Bleacher Report's Official 2014-15 NBA Regular-Season Awards

Any other year, we'd need to launch an internal investigation to find out how an awards vote could so clearly favor one team. 

But this was not a normal NBA season, and the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors are not a normal team. 

Few teams in recent NBA history have dominated opponents with such dismissiveness and consistency. Since the NBA started tracking net rating in 2001, only the 2008 Boston Celtics posted a better differential (plus-11.5) than the Warriors' plus-11.4 points-per-100-possession rating, per NBA.com/stats.

When a team dominates like that, individual recognition follows.

That said, there were scant clear-cut cases for top honors in the NBA's most important categories. The MVP podium was crowded as ever, with Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Chris Paul and James Harden all making brilliant arguments. Nerlens Noel and Nikola Mirotic made Andrew Wiggins sweat for Rookie of the Year honors in the final month of the season. And we couldn't go wrong picking between the rookie coaches who led Atlanta and Golden State to the top of their respective conferences. 

Bleacher Report writers and editors were also asked to celebrate other worthy heroes and moments of the 2014-15 NBA season.

Publicists, prepare your victory speeches.

Note: Bleacher Report's awards panel consists of writers and editors spread across the country. Sixteen voters are based in cities from the Eastern Conference, 17 are based in Western Conference markets.

Sixth Man of the Year: Andre Iguodala, SF, Golden State Warriors

Danny Moloshok/Associated Press

With averages of 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals, Andre Iguodala may not have been on the Sixth Man of the Year radar a few years ago.

But thanks to the crucial context provided by advanced statistical measures, it’s hard to ignore his impact on the Warriors’ top-ranked defense.

When the two-time All-Defensive Team selection is on the floor, Golden State’s league-leading defense is substantially better, as he’s held both shooting guards and small forwards to player efficiency ratings below 10, according to 82games.com.

Iguodala has also kicked his shooting splits up since the All-Star break, posting an improved slash line of .485/.373/.683 while serving as an underrated second-unit floor general and distributor.  

Should the 31-year-old take home official Sixth Man of the Year honors, he would become the first player since Anthony Mason in 1994-95 to do so while averaging fewer than 10 points per game.

Who says volume scorers have to hog the hardware?

Runner-Up: Isaiah Thomas, PG, Boston Celtics

Also Receiving Votes: Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, Lou Williams, Dennis Schroder, Marreese Speights

Comeback Player of the Year: Hassan Whiteside, C, Miami Heat

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

A number of candidates for Comeback Player of the Year earned votes after overcoming injury and age to post strong campaigns. Hassan Whiteside did all of them one better.

He returned from basketball oblivion.

Two full years out of the league, a reputation for immaturity and 29 career points combined made Whiteside the longest of long shots when the Miami Heat signed him on Nov. 24, 2014. Despite impressing in a brief NBA D-League stint this season (averaging 22 points, 15.7 rebounds and 5.3 blocked shots in three games with the Iowa Energy), the 25-year-old 7-footer showed up with minimal expectations.

A slow start gave way to some eye-popping numbers. Whiteside put up 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks in a Jan. 25 win over the Chicago Bulls. Then he grabbed 24 rebounds five days later against the Dallas Mavericks. Less than a week after that, he scored 24 points and hauled down 20 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

From total NBA obscurity to cartoonish stat lines and borderline stardom? Sounds like a comeback to me.

Runner-Up: (tie) Al Horford, PF, Atlanta Hawks; Pau Gasol, PF, Chicago Bulls

Also Receiving Votes: Brook Lopez, Jimmy Butler, Nerlens Noel, Rudy Gobert, Derrick Rose, DeMarre Carroll, Paul George, Rasual Butler, Russell Westbrook

Defensive Player of the Year: Draymond Green, PF, Golden State Warriors

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Draymond Green has been a defensive diamond in the rough for the Golden State Warriors, transforming from a tweener to a do-it-all combo forward under the tutelage of head coach Steve Kerr.

In his third professional season and first as a full-time starter, Green has posted the league’s fourth-best defensive rating while ranking second on the Warriors in net rating at more than plus-16 points per 100 possessions. Stephen Curry is the only Golden State Warrior who’s been more efficient on a game-by-game basis.

