The NBA Just Screwed This MVP
Despite a historic season, including nearly averaging a triple double, and winning the finals, Nikola Jokic was not the NBA MVP. That honor belongs to Joel Embiid. Embiid took home the MVP for the 76ers after averaging 33 points and ten rebounds per game, and taking his team to the second round of the eastern conference playoffs. So you may be asking yourself "If they gave the man a MVP, how did they screw him?" Well, it's really unfortunate.
Very Unfortunate Timing By The NBA
First off, the MVP comes out prior to the NBA Finals being played, and the official champion being crowned. This has made it so that the only portion taken into account for the voters, are the stats and records of the player during the regular season, regardless of playoff wins and stats. This has caused some unfortunate scenarios like the one we saw this year.
Embiid crumbled in the playoffs, having a bad stretch of games that would cost his 76ers the series against the Celtics. Jokic however, tuned up when the lights got brightest. He dismantled Kevin Durant's Suns, Lebron James' Lakers, and Jimmy Butler's Heat on route to a NBA title. However, none of this mattered. Due to it being a solely regular season award, the voters could not take into account how the playoffs unfolded, and how the candidates for the award reacted when the lights shined brightest on them.
Due to this timing, where we get the winner of the award right as the runner-up is dominating, it's a very tough look to have. Embiid got the award just as soon as it was becoming clear who the best player in the NBA was. This allowed for any fan who didn't believe the NBA made the right choice, to have immediate proof to defend their claim. All you had to do was look at the playoff and you see why they were right. But the timing wasn't the only issue.
Worst Guy To "Rob" Of MVP
We covered that Jokic was having a dominant post-season, we know that. But unfortunately, the two players have cultivated very different interpretations of them as players. Jokic is seen by the majority of fans as a hilarious player who guys love for his insane skill, and funny personality. A dude who loves his horses, and is hilariously awkward.
Embiid however, has gained a reputation for being a bit prone to "tantrums" Often seen complaining to refs for foul calls, or just being pretty unlikable when he doesn't get something that he wants. Whether or not this is necessarily true, this is a large perception of the center, meaning the fans don't see him all that kindly.
This comparison really sucks, because you picked Embiid over a player who even the most casual fan can fall in love with, solely due to his personality. People already didn't believe he hadn't deserved the award, but by pinning him against a NBA fan favorite, you put him in a lose-lose position. Either win the award, and be hated by those fans, or, lose the award and you get made fun of and don't take home any hardware.
The "Voter Fatigue" Phenomenon
Nikola Jokic took home the award the past two seasons prior to this one. This gave fans the belief that the only reason Jokic didn't win the award was due to the voters not wanting to give him three in a row, even if he did deserve it. Embiid gets screwed over here, because any fan who believes this, immediately believes Embiid din't win the award fairly, as if he only won it because Jokic could not.
Whether or not "Voter Fatigue" is actually real, doesn't matter. The concept is known and believed by fans, and that is all that matters. If the fans have it hard in their mind that the only reason Embiid won the award, was because Jokic couldn't, they'll never accept that it could have just been given off of pure merit.
So, Did The NBA Screw Embiid?
The way I see it, and other year he could have won the award. Unfortunately for him, there was a Serbian gentleman leaving his team to the first seed in the far harder conference, who was almost became the third player ever to average a triple double, only missing it by .2 assists.
Embiid is a phenomenal player, and he knows how toward the game into his favor by driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line. But the NBA said him dirty by giving it to him over Jokic. Not only are his fans dedicated, but general fans could argue that Jokic was more effective, especially in the playoffs despite them not being counted.
Whether or not he should have won the MVP, it sucks that this award will be "tainted" by most fans, and a lot of people will come to dislike Embiid for stealing an MVP from Jokic. This is how the NBA set him up. It wasn't clear that he deserved it, and against a fan favorite, it isn't going to end well. More eyes will be turned to "Was Nikola Jokic Robbed?" rather than the opposing "Why Did Joel Embiid Earn The MVP" and it all starts with the NBA.
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