Remember when Nikola Jokic beat out Joel Embiid for the MVP award last season? Nuggets fans all over the world were loving it and believed he was the best in the league. Many outside of 76ers supporters actually believed that this was the correct choice. But of course, those Philadelphia diehards started to come up with an odd anti-Jokic agenda, as it seem those Denverites did with Embiid.
But of course, this year, the script flipped. Nikola Jokic did not get any worse, but arguably even better. But it was Embiid that came away with the trophy. This being a regular-season award, it’s interesting that Jokic is two wins from the NBA Finals while The Process is sitting at home after his team blew a 3-2 lead in the second round. It isn’t the first time his squad has failed to produce in the playoffs.
The Season At Hand for Nikola Jokic
Back on March 30th, during the final weeks of the season, an MVP ranking came out. It featured all three of The Joker, Embiid, and Giannis Antetokoummpo. Of course. This was the last of the regular campaign, and so this was where a lot of the voters stood. The NBA account was tweeting out weekly updates on where things stood and who stood out as the favorites. And then, for some reason, the expected did happen.
It was supposed to be Embiid’s year, even though Nikola Jokic did not get any worse. It can be argued that he got even better, as he got Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back in the lineup. It almost felt like his win last season came as a result of him dominating the rest of the league while also having one of the worst all-around supporting casts in the association.
The Nuggets had the best regular-season record, while Philly wound up as a #3 seed. There was a head-to-head in late January where Embiid had a 48-17-5 line against Denver. This was the beginning of the time where voters started to think that The Process was better than the Nuggets mastermind.
Here’s the thing, though. He never was. And the final section will tell you why.
Playoffs?! Playoffs?!
The Conference Finals began this week. And when this was all happening, guess where the 76ers were? Back at home. Some in Cancun. Doc Rivers is jobless. James Harden doesn’t want to stay. In game 7, Embiid had 15 and 8 on 5-18 shooting. In game 6, he shot 9-19 and had a meager 26 and 10. It didn’t feel like he had many dominant moments.
As for Nikola Jokic, he has six triple-doubles, including in four straight games. He had a 53-point, 11-assist game against Phoenix. Yes, Embiid is hurt, but there really isn’t a world where he can control a game the same way. His methods of getting points come from foul-hunting. #15 does it all over the floor.
Thanks For Reading
As you have now realized, this entire article has been satire. Nikola Jokic has always been better than Embiid. And even though the Nuggets should have set aside #15 after Carmelo Anthony left, Jokic has more than proven himself as the rightful wearer of it in Denver when it eventually makes it to the rafters.
See you next week with more flashbacks!
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