NBA MVP Discussion Thread 2023-24

[eyeatoma]

Hmm, the 76ers and Celtics lead east, the nuggets and Mavs west. While Jokic and Embiid are leading, Luka and Tatum are really blowing at their necks this year. If Mavs somehow manage to stay this high, this might be a Lukas year.

Luka will have to really take the lead. Lose Harden, top team in the east. If we go buy previous years embiid would get it.

[HotRocks34]

Hmm, the 76ers and Celtics lead east, the nuggets and Mavs west. While Jokic and Embiid are leading, Luka and Tatum are really blowing at their necks this year. If Mavs somehow manage to stay this high, this might be a Lukas year.

Luka will have to really take the lead. Lose Harden, top team in the east. If we go buy previous years embiid would get it.

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

[Mrakar]

Embiid with 33 points on 8-22 shooting.

This is a Jokic appreciation post.

But he got 19 FT's, cmn that is efficiency...

[Stribor]

Hmm, the 76ers and Celtics lead east, the nuggets and Mavs west. While Jokic and Embiid are leading, Luka and Tatum are really blowing at their necks this year. If Mavs somehow manage to stay this high, this might be a Lukas year.

Luka will have to really take the lead. Lose Harden, top team in the east. If we go buy previous years embiid would get it.

In my oppinion, Embiid at the moment is earning mvp more than last year, but the voters might take the last PO against him.

[eyeatoma]

Hmm, the 76ers and Celtics lead east, the nuggets and Mavs west. While Jokic and Embiid are leading, Luka and Tatum are really blowing at their necks this year. If Mavs somehow manage to stay this high, this might be a Lukas year.

Luka will have to really take the lead. Lose Harden, top team in the east. If we go buy previous years embiid would get it.

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

[Wolfgang630]

Everyone has acknowledged the Sixers are better without Harden so no it doesn’t work. Embiid isn’t favored because Harden is gone when Maxey has completely done better than Harden. The credit goes to Maxey and Nurse.

[Lakers In 5]

Luka will have to really take the lead. Lose Harden, top team in the east. If we go buy previous years embiid would get it.

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

No co-star has had to deal with the star player shrivelling under the playoff lights like the Sixers' second option either.

[eyeatoma]

Everyone has acknowledged the Sixers are better without Harden so no it doesn’t work. Embiid isn’t favored because Harden is gone when Maxey has completely done better than Harden. The credit goes to Maxey and Nurse.

Lol so where do you think they'd be without Embiid. Interesting logic...

[eyeatoma]

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

No co-star has had to deal with the star player shrivelling under the playoff lights like the Sixers' second option either.

No player has had to deal with a fraud organization like the Sixers and everything that has happened in the process
Most players would have said bye a long time ago.

Read on Twitter

?t=G9VbAZnaNCgmBbaRbK_dfg&s=19

[eyeatoma]

Everyone has acknowledged the Sixers are better without Harden so no it doesn’t work. Embiid isn’t favored because Harden is gone when Maxey has completely done better than Harden. The credit goes to Maxey and Nurse.

Also not true most expected the Sixers to take a step back without Harden. Thats some revisionist history right there.

[Lakers In 5]

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

No co-star has had to deal with the star player shrivelling under the playoff lights like the Sixers' second option either.

No player has had to deal with a fraud organization like the Sixers and everything that has happened in the process
Most players would have said bye a long time ago.

Read on Twitter

?t=G9VbAZnaNCgmBbaRbK_dfg&s=19

Yes, drafting Jahlil Okafor in 2015 is the reason why Embiid can't get it done when it matters. I agree.

[HotRocks34]

What hurt Jokic last year (precedent, perceived playoff failures) is exactly what is going to hurt Embiid this year.

Nate Silver discusses following the end of the 2023 Finals:

https://www.natesilver.net/p/the-nuggets-were-hiding-in-plain

That doesn’t entirely excuse the lack of respect given to Jokic and the Nuggets. Jokic lost this year’s MVP, ostensibly a regular season award, to Joel Embiid in part because of a perception that he wouldn’t hold up in the clutch. Embiid had repeatedly underachieved in the playoffs, however — and did again this year — whereas Jokic had been very good, entering these playoffs averaging 26.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists for his career on extremely efficient shooting numbers while the Nuggets had consistently punched above their weight.

Jokic is now a made man. Embiid, on the other hand, is the least-playoff-accomplished MVP winner in the 65+ year history of the award (only MVP to have never made a Conference Final).

That matters, even if it shouldn't matter for a regular season award.

