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Isaiah Thomas finishes fifth in NBA’s MVP balloting

Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas provided punch all season long, earning him a fifth-place finish in MVP balloting. Barry Chin/Globe Staff/File 2017

Throughout the 2016-17 season — always at home, and sometimes even on the road — fans serenaded Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas with “MVP” chants.

It turns out they were not that far off.

Thomas placed fifth in the MVP voting, which was revealed Monday night following the league’s first awards show in New York.

The 5-foot-9-inch point guard finished behind superstars Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron James.

Thomas received four third-place votes, eight fourth-place votes, and 37 fifth-place votes from a panel of 100 media members. He finished with 81 points, well behind James (333 points) and slightly ahead of sixth-place Stephen Curry (52).

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This past season, Thomas averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game, leading the Celtics to a 53-29 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive season.

On Monday night, Thomas also won the league’s NBA Cares Community Assist Award. Celtics legend Bill Russell was honored with a lifetime achievement award.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens finished fourth in the coach of the year voting, and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge came in fourth in voting for the league’s executive of the year.


Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.