2017 NBA Awards
Official poster of the 2017 NBA Awards NBA.com / Official

The inaugural NBA Awards show will emanate from Basketball City, Pier 36 in New York City, on Monday evening. The latest addition to the NBA's postseason will be hosted by popular musician Drake.

In the years gone by, regular season awards such as the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year were handed out within the first few weeks of the playoffs. And while the votes for each of the honours (voted by media members) are tallied immediately after the regular season, the awards will now be handed out in a gala ceremony with a list of shortlisted nominees announced beforehand.

The 2016-17 regular season was unlike any other in recent years. In the aftermath of Kevin Durant's move to the Golden State Warriors, superstar point guard Russell Westbrook became only the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double while leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs.

2017 NBA Awards will honour 2016-17 regular season accolades

The Houston Rockets, under a new coaching staff, made significant strides and utilised James Harden as a point guard. Harden, who averaged a career-high tally of 29.1 points, 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds is one of the two leading candidates for the MVP award. San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard had an equally stellar year, averaging 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists while guiding his team to 61 victories.

As aptly described by ESPN, the lengthy gap between the end of the regular season (April second week) and the awards ceremony has erased some of the lustre from the highest accolades in the NBA. After the end of the regular season, the Golden State Warriors went on a historic 16-1 postseason run to capture the NBA championship. And while they will be recognised for their accomplishments, too, the award ceremony is honour the heroes of the regular season.

"Regardless of who wins the award, it feels like the lengthy delay in handing it out -- coupled with the historic Finals performances of three non-finalists with MVP-like résumés -- will take some of the shine off of it. But the record books don't show how people felt about the MVP award after it was handed out, just who won it. And one of these three players is about to have his name in that record book forever," wrote veteran NBA insider Adam Reisinger.

2017 NBA Awards nominees:

  • MVP Finalists: James Harden, Houston Rockets; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Rookie of the Year Finalists: Finalists: Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks; Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers; Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
  • Defensive Player of the Year Finalists: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
  • Sixth Man of the Year Finalists: Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets; Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors; Lou Williams, Houston Rockets
  • Most Improved Player Finalists: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
  • Coach of the Year Finalists: Mike D'Antoni, Houston Rockets; Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs; Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

2017 NBA Awards live streaming: How to watch

Start time: 11 a.m. (AEST) 9 p.m. (ET), 6 p.m. (PT)
On TV: TNT (USA)
Live Stream: NBA official website (Global), WatchTNT (USA)

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