Nikola Jokic got real on being named the 2024 NBA MVP, his third MVP triumph in four seasons, by saying that he preferred last year’s race where he lost but went on to win the NBA Championship.
“I liked last year where I didn’t win it and we won a championship.”
Nikola Jokic on winning MVP: “i liked last year where I didn’t win it and we won a championship.” pic.twitter.com/eIS5Ekr8FE
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) May 9, 2024
Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 79 games this season, earning the MVP by once again being the most dominant player in terms of advanced analytics.
Jokic didn’t have prolific scoring stats like other competitors Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, but his overall impact and integral nature to the Nuggets’ success meant that voters were swayed to pick him. While this was a closely-contested race, this seems to make up for Jokic losing to Joel Embiid last season and instantly winning the title.
It’s become increasingly rare to see players win both the regular season MVP and an NBA title in the same season. The last player to achieve this feat was Stephen Curry in 2015 after his first MVP win culminated with his first NBA title win. Since then, we have seen two reigning MVPs knocked out in the first round (including Jokic) while only one of them even made the Finals (Curry in 2016).
Jokic won two MVPs and won a title after losing the chance to win three MVPs in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo followed the same trajectory before Jokic, winning the 2019 and 2020 MVPs before winning the title in 2021 when he lost the MVP to Jokic.
The Nuggets Title Hopes Are Looking Weak
The Denver Nuggets have to overcome an extremely difficult road to defend their NBA Championship. They’re currently down 0-2 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, losing two home games to open the series. Out of the 22 instances of a home team falling to a 0-2 deficit in a series, only four times has a comeback been successful.
The last time we saw a successful 0-2 comeback after losing two home games was in 2021 when the Clippers beat the Mavericks in the first round. The Mavericks were massive underdogs who had shocked the world by jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Kawhi Leonard had the greatest series of his career to will the Clippers into making a comeback.
The Timberwolves are a far more complete team than that Mavericks roster, so trusting them to convert a 2-0 lead into a series win is easier. But the Nuggets do have the consensus best player in the world over the last couple of seasons in Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has never beaten a 50+ win team in a playoff series, so coming back from down 0-2 as the home team would be a fantastic way to cross that achievement of his list as well. If the Nuggets can turn this around against the Wolves, most people would continue holding them as title favorites even with the dominance of the OