NBA Postseason Awards

The NBA's Most Valuable Player award is given annually to the top player in the league, though there's considerable debate as to what "most valuable" really means. Is it simply the best player? Or the player who does the best job of elevating his teammates to new heights?

One thing is certain: win the MVP, and a trip to the Hall of Fame is sure to follow. Every winner from Bob Pettit in 1956 to Karl Malone in 1997 has been voted into the Hall

2012 Winner: TBD

The NBA's Rookie of the Year award is given annually to the league's top newcomer.

2012 Winner: TBD

The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award is given annually to the league's top bench player.

2012 Winner: TBD

The highlight shows tend to focus on the offensive end, but there will always be a place in the NBA for elite defenders. The best is honored every year with the Defensive Player of the Year award.

2012 Winner: Tyson Chandler, New York Knicks

Theoretically, this award goes to the player that shows the most growth in skills and performance on a year-over-year basis. In practice, critics will say, it goes to a player that shows the biggest increase in box score stats, usually after playing more minutes.

2012 Winner: Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

The NBA's Coach of the Year award is given annually to the league's top skipper, as determined by a panel of media members. But in recent years, Coach of the Year has been a dubious honor. The voters tend to gravitate towards coaches from teams that significantly out-perform expectations; when those teams go back to playing at a level more in keeping with their talent level, the honorees find themselves looking for work.

2012 Winner: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs