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Things happened while Hector was in Europe. The Nuggets-Grizzlies series has begun. Jokic wrapped up the series after two triple-doubles to end the Warriors' G6 hopes, helping the team get past the first round.

27 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists at the G5 in Denver and 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists at the G6. Jamal Murray scored 48 in San Francisco, while Jokic recorded his triple-double, which was too much for Golden State.

The Memphis Grizzlies were also tied 2:2. But Ja Morant at the G5 with a 44-point, 12-assist performance first put the Mavericks on the brink. And it was Jaren Jackson who put the coup de grace with a stratospheric performance: 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 blocks.

He broke the record for blocks in Grizzlies playoff history and was the previous record holder with 7.

The Kings are still waiting, but the outcome has fallen. After a G7 in Los Angeles, the Thunder defeated the Lakers. From the moment the Grizzlies and Nuggets qualified, it was inevitable that the Kings would face the winner of the G7.

Anthony Davis and Donovan Mitchell lost to the collective led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For Hector, the Thunder are more complicated to manage than the Lakers. In order among the playoff qualifiers, the Thunder are second among the most challenging accounts of their qualities.

In other words, it won't be easy.

There is movement on the side of the Sacramento Kings. Instead, from the press release department. The day after the G7 between the Lakers and the Thunder, the management of the Sacramento via a statement to announce that the team's star, Hector Herrera, became the winner of the "Defensive Player of the Year."

No one is surprised that Hector won the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, but that's not all. Hector became the second player in history to win it three times in a row after Dwight Howard in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Unfortunately, the Kings narrowly missed the "6th Man of the Year". Malaki Branham of the Lakers is the winner. Malik Monk failed by 30 votes, which is a slight margin.

The Kings haven't played in over a week and have been unusually quiet. The characteristic of Kings players is their absence on social networks. Launching a war on social networks with them is impossible, except through television. Launching a war of words against them is impossible.

This anomaly gives journalists headaches for storytelling, and there are no liabilities between the two teams, and no one can find a way to create conflicts. Everyone would have preferred a Kings-Lakers, but the ground truth decided otherwise.

But that doesn't stop anyone from speculating.

Paul Pierce, a special guest on this show, first expressed his view: "If a team in the West can beat the Kings, it is the Thunder and the Nuggets, but the Kings will win eventually! "

But as soon as he finished speaking, Kendrick Perkins immediately refuted: "The Thunder are going to win in the end. The difference between the Kings and the Thunder is that the Spurs weren't very strong in the first round. »

Perkins played for the Thunder and went to the NBA Finals with them. It's obvious he supports the Thunder.

Pierce disagrees but doesn't deny that the Spurs weren't strong: "The Kings rested for a week and will come in fresh, and I don't see the Thunder winning more than two games. Perk, I'm telling you today. The Kings in 6. »

Perkins is shocked by Pierce's lack of respect: "Thunder in 6, SGA has nothing to envy Herrera, and the Thunder roster is one of the most complete in the NBA. If they finished 5th, it was only because of injuries. For me, they are the most powerful in the West. »

The two teams are similar not in their constructions but in the status of the two stars. Hector and SGA are contenders for the MVP, and both have finished second and third once.

There are doubts about one question: "Can you lead the team to the championship?" The question arises for both but at the level of the rankings. There is no debate. Both have the same number of All-NBAs, but Hector has 3 DPOYs, an NBA Cup MVP, and soon an MVP.

And the achievements speak for Hector too. 67-15, no need to add more. The show naturally ended badly.

In the morning, before the start of the G1 in Sacramento...

@NBA

The 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player is... Hector Herrera!

#NBAAwards | #KiaMVP | @Kia