![]() ![]() This conveniently ignores the reality that most offensive stats, terrestrial and advanced, have trended higher in the era of 3-point primacy. The tyranny of the advanced numbers set means anyone who may not bow at the altar of Box Plus-Minus or whatever is the flavor of the month stat now is immediately dismissed as a Joker “hater.” Jokić’s numbers are historic! Therefore, you cannot vote against him. Yet, why is everyone jumping on Perkins when it’s no less “toxic” to think people can’t make a fair judgment that Embiid or Giannis deserve MVP over Jokić despite Jokic’s advanced stats? And a lot of White voters voted for Giannis and/or Embiid the last two years, just as a lot of White voters voted for Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Duncan and on and on and on.) (Also for the record: I’m Black, and I’ve voted for Jokić two years in a row, just as I’ve voted for Giannis and LeBron and Steph and James Harden and Russell Westbrook for MVP in previous years. I’m not naive enough to think race never is a factor in voting, but I doubt it’s a mitigating or decisive one in this case. (The actual number of White media voters this season, as our Sam Amick pointed out this week, is around 63 percent.) JJ Redick got predictably outraged, and, voila!, viral clip.įor the record: I disagree with Perk, whom I love, on this particular subject. The ESPN analyst opined (incorrectly, by the numbers) that 80 percent of the voters for MVP were White, leaving unsaid his obvious assertion that that may have led to more votes for Jokić than were perhaps deserved, either the past two seasons or this season’s upcoming vote. ![]() Speaking of which, much of this recent talk about “toxicity” in the debate is shorthand for “Kendrick Perkins brought race into it.” It’s not the sole province of NBA World, or sports, or this country, for that matter. It’s been this way for a while, since keyboard warriors started proliferating like weeds in the discourse, every hot take a click away. You can’t acknowledge that a vote for any of the three is a valid vote - or, if you wanted to make the case for Jayson Tatum, any of the four. Of course, in the era in which we live, “debate” has degenerated into, “Not only am I right, but you’re stupid.” You can only be for Jokić (or Embiid, or Giannis) because you hate the other two guys and don’t know what you’re talking about. ![]() We’re splitting atoms.Īnd yet, the argument - and it’s always an argument - about which of the three should be MVP this season has devolved, even more than normal. He has a great chance to be the first player to average 31 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists per game since Wilt Chamberlain did it in 1966 - 57 years ago going into Wednesday’s games, Giannis was at 31.2 points, 11.9 boards and 5.5 dimes. He doesn’t seek the limelight at All-Star Weekend last month in Salt Lake City, he was a reluctant interviewee, the game a dud and not in keeping with how he views how basketball should be played, anyway.Īntetokounmpo carried his team during the first half of the season while Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles were rounding back into shape from respective injuries. His wizardry is in his passing, in making his teammates’ lives easier. He scores almost as an afterthought, like Tim Duncan. There’s no nightly highlight of Jokić abusing defenders on the block. He dominates games by not trying to dominate them. Jokić, of course, is the most efficient offensive player we’ve had in the league for some time, maybe ever. This should be a celebration, not a bloodletting. It’s their fanboys and fangirls who are sucking all the fun out of what should be a joyful debate.ĭoc Rivers is beyond right in his contention that you don’t have to vilify either of the other two superstars to make the case for yours. They’re all great. They were first (Jokić, 8.2), second (Embiid, 6.0) and eighth (Giannis, 4.7) in Value Over Replacement Player. Entering play Wednesday, they were first (Jokić, at 31.73), second (Embiid, 31.62) and fourth (Antetokounmpo, 28.74), respectively, in PER. ![]() They’ve each led their teams to the top of the league standards, where they’ve been most of the season. They’re all great ambassadors for the game, ably carrying the flags for their native Serbia (Jokic), Cameroon (Embiid) and Greece/Nigeria (Antetokounmpo). This is not about the players themselves. ![]()
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