Which NBA player won 2021?

To answer that question, it's time for the return of my annual "Golden Basketball" award -- which, like soccer's Ballon d'Or, considers performance across the NBA regular season and playoffs as well as international competition, distinguishing it from the league's regular-season and Finals MVP awards.

哪个NBA球员赢得了2021年？

为了回答这个问题，是时候回归我的年度“金篮球”奖了——该奖项与足球金球奖一样，考虑了NBA常规赛和季后赛以及国际比赛的表现，并将其与联盟的常规赛和总决赛MVP区分开来。

The past year presented an unusually interesting Golden Basketball competition. There's no overlap between the 2020-21 MVP (Nikola Jokic), 2021 Finals MVP (Giannis Antetokounmpo) and the MVP leader two months into the 2021-22 season (Stephen Curry). A fourth player (Kevin Durant) was MVP in the Tokyo Olympics.

关于过去一年的“金篮球”评选非常有意思。2020-21年最有价值球员（约基奇）、2021年总决赛最有价值球员（字母哥）和2021-22赛季两个月后最佳球员（库里）之间没有重叠。第四名球员（杜兰特）是东京奥运会的最有价值球员。

The 2021 Golden Basketball race is also unique for the absence of LeBron James, who won four times between the invention of this award in 2014 and it last being handed out in 2019. LeBron would have been an easy pick again in 2020, when the pandemic rendered it more straightforward with no high-level international basketball and only a week of the 2020-21 regular season taking place in 2020.

2021年“金篮球”评选也因勒布朗·詹姆斯缺席而独一无二，勒布朗·詹姆斯从2014年该奖项发明到2019年最后一次颁发期间四次当选。即使2020年选择“金篮球”，也会选择詹姆斯。当时的疫情使选择变得更简单，没有国际赛事，2020-21年常规赛只有一周。

With injuries and a short playoff run ruling James out of the mix in 2021, Curry (2015) is the only former winner among my four finalists. Will a first-timer claim this year's award? Let's break down the race.

由于伤病和季后赛首轮被淘汰，詹姆斯在2021年的评选中被淘汰，库里（2015年）是我四名决赛选手中唯一在之前获得“金篮球”的球员。会有新人获得这个奖项吗？让我们依次分析。

候选人

卢卡·东契奇（Luka Doncic），达拉斯独行侠

2021 résumé:

• All-NBA first team
• FIBA All-Star Five

The only player named to the top five in both the 2020-21 NBA regular season and the Tokyo Olympics, Doncic led Slovenia to the semifinals as the culmination of an incredible run. Alas, Luka hasn't quite reached that same level since the beginning of the 2021-22 regular season, leaving him just outside the finalists.

2021年奖项：

• NBA一阵
• 国际篮联最佳阵容

东契奇是2020-21年NBA常规赛和东京奥运会上唯一一位都入选最佳阵容的球员，他带领斯洛文尼亚进入了半决赛，这简直难以置信。自2021-22年常规赛开始以来，卢卡还没有达到自己应有的水平，所以只是让他刚刚进入决赛。

朱·霍乐迪（Jrue Holiday）和克里斯·米德尔顿Khris Middleton，密尔沃基雄鹿队

2021 résumé:

• NBA champions
• Olympic gold medalists

Jumping on a private plane to Tokyo days after completing their title run with the Bucks, Holiday and Middleton joined just four predecessors -- Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (twice) -- in winning both an NBA championship and an Olympic world championship in the same calendar year. Naturally, Holiday and Middleton weren't the primary contributors to either victory, but that marathon run deserves a hat tip.

2021年奖项：

• NBA冠军
• 奥运会金牌得主

霍乐迪和米德尔顿在雄鹿队夺得总冠军几天后，乘坐私人飞机飞到东京，之前只有——凯里·欧文、勒布朗·詹姆斯、迈克尔·乔丹和斯科蒂·皮蓬（两次）在同一年赢得了NBA冠军和奥运会冠军。当然，霍乐迪和米德尔顿不是这两场胜利的主要贡献者，但马拉松一样的比赛时长值得一提。

克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)，凤凰城太阳队

2021 résumé:

• Western Conference champion
• All-NBA second team

Although the Suns couldn't translate a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals into the first championship in franchise history, their 87 wins across the two regular seasons and playoffs in 2021 were easily the most in the league. That's a remarkable pivot for a team that hadn't reached the playoffs in 10 seasons before adding Paul, whose leadership and still-elite play helped lift a promising young group into immediate contention.

