Denver champions and Murray FMVP?

[durantbird]

Do you see a possibility that Denver wins this year but Jokic is not the FMVP, with Jamal Murray getting the title instead?

[migya]

Unlikely, he scores and not much else while Jokic does almost everything.

[GSP]

Unlikely, he scores and not much else while Jokic does almost everything.

Murray is averaging 35/7/5/3 on .66ts Vs La......he could easily win western conference finals Mvp with the series hes having

[Tomtolbert]

There's certainly a possibility. I don't know exactly who the voters are, but I would guess that if Jokic only outplays Murray by a slight amount, there's a decent chance Murray wins it. Of course, odds are Jokic will easily be the best player.

[Owly]

Definitely possible.

FiveThirtyEight has Denver's finals probability (you could theoretically win FMVP on the losing side) as 97%, title probability as 55%. Don't have agree with that number to see that much is possible.

A teams best player isn't always their best player in the series.

As has been alluded to MVP ballot suggests some voter fatigue for Jokic (though maybe some will be inclined to "right that wrong"/overcorrect?) and in general a ppg tilt plus general lack of clarity on criteria/dubious voting would mean it would be possible for be the best player (on the winning team) and not get it.

[Gooner]

He has been the MVP of this series, that's for sure.

[Salieri]

He has been the MVP of this series, that's for sure.

Absolutely not.

He has played very well and elevated his game, no doubt. But if you think anyone other than Jokic has been the MVP of this series, you haven't been paying attention.

[Dr Positivity]

Depends on the length of the series, if it was 4-5 games then it would just take a few hot Murray games like Tony Parker in 2007.

[Fadeaway_J]

Don't think either Miami or Boston has a prayer of guarding him so it seems highly unlikely.

[Jaivl]

10%

[Cavsfansince84]

Unless he drops some 40 pt games and Jokic sort of struggles to score I doubt it.

[Ambrose]

Definitely possible. Talking heads are more enamored by 30 points in a half or 23 in the 4th than someone consistently being the best player on the floor.

[Woodsanity]

Possible if he goes nuclear which he definitely can.

But I think its fairly unlikely. Butler can guard Murray and limit him somewhat. I don't think the Heat have any answer for Jokic.

[Bank Shot]

High-volume guards always have a shot since they look amazing when variance is going their way, but the odds are pretty low. It's close in the WCF because Jokic has spent most of the series doubled with AD as the helper (and for some reason Malone refused to adjust to that for 2.75 games). Miami doesn't have the personnel to do something similar. Jokic also hasn't had any issue with the Bam and the Heat since he started his prime. He hasn't lost to them since 2020 despite all the injuries to the supporting cast.

[B_Creamy]

Unlikely, he scores and not much else while Jokic does almost everything.

Murray is averaging 35/7/5/3 on .66ts Vs La......he could easily win western conference finals Mvp with the series hes having

Yeah I'm thinking he absolutely will win the WCF MVP unless the Lakers extend this a couple games in the fashion of the '96 Sonics

[Doctor MJ]

Do you see a possibility that Denver wins this year but Jokic is not the FMVP, with Jamal Murray getting the title instead?

Absolutely. Doesn't even seem particularly unlikely.

[Doctor MJ]

There's certainly a possibility. I don't know exactly who the voters are, but I would guess that if Jokic only outplays Murray by a slight amount, there's a decent chance Murray wins it. Of course, odds are Jokic will easily be the best player.

So, here's the thing:

Jokic IS the best player because of what he can reliably bring out in basically any circumstances.

Murray, by contrast, still needs to be seen as a hot-and-cold guy, and when he goes cold, you're literally better off with him on the bench.

But when Murray is hot, and his team feeds him, he's literally contributing more value than Jokic.

If Murray can stay hot long enough, and Jokic is fine letting him do the cooking, then Murray will be the Finals MVP.

Of course, I'm also someone who rolls my eyes when people talk about missing out on the Finals MVP as a #1 star makes the success a failure, so take that for what you will.

[Doctor MJ]

He has been the MVP of this series, that's for sure.

Absolutely not.

He has played very well and elevated his game, no doubt. But if you think anyone other than Jokic has been the MVP of this series, you haven't been paying attention.

So here's what I'll say:

1. Murray's been the team's MVP during his Flurries. The rest of the time, Jokic has been the most valuable guy on the court. I think it's pretty debatable how that all adds together.

2. I do think that as things stand Murray is the favorite for the WCF MVP award, even though I think Jokic probably still has a good argument for actually being the most valuable player. I mean, if nothing else, you have Jokic calling Murray the team's best player. There's poetry in Murray getting this honor.

[Salieri]

He has been the MVP of this series, that's for sure.

Absolutely not.

He has played very well and elevated his game, no doubt. But if you think anyone other than Jokic has been the MVP of this series, you haven't been paying attention.

So here's what I'll say:

1. Murray's been the team's MVP during his Flurries. The rest of the time, Jokic has been the most valuable guy on the court. I think it's pretty debatable how that all adds together.

2. I do think that as things stand Murray is the favorite for the WCF MVP award, even though I think Jokic probably still has a good argument for actually being the most valuable player. I mean, if nothing else, you have Jokic calling Murray the team's best player. There's poetry in Murray getting this honor.

I'm not trying to diminish Murray's performance, I think he did amazingly well and he fulfilled his role to a T. He's supposed to be the iso scorer, and that he did. His numbers are something even Kobe level players would be proud of, and I don't blame him for his dry spells as much as others, considering that's the inherent risk of being a volume scorer who relies heavily on outside shots. It comes with the territory, and he more than redeemed himself in the clutch. All in all, a great performance.

But I can see other players in Murray's shoes without the Nuggets missing a beat. Sure, other players might have a different shot distribution, or have more consistency at the price of less unstoppability. But the fact remains, there are other volume scorers in the league, and I believe the Nuggets could even afford to have a slightly inferior one without losing the WCF.

Jokic just cannot be replaced. You take away Jokic, the Nuggets become a completely different, dare I say, much more mediocre team. No player you might insert in his place would make the Nuggets play like they do now. Jokic is the heart of this Nuggets team, and I can't consider anyone else for MVP honors, despite their brilliance.

[NO-KG-AI]

Am I the only one that thought the conference MVP awards were kind of based on the first 3 rounds, and not just the conference finals? lol.