The impending restricted free agent’s unmatched versatility has also allowed the Warriors to embrace a unique approach on defense en route to topping the league’s defensive efficiency charts.

“Green has, almost single-handedly, challenged long-held ideas about a team's ability to play small and switch everything as a matter of course, not of strategy, and still be an elite-level defense,” NBA.com’s David Aldridge wrote.

Green is also one of seven players averaging at least one steal and one block this season, which is merely icing on his award-worthy cake. 

Runner-Up: Anthony Davis, PF, New Orleans Pelicans

Also Receiving Votes: Andrew Bogut, Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Jordan, Kawhi Leonard

Most Improved Player of the Year: Jimmy Butler, SF, Chicago Bulls

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Earn that money, Jimmy. 

The Bulls have no choice but to pony up serious cash for their restricted free-agent-to-be this offseason after the superstar-in-the-making put up 20.0 points per game on 46.2 percent field-goal shooting with a 21.2 PER and 3.3 assists per game in a league-leading 38.6 MPG in 2014-15.

Compare that to 2013-14: 13.1 PPG on 39.7% FG pct., 13.5 PER, 2.6 assists/game in 38.7 MPG. 

That's what we call a leap, friends. 

Runners-up (tie): Hassan Whiteside (MIA), Draymond Green (GSW) 

Also receiving votes: Rudy Gobert (Utah), Klay Thompson (GSW), Khris Middleton

Rookie of the Year: Andrew Wiggins, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Credit Nerlens Noel and Nikola Mirotic for making this a conversation over the past two months, but Rookie of the Year honors were Andrew Wiggins’ to lose all along.

Not only does Wiggins lead all rookies in scoring (16.8 points per game) by more than five points, but he ranks in the top 10 in total rebounds, total assists and cumulative steals.

The Canadian swingman is also a four-time Western Conference Rookie of the Month winner (November, December, January and February) with a fifth nod on the way following a tremendous final flourish.

In April, Wiggins is averaging 23.3 points, six rebounds and 4.1 dimes, making him one of the league’s most prolific scorers over the past two weeks.

The most consistent first-year stud from start to finish, Wiggins has made the Minnesota Timberwolves look wise all year for netting him in last August’s blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Runner-Up: Nerlens Noel, C, Philadelphia 76ers

Also Receiving Votes: Nikola Mirotic, PF, Chicago Bulls

Best Haircut: Elfrid Payton, PG, Orlando Magic

LM Otero/Associated Press

Volume and efficiency tend to be the dual concepts with which we evaluate NBA players’ games.

It turns out the former is all that matters in the hair department.

That’s why Orlando Magic rookie Elfrid Payton ran away with this award.

And if you’re questioning Payton’s primacy in this category, ask yourself this: Is there another NBA player whose phony April Fool’s Day haircut could have caused such a stir? The people know what they like, and what they like is Payton’s hair.

Case closed.

Runner-Up: Iman Shumpert, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers

Also Receiving Votes: LeBron James, Robin Lopez, Jack Cooley, Evan Fournier, James Johnson, Andre Miller, Nick Young, Lou Amundson

Best Twitter Follow: Kendall Marshall, PG

Morry Gash/Associated Press

You get updates on mascot beef from Robin Lopez, and Nick Young provides liberal use of the term “swag” from a guy who’s nearly 30 years old. But Kendall Marshall takes the social media cake on the strength of his twitter game.

Life advice? Check.

Timely pop-culture references? Yes.

UNC-Duke barbs? Also those, yeah.

Marshall is a renaissance tweeter, and he’s come a long way since asking Kobe Bryant for a follow last season.

Runner-Up: (tie) Tony Allen, SF, Memphis Grizzlies; Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

Also Receiving Votes: Robin Lopez, Nick Young, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Ekpe Udoh, David West, Joel Embiid, Brandon Jennings

Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

LM Otero/Associated Press

Lead the NBA in wins? Check. Compile the most single-season victories in Golden State Warriors history? Check. Set the bar for most wins ever by a rookie head coach? Check and check.

That would be a solid resume for any coach over the course of a career, but Steve Kerr has stacked his resume with those accomplishments in the span of six months.