2021年奖项：

• 西部冠军
• 最佳阵容二阵

尽管太阳队没有把握住总决赛的2-0领先优势，遗憾地输给了雄鹿，但他们在2021年的两个常规赛和季后赛一共赢得的87场胜利无疑是联盟中最多的。对于一支在加入保罗之前已经10个赛季没有进入季后赛的球队来说，这是非常显著的进步，保罗的领导力和仍然优秀的比赛状态帮助了一太阳这个年轻的团队保持竞争力

决赛选手

字母哥（Giannis Antetokounmpo），密尔沃基雄鹿队

2021 résumé:

• NBA champion
• Bill Russell Finals MVP
• All-NBA first team

After winning back-to-back MVPs, Giannis finished a distant fourth in 2020-21, reflecting a slight downturn in play but also perhaps skepticism about his inability to maintain his dominance in the postseason. A sparkling 2021 run capped by one of the great games in Finals history to secure Milwaukee's first title in 50 years erased those doubts.

Though Giannis wasn't the best player on the court in the Bucks' series with Brooklyn, he averaged 31.9 PPG and 12.9 RPG and had 40 points on 15-of-24 shooting as Milwaukee outlasted the short-handed Nets in overtime in Game 7. A knee injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals threatened to end Antetokounmpo's playoff run prematurely, but after the Bucks advanced without him, he was back on the court for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Phoenix.

Remarkably, Giannis put together back-to-back 40-plus efforts in Games 2 and 3, the latter helping Milwaukee avoid a 3-0 deficit. He saved his best for Game 6 with the title at stake, scoring 50 points on 16-of-25 shooting and making 17 of his 19 free throw attempts as the Bucks celebrated the championship.

2021年奖项：

• NBA冠军
• 总决赛MVP
• 最佳阵容一阵

在连续赢得最有价值球员后，字母哥在2020-21年仅仅获得第四名，反映了字母哥的比赛表现略有下滑，但也可能让自己被怀疑无法在季后赛中统治比赛。但在2021年总决赛的精彩表现，确保密尔沃基拿到了50年来的第一个冠军，消除了这些疑虑。

尽管字母哥不是雄鹿队与篮网系列赛中最好的球员，但他场均31.9分和12.9篮板，有过单场24投15中得40分，雄鹿也在第七场比赛的加时赛中淘汰了人手短缺的篮网队。字母哥在东部决赛第四场比赛中膝盖受伤，可能会让字母哥缺席接下来的季后赛场次，但雄鹿队在没有他的情况下晋级，他在总决赛上的第一场回归。

值得注意的是，字母哥在总决赛第二场和第三场的背靠背比赛中连续砍下40 ，帮助密尔沃基避免了被系列赛0-3。他在第六场比赛拿出了最佳状态，在总决赛第六场，他在25投16中得了50分，并在罚球线上19罚17中。

史蒂芬·库里（Stephen Curry），金州勇士队

2021 résumé:

• All-NBA first team
• NBA scoring champion
• NBA's all-time leader in 3-point field goals

Readers of a certain age might remember a time way back in early 2021 when Curry's ability to lead a team to championship contention was questioned. Ha! Curry lifted a middling Warriors team without the injured Klay Thompson to a 15-5 finishing kick in 2020-21 before getting upset in the play-in tournament, finishing third in MVP voting.

With veteran reinforcements added over the summer, Golden State has picked up there, starting 2021-22 a league-best 27-7 while awaiting the return of Thompson from injury. Curry is the primary reason the Warriors are back in the title mix. He also delivered the defining memory of this season to date, passing Ray Allen at Madison Square Garden to claim the title of the NBA's all-time 3-point king. Even before that, Curry was the heavy favorite in ESPN's first MVP straw poll of the season.

2021年奖项：

• 最佳阵容一阵
• NBA得分王
• NBA历史三分王

有些读者可能会记得早在2021年初，当时库里被质疑能否带领一支争冠球队赢球。哈？库里在2020-21年将没有的汤普森的勇士队打出15-5的战绩，但令人沮丧的是，库里仅在MVP投票中排名第三。

随着球队在休赛期引入经验丰富的老将，金州勇士队在阵容方面得到补强，2021-22赛季开局以27-7的战绩开始，同时等待汤普森的伤愈归来。库里是勇士队回归争冠行列的主要原因。他还留下了本赛季迄今为止最令人深刻的记忆，在麦迪逊广场花园超过雷·艾伦，成为NBA有史以来命中三分最多的球员。甚至在那之前，库里就一直是ESPN本赛季常规赛MVP的热门人选。

凯文·杜兰特（Kevin Durant），布鲁克林篮网队

2021 résumé:

• Olympic gold medalist
• Olympic men's basketball MVP

Separating Curry and Durant has seemingly lifted each to new heights, the latter despite the Achilles rupture that sidelined him the entire 2019-20 campaign. Durant was still dogged by injuries in the 2020-21 regular season, playing just 31 of Brooklyn's 67 games after New Year's, but he was back in MVP form for the playoffs.

