Jamal Crawford Makes History Coming off The Bench

19 Apr, 2016

Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford has won the Sixth Man Award, becoming the first three-time winner as the NBA’s best reserve.

Crawford received 51 first-place votes and 341 points Tuesday from a panel of 130 sports writers and broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada. NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala of Golden State was second with 288 points (33 first-place votes), and Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter finished third with 182 points (19 first-place votes).

Crawford averaged 14.2 points in 79 games, coming off the bench in 74. He ranked second in the NBA in free throw percentage at 90.4 percent.

Crawford collected 51 first-place votes and 341 points from a panel of 130 media members. Golden State’s Andre Iguodala finished second with 288 points (33 first-place votes) and Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter was third with 182 points (19 first-place votes).

Tim Chaney, a vice president of marketing and communications for Kia, the award’s title sponsor, sparked applause during the presentation ceremony when he said the award was being named after Crawford. Clippers officials later clarified that was not the case.

“I mean, it is Kia, he said it, so we’re going with it,” Crawford said later with a smile. “Let’s give legs to it.”

Crawford came off the bench in 74 of his 79 games during the regular season and averaged 14.2 points and 2.3 assists in 26.9 minutes overall, helping the Clippers (53-29) post a fourth consecutive 50-win season. He scored 15 or more points in 33 games off the bench, third-most in the NBA, and led the Clippers in fourth-quarter scoring with 341 points.

Crawford scored 30 points or more in four of five games he started and ranked second in the NBA in free-throw accuracy (90.4%), trailing only Golden State’s Stephen Curry (90.8%).

Crawford’s trophy is headed for a spot on the top shelf of his Seattle home office next to his previous ones. He might not be finished collecting hardware after predicting he could play at the same level “for at least five years.”

“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” Crawford asked. “It would be based on how you felt, right? So, for me, I feel great.”

LA Times 

Image LATwitter

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