Who’s the M.I.P?

Unsurprisingly, folks in Indiana think it’s their guy: “Teams routinely send out little gimmicks trying to persuade voters…The Pacers don’t believe in doing that. They simply sent out a letter from team president Larry Bird explaining why voters should select Granger. Here are some of the highlights of the letter from Bird: ‘There are certainly the obvious statistics to support his consideration: he is sixth in the league in scoring at 25.3 points per game; he has recorded career highs in assists (177), blocked shots (90), free throws made (361), free throws attempted (409), free throw percentage (883) and 3-point field goal percentage (404). But there are also a couple of lesser known but impressive statistics on his behalf. He will become the first player in NBA history to raise his scoring average at least five points a game for three consecutive seasons: from 7.5 to 13.9 to 19.6 to his current 25.3. The last jump is notable as it required Danny in the offseason to work on many different aspects of his game to diversify his offense so he isn’t merely a jump shooter. Another uncommon statistic to note is that he is fourth in the league in fourth-quarter scoring behind LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.'”