I'm a huge Jokic fan (he's just fun to watch) and his domination of the playoffs this year was nothing short of historic. It's worth remembering that the league MVP is a regular season award, though.
Even so, he deserved to win that this year, too. And he would have probably gotten it too... if he hadn't won it the prior two years. MVP voters seem to be really allergic to giving out the three-peat. It hasn't happened since Larry Bird in the early eighties and only 3 times in league history (Russell, Chamberlain, Bird). That's right, not even Jorden, Magic, Kobe or Lebron were 3-peat MVPs.
I don’t much mind who wins individual awards in team games, but what I also noticed, and which felt very insidious, was the level to which media talking heads tried to downplay the Nuggets’ championship, claiming their playoff opponents were easy - like it’s their fault the favorites in the East couldn’t make the Finals. I know they wouldn’t say that about a team led by LeBron instead of by a white guy. I notice a similar need to be ostentatious among football media figures whenever Lamar Jackson is discussed. The dude’s undoubtedly in the top-10 QBs right now, most probably in that 6-10 range, but they talk him up like he’s right there with Mahomes. There is a QB in Jackson’s own division who has been to the Super Bowl and won five playoff games in two years, while Jackson has a grand total of one career playoff victory, but because that other QB is white some (not all but a fair number) of commentators act like it’s debatable as to which of them is better. I should probably care less, but it’s irritating when the media abandons all sense in favor of socially-acceptable feels.
Which reminds me that race baiter, Kendrick Perkins who spearheaded the anti-Jokic campaign, is still employed.
but doing everything you can to help your team win, like passing to them when they’re open, is stat padding!
I'm a huge Jokic fan (he's just fun to watch) and his domination of the playoffs this year was nothing short of historic. It's worth remembering that the league MVP is a regular season award, though.
Even so, he deserved to win that this year, too. And he would have probably gotten it too... if he hadn't won it the prior two years. MVP voters seem to be really allergic to giving out the three-peat. It hasn't happened since Larry Bird in the early eighties and only 3 times in league history (Russell, Chamberlain, Bird). That's right, not even Jorden, Magic, Kobe or Lebron were 3-peat MVPs.
I don’t much mind who wins individual awards in team games, but what I also noticed, and which felt very insidious, was the level to which media talking heads tried to downplay the Nuggets’ championship, claiming their playoff opponents were easy - like it’s their fault the favorites in the East couldn’t make the Finals. I know they wouldn’t say that about a team led by LeBron instead of by a white guy. I notice a similar need to be ostentatious among football media figures whenever Lamar Jackson is discussed. The dude’s undoubtedly in the top-10 QBs right now, most probably in that 6-10 range, but they talk him up like he’s right there with Mahomes. There is a QB in Jackson’s own division who has been to the Super Bowl and won five playoff games in two years, while Jackson has a grand total of one career playoff victory, but because that other QB is white some (not all but a fair number) of commentators act like it’s debatable as to which of them is better. I should probably care less, but it’s irritating when the media abandons all sense in favor of socially-acceptable feels.