Pero Antic is regular season MVP

Pero Antic

17-04-2008 04:47

Pero Antic of Lukoil Academic was expectedly the player with the best efficiency rating average after the completion of the regular season in First A-1. Naturally, a player that was among the best even at ULEB Cup level, totally dominated the Bulgarian Championship and had 9 "MVP of the Round" awards out of all 32 rounds (and don't forget his team won all 32 games!). The next best in that respect was Ukrainian Vadim Reka of Yambol, who was MVP just 3 times, and only a few more players had more than one such award.

Big Pero's 9th award came when he became the 32-nd Round MVP with a strong performance in the Lukoil vs Balkan game. His other 8 were in the 1-st, 5-th, 12-th, 13-th, 17-th, 19-th, 26-th and 27-th rounds.

But it was not the number of separate round MPV awards what determined the final standings for Regular Season MVP. The efficiency rating average was what counted and Pero Antic had 27.9 out of 31 games, while his closest competitors with enough caps to their name only had 19.7 and 17.1 respectively (see table below). The man in second place Donta Smith (of Lukoil too) had and average of 24, but he only played in 11 games in the fall of 2007, before he was injured and out for the season. The ones in 4th and 8th place - Santos Martinez and Bozo Barac - have both played in only 13 matches, since they were mid-season acquisitions for Rilski Sportist and Spartak Pleven respectively.

Here is the Top 10 of the Regular Season MVP standings:

1. Pero Antic - 27.9
2. Donta Smith - 24
3. Dwayne Morton - 19.7
4. Santos Martinez - 19.5
5. Willie Deane - 19.3
6. Vadim Reka - 18.5
7. Stanislav Slaveykov - 17.9
8. Bozo Barac - 17.8
9. Lavell Payne - 17.1
10. Stefan Georgiev - 17.1

Besides being most valuable, Pero Antic was also the top scorer of the regular season, with 23.3 ppg, ahead of teammate Willie Deane (18.6 ppg) and Santos Martinez (18.5 ppg).

Antic was also top rebounder with 9.3 boards per game. The Top 3 there was completed by Augustinas Vitas (8.3 rpg) and once again Santos Martinez (8 rpg). Ninoslav Tmuzic had more than both of them (8.6 rpg) but his team Dunav 2007 was relegated to Second A-1 after the first phase of the Championship.

Willie Deane was assist "champion" (5.8 apg), second was Donta Smith (5.1) and third - Stanislav Govedarov (3.6).

The best defensively were youngster Ivan Lilov (2.41 steals per game) and agile power forward Lavell Payne (1.34 blocked shots per game).

Ivan Lilov, despite his tender age, was also the player with most minutes played in First A-1 - 1151, while veteran teammate Dwayne Morton was nearly as indispensable for 3rd placed Balkan with 1107 min. Stanislav Govedarov played 1104 min. for Yambol; the three of them started in all 32 games.

INDIVIDUAL STATS LEADERS IN MEN FIRST A-1

TOP 10 OF THE 32-nd (LAST) ROUND OF MEN FIRST A-1

DOUBLE DOUBLES LEADERS IN MEN FIRST A-1

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