Perceived lack of playoff success mattered in the MVP voting last year, and it will matter this year almost assuredly.

The 2023 awards/playoffs reminded me of the 1995 awards/playoffs. Robinson won the MVP, Hakeem was pissed, Hakeem went berserk and won the title and the FMVP. Point made. Similar to Jokic.

Robinson, of course, ended up just fine. 2 rings, Hall Of Fame, etc.

The same thing can happen for Embiid. He's a great player.

[eyeatoma]

No co-star has had to deal with the star player shrivelling under the playoff lights like the Sixers' second option either.

No player has had to deal with a fraud organization like the Sixers and everything that has happened in the process
Most players would have said bye a long time ago.

Read on Twitter

?t=G9VbAZnaNCgmBbaRbK_dfg&s=19

Yes, drafting Jahlil Okafor in 2015 is the reason why Embiid can't get it done when it matters. I agree.

Lol that's what you talk about while ignoring everything else.

[HotRocks34]

Luka will have to really take the lead. Lose Harden, top team in the east. If we go buy previous years embiid would get it.

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

Co-star? LOL! Harden is ruining the Clippers as we speak.

Again, no Conference Final, no 2nd MVP.

That's the precedent.

[eyeatoma]

What hurt Jokic last year (precedent, perceived playoff failures) is exactly what is going to hurt Embiid this year.

Nate Silver discusses following the end of the 2023 Finals:

https://www.natesilver.net/p/the-nuggets-were-hiding-in-plain

That doesn’t entirely excuse the lack of respect given to Jokic and the Nuggets. Jokic lost this year’s MVP, ostensibly a regular season award, to Joel Embiid in part because of a perception that he wouldn’t hold up in the clutch. Embiid had repeatedly underachieved in the playoffs, however — and did again this year — whereas Jokic had been very good, entering these playoffs averaging 26.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists for his career on extremely efficient shooting numbers while the Nuggets had consistently punched above their weight.

Jokic is now a made man. Embiid, on the other hand, is the least-playoff-accomplished MVP winner in the 65+ year history of the award.

That matters, even if it shouldn't matter for a regular season award.

Perceived lack of playoff success mattered in the MVP voting last year, and it will matter this year almost assuredly.

The 2023 awards/playoffs reminded me of the 1995 awards/playoffs. Robinson won the MVP, Hakeem was pissed, Hakeem went berserk and won the title and the FMVP. Point made. Similar to Jokic.

Robinson, of course, ended up just fine. 2 rings, Hall Of Fame, etc.

The same thing can happen for Embiid. He's a great player.

Wonder who shriveled the last two games. Oh that's right Doc Rivers who has choked the most in NBA history and James Harden yet somehow Embiid while injured with something that takes 8-12 weeks to heal is penalized??

[eyeatoma]

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

Co-star? LOL! Harden is ruining the Clippers as we speak.

Again, no Conference Final, no 2nd MVP.

That's the precedent.

Forgot you have a vote...if we're going by precedent then why was Jokic leading the MVP race most of last year?

[eyeatoma]

No, he won't.

Historical precedence is crucial now as we saw last year.

No player has ever won a 2nd MVP without at least making the Conference Final.

Bad news for Embiid.

Luka, of course, has already made a Conference Final.

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

Co-star? LOL! Harden is ruining the Clippers as we speak.

Again, no Conference Final, no 2nd MVP.

That's the precedent.

Again revisionist history. Harden lead the league in assists and was offered a replacement all star spot by silver but declined the offer.

Now we're acting like losing Harden isn't much...

[Wolfgang630]

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

Co-star? LOL! Harden is ruining the Clippers as we speak.

Again, no Conference Final, no 2nd MVP.

That's the precedent.

Forgot you have a vote...if we're going by precedent then why was Jokic leading the MVP race most of last year?

Joker made it to the conference finals…lol

[Lakers In 5]

No player has had to deal with costar leaving as much either while weathering the storm and still being an elite team.

Co-star? LOL! Harden is ruining the Clippers as we speak.

Again, no Conference Final, no 2nd MVP.

That's the precedent.

Forgot you have a vote...if we're going by precedent then why was Jokic leading the MVP race most of last year?

Hahaha.

[eyeatoma]

Co-star? LOL! Harden is ruining the Clippers as we speak.

Again, no Conference Final, no 2nd MVP.

That's the precedent.

Forgot you have a vote...if we're going by precedent then why was Jokic leading the MVP race most of last year?

Joker made it to the conference finals…lol

Talking about not winning a chip and being in the running for 3 MVPs in a row, which is unprecedented last year. Lol