With James Harden and Kyrie Irving both missing time because of injuries, Durant nearly single-handedly dragged the Nets to the conference finals, averaging 43 PPG, 12.3 RPG and 6.3 APG over the final three games of their seven-game loss to the Bucks. If Durant's toe had been an inch farther back, his score-tying jumper late in Game 7 might've instead eliminated the eventual champs.

Durant was just as good for the USA men's national team in Tokyo, averaging a team-high 20.7 PPG and going for a game-high 29 against France in the final to win his third gold medal. Largely healthy before a recent stint in the NBA's health and safety protocols, Durant is a leading contender to win MVP eight years after he previously claimed the trophy.

2021年奖项：

• 奥运会金牌
• 奥运会男篮MVP

库里和杜兰特的分离似乎将每个人都提升到了新的高度，尽管跟腱断裂使他在整个2019-20赛季都缺席了。且20-21赛季的67场常规赛中只打了31场，但他在季后赛中恢复了MVP的状态。

由于哈登和欧文都在季后赛因伤缺席，杜兰特几乎单枪匹马地将篮网队拖到了东部半决赛，在对阵雄鹿队的最后三场比赛中，场均43分12.3篮板和6.3助攻。如果杜兰特的脚趾再往后退一英寸，他可能会赢下第七场并赢得最后的冠军。

杜兰特在东京的美国男子国家队也是一样重要，平均得分为20.7分，在决赛对阵法国的比赛中拿到了29分，赢得了他的第三枚金牌。杜兰特在最近加入NBA健康和安全协议之前基本上是健康的，在他之前获得奖杯八年后，他依然是MVP的主要竞争者。

conference finals：半决赛

尼古拉·约基奇Nikola Jokic，丹佛掘金队

2021 résumé:

• NBA MVP
• All-NBA first team

The 2020-21 MVP race was a boat race. With leading contenders Joel Embiid and LeBron James both missing extended periods because of injury, Jokic (who played all 72 games) claimed the highest vote share (96% of possible points) since Curry won unanimously in 2015-16.

Remarkably, Jokic is playing at a higher level early in 2021-22, boosting his 2-point percentage (a career-high 66%) and his usage rate (32%, also a career high) as the Nuggets stay afloat in the West without their other two leading scorers from 2020-21, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. This time around, it's Jokic who's losing credit for durability in the early going, having missed five games (one of them due to suspension).

Given Murray's absence and other injuries on the perimeter, it's hard to criticize Jokic for Denver getting swept by Phoenix in the conference semifinals. He certainly looked like an MVP in the opening round as the Nuggets held off an upset bid from the dangerous Portland Trail Blazers.

Jokic did understandably pass on an opportunity to pad his Golden Basketball credentials when he decided against playing for the Serbia national team this summer after an extended run of basketball dating to Denver's conference finals run in the 2020 bubble.

2021年奖项：

• 常规赛MVP
• 最佳阵容一阵

2020-21 MVP有多名球员值得当选。由于主要竞争者恩比德和詹姆斯都因伤缺席了很长时间，约基奇（上场了72场比赛）获得了自库里在2015-16年全票当选后最高的选票（96%的可能得分）。

值得注意的是，约基奇因为2021-22年初的表现，提高了他的2个百分点（职业生涯最高的66%命中率）和使用率（32%，也是职业生涯最高的），因为掘金队在西部的生存，且没有他们在2020-21年的另外两名得分手穆雷和小波特。但21-22赛季，约基奇失去了铁人的赞誉，错过了五场比赛（其中一场是因为恶意犯规而停赛）。

鉴于穆雷的缺席和其他球员的伤病，很难批评约基奇在西部半决赛中被凤凰城横扫。在首轮比赛中，他看起来确实像一个MVP，抵挡住了开拓者的攻势。

约基奇在2020年复赛中进行了长时间的篮球比赛后，决定不为塞尔维亚国家队效力，这是可以理解的，他决定放弃争夺金牌的机会。

boat race：划船比赛。这里指多名球员竞争

bubble：泡泡。也可以指封闭的园区，因为看起来像泡泡一样

获胜者：字母哥

Ultimately, I think this year's Golden Basketball race comes down to the two stars who squared off in the second round: Antetokounmpo and Durant. Though Durant got the better of that individual matchup, Giannis' team advanced, allowing him to reach new heights later in the postseason. Durant is an eminently reasonable pick on the strength of his run in Tokyo, but I think Antetokounmpo dominating Game 6 of the NBA Finals was the moment of 2021 and Giannis the player of the year.

最终，我认为今年的“金篮球”比赛在两位球员中选择：字母哥和杜兰特。尽管杜兰特在个人方面更出色，但字母哥的球队更好，使他在季后赛后期达到了新的高度。尽管杜兰特在东京的表现很出彩，但我认为字母哥在NBA总决赛第六场比赛中的表现影响更大

所以字母哥是2021年“金篮球”年度最佳球员。