A 51-point explosion could be the No. 1 overall pick's ultimate push for the Rookie of the Year award. "It's a no-brainer. ... Tonight he proved it again."
Cooper Flagg left no doubt that after Friday's home loss to the Orlando Magic he should be the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award.
The top overall pick poured in 51 points on 19-of-30 shooting with six 3-pointers and a 7-for-7 showing at the free throw line. He became the first teenager in NBA history to hit the half-century mark in a game, and also registered his fourth 40-point game of the season, which is more than the entire rookie class combined.
No rookie has posted at least three 40 pieces since Allen Iverson in 1996-97. Before that, Michael Jordan did it in 1984-85.
And yet, the Dallas Mavericks dropped their 14th straight game inside American Airlines Center. The Magic took this one 138-127, but Flagg could feel the anticipation in the air throughout the night as his scoring total increased.
"You definitely feel the energy in the gym," Flagg said. "I’ve said this before, the fans have showed up for us all year long every night. Honestly, we haven’t given them a ton to show up for and be excited for.
"But I definitely feel the energy when you have the energy moving (and) helping you out there. It keeps you going, it keeps you motivated and it definitely helps out. And I definitely give a shout out to the fans in helping me and giving me that energy."
Flagg spoke about how fun it is to get in that mode where the basket feels as wide as the ocean, but he couldn't help himself from expressing his desire to win. The Mavs dropped to 24-53, and while Flagg's competitiveness won't drive him to admit it, the Mavericks are fine with staying inside the top-10 of NBA Draft lottery odds as we hit the end of the regular season.
On Friday, the losing was not even half of the focus. As Flagg erupted, so too did the Mavs bench after the rookie did not get a foul call on a play that was meant to receive one.
Flagg drove against Orlando's Desmond Bane, who grabbed the arms of the shooter, but play resumed. Flagg pled his case to the referee, and Jason Kidd and Naji Marshall were up in arms on the sideline, both receiving ejections quickly thereafter.
"Naji is protecting his coach," Kidd said after the second ejection. "I’m trying to protect the players, I’m trying to protect Cooper. On that play there really was a foul that no one saw. ...
"One, we’re a family and we have to protect one another and understanding just the way the game was being officiated was below average. That play, when you look at it, [Flagg] got fouled twice, not just on the arm, but then got pushed."
Flagg later admitted that Bane told him he was intentionally trying to foul and send him to the free throw line rather than give up a floater in the lane.
After the game, Marshall took to social media to remind fans of the real story of the night.
"Hard to appreciate greatness while going thru hard times but that boy is 1 of none," Marshall said of Flagg.
"I think everybody knows he’s going to be Rookie of the Year," Mavs guard Brandon Williams said "It’s a no-brainer. Tonight, he proved it again."
Kidd - who shared the Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill in 1995 - added to his campaign for Cooper to take this year's outright.
"He’s a rookie, he should be Rookie of the Year," the coach said. "It’s unbelievable the country is not watching the same thing that we get to watch on a daily basis. The things that he’s done, he’s in rare air. He’s with the G.O.A.T. when you talk about [Michael Jordan] and what he did in his rookie year, and as a teenager.
"To see what Cooper is doing, just the excitement, the joy of playing the game, win or lose, his spirit is about winning and right now we’re not. But as he just said in the locker room, we’re going to be that much better come next season.”
So, what does Flagg think of all the buzz? Especially as it relates to his position against his former college teammate Kon Knueppel, who is the betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year for the Charlotte Hornets?
"I would hope [this game] will help, but like I said I’m not going to worry about that," Flagg said. “I’m worried about just getting better every single night and trying to look at the big picture and start building towards something.
"I’ve said this a bunch, it is what it is. For me, like I’ve said before it’s about getting better every single day. I know what I’m capable of and what I can do. So for me it’s always been about just improving every night, going out there and competing and being the player that I know I can be and I’ll let all the rest of that stuff figure it out."
And if voters still hold Knueppel as the front-runner in the award after Friday night, they have some stuff to figure out, as well.
