Looking back at the 2019 NBA season voting results, I can't help but marvel at how certain narratives unfolded both in the league and internationally. As someone who's followed basketball across different continents, I've always found it fascinating how individual accolades in the NBA often reflect broader basketball trends worldwide. The 2019 MVP race was particularly memorable - Giannis Antetokounmpo securing 941 points with 78 first-place votes felt like the culmination of his incredible journey from raw talent to dominant force. What struck me most was how James Harden, despite putting up historic numbers, fell short with just 776 points and 23 first-place votes. I remember thinking at the time that voter fatigue might have played a role, though Harden's defensive limitations probably cost him too.
The voting patterns revealed so much about how the game was evolving. Kawhi Leonard finishing third with 242 points made perfect sense given his load management strategy that season - controversial as it was. Personally, I thought the media got this one right; preserving players for championship runs has become increasingly important in today's grueling NBA schedule. The Rookie of the Year voting was another interesting case where Luka Dončić's 98 first-place votes out of 100 demonstrated how international players were reshaping the league's landscape. Having watched Dončić develop in Europe before his NBA arrival, I wasn't surprised by his immediate impact, though Trae Young's strong showing with 81 second-place votes highlighted how deep that rookie class truly was.
What many fans don't realize is how these NBA voting results often parallel developments in international basketball. Take for instance the Filipina ballers' journey during that same period - their 85-59 loss to host Chinese Taipei last Wednesday followed by their bounce-back victory to improve to 1-1 record tells a similar story of resilience and adjustment. Having covered Asian basketball for years, I've noticed how teams often use early setbacks to refine their approach, much like NBA players who don't win awards immediately but use that motivation to improve. The connection might not be obvious at first glance, but the psychology of bouncing back from defeat transcends all levels of basketball.
The All-NBA team selections particularly stood out to me that year. Nikola Jokić making First Team with 59 first-place votes signaled a shift in how centers were valued - his playmaking ability redefining the position in ways we hadn't seen since perhaps Vlade Divac's prime. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook's inclusion on the Third Team with just 34 points sparked plenty of debate among analysts. I'll admit I was in the camp that thought his triple-double numbers overshadowed some inefficient shooting, but there's no denying his competitive fire changed games.
Defensive Player of the Year voting told its own compelling story, with Rudy Gobert dominating with 65 first-place votes compared to Paul George's 14. Having studied defensive analytics extensively, I believe Gobert's impact metrics justified this margin, though I've always felt Giannis (14 first-place votes) was equally transformative defensively in his own way. The Coach of the Year race was another fascinating case where Mike Budenholzer's 77 first-place votes reflected how dramatically he'd transformed Milwaukee's fortunes - something I'd argue was more impressive than Doc Rivers' turnaround of the Clippers that earned him 17 first-place votes.
Reflecting on these results years later, what strikes me is how the 2019 voting captured basketball at a transitional moment. The game was becoming more global, more positionless, and more analytically driven. The Filipina national team's journey that season - recovering from that 26-point defeat to secure an important victory - mirrors how NBA players and teams constantly adapt. In basketball, whether at the highest professional level or in international competitions, the ability to learn from voting results or game losses and come back stronger remains the most valuable skill of all. The numbers from that 2019 voting tell one story, but the underlying narratives about growth, adjustment, and redemption are what truly endure in this beautiful game we all love.