocked the NBA by trading Falls away to the Cleveland Caveliers. In return the Magic received an extremely promising young big man and a first round draft pick.

Many speculated the trade was influenced by the off-court event that occured in the summer. Regardless the Magic had decided to move forward, deciding to keep their signature franchise player in Howard and the near-perfect compliment of Love leaving Falls as the only real asset the team had to move.

Cleveland was an extremely talented team with a mix of young stars and solid veterans. Though Falls contract was up at the end of the season and technically could leave the Magic for nothing most had no idea why Orlando would trade such a dazzling player...

Cleveland's roster core was:
PG Brandon Jennings 93 ovr
SG JR Smith 73 ovr
SF Ion Falls 93 ovr
PF Dennis Copeland 75 ovr
C Tyler Perbin 85 ovr
SF/PF Gerald Wallace 76 ovr (6th man)

Perbin was a young big man with height and solid finishing ability. With Jennings on the roster Falls had decreased ball handling duties with his new squad but still managed 5.4 assists per game for the season with two guards that could strike from deep but also finish in the open floor. Away from Howard and Love Falls collected a few more boards per game at 6.3 and had a greater role in protecting the rim without Howard's presence (1.7 blocks).

Cleveland instantly became the hottest team in the league, riding high on the strength of Falls arrival. The greatest moment of Falls career to that point came on the very final game of the regular season.

The Caveliers were playing the Philadelphia 76rs, the team with the best record in the East. Both teams were locked up for the post season but it was a serious barometer game. At the end of it the Caveliers won the game 107-104 and Ion Falls had what many believed to be the single greatest game in the history of basketball.

In 41 minutes: 51 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, 5 blocks. It was a 50 point game. It was a triple double. It was a five by five. It was spectacular. It was unheard of. It was practically impossible.

It was on the strength of great season averages and a phenomenal statement game that Ion Falls was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for the second time and also the 2017 NBA's Most Valuable Player.

Sixth season stats:
29.4 MPG - 25.5 PPG - 6.3 RPG - 5.4 APG - 2.1 SPG - 1.7 BPG - .576 FG% - .377 3P% - .869 FT%

The Caveliers made a historic post season run, going 16-1 en route to the championship, losing just once to the Phoenix Suns in the Finals. Falls was once again named Finals MVP and Cleveland celebrated it's second NBA championship (also won in 2014-15).

Ended the season 99 Overall.

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