And if that wasn’t impressive enough, the Warriors recently became the first team in league history to improve their record by at least 14 wins a season removed from topping 50, according to GSWStats on Twitter.

En route to collecting those individual accolades, Kerr has implemented brilliant schemes on both sides of the ball that have blasted Golden State into rare historical territory.

“Their average point-differential of 10.23 is the eighth-largest in league history and the second-largest since 1996-97 Bulls team that Kerr played on,” USA Today’s Sam Amick wrote.

Considering Golden State is the only team ranked among the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency, there should be no debate—Kerr is the best and brightest coach the NBA has to offer.

Runner-Up: Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta Hawks

Also Receiving Votes: David Blatt, Cleveland Cavaliers

Executive of the Year: David Griffin, Cleveland Cavaliers

Uncredited/Associated Press

As if scoring LeBron James and Kevin Love last summer wasn’t reason enough to praise Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, he changed the course of his team’s season with a couple of vital midseason moves.

Sensing the Cavaliers weren’t fully formed title contenders following an uninspiring November and December, Griffin went out on a limb and nabbed J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov to bolster the team’s rotation.

And, boy, did it pay off.

Cleveland has topped the Eastern Conference in wins and scored at the NBA’s most prolific pace since LeBron James made his debut with the Cavs’ January additions.

Additionally, Cleveland’s fresh starting five of Kyrie Irving, Smith, James, Love and Mozgov has been among the league’s best since joining forces at full strength on Jan. 13.

With even brighter days ahead, it’s clear Griffin has passed his first-year exam with flying colors.

Runner-Up: (tie) Bob Myers (GSW); Danny Ferry (ATL)

Also Receiving Votes: Danny Ainge (BOS), Daryl Morey (HOU), Neil Olshey (POR), Masai Ujiri (TOR)

Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Stephen Curry took the MVP by a single vote, besting James Harden in our closest poll.

And you know what? Both the margin and the result feel about right. 

Curry and Harden each have terrific cases, and for as much debate as there’s been on whose is stronger, no one’s ever found that magic-bullet statistic that proves one or the other should be the clear front-runner. This race has been close all year, and it’s appropriate that it wound up being decided by the slimmest of margins.

All along, Curry’s detractors cited his superior team as evidence against him, claiming quality support diminished his achievements.

ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton addressed that issue, pointing out that Curry’s on-court impact on the Warriors (plus-16.5 points per 100 possessions) bests Harden’s (plus-8.8 points per 100 possessions). He explained:

"

Best player on the best team makes it sound like the Warriors' success is driving Curry's MVP candidacy. In truth, it's the other way around. Curry has been the best player in the NBA this season. That's why Golden State has the NBA's best record, and that -- not the record -- is why Curry deserves MVP.

"

Harden has been incredible, propping up a Houston Rockets team with few secondary options and loads of games lost to injury.

Curry has simply been better, but just barely.

Runner-Up: James Harden, SG, Houston Rockets

Also Receiving Votes: LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers

One Shining Moment: Klay Thompson’s 37-Point Quarter

If we had access to text-message records from Jan. 23, I suspect there’d be a ridiculous number at around 8:30 p.m. PT featuring some combination of the following:

• “TURN ON THE GAME RIGHT NOW!”
• “I HAVE SEEN THE FACE OF GOD, AND IT IS KLAY THOMPSON’S JUMPER!”
• “IS THIS REAL?!”
• “KLAY ON FIYAH!”
• “WHAT IS HAPPENING?”
• “KLAY!!!”
• “37!” 

Thompson was a perfect 13-of-13 from the field and 9-of-9 from long range in his 37-point third quarter against the Sacramento Kings that fateful night, and it earned him the Shining Moment of the Year in our polls.

Kyrie Irving’s 57-point eruption against the San Antonio Spurs was incredible, and Curry provided what might have been the standalone highlight of the season. But nothing captured the attention and data rates of Thompson’s record-setting scoring barrage.

Runner-Up: Various Stephen Curry things

Also Receiving Votes: Kyrie Irving vs. the Spurs; Craig Sager’s return; J.R. Smith not being suspended; Trevor Booker’s crazy tip-in; Russell Westbrook’s triple-double binge; Anthony Davis’ game-winner; LeBron James’ intro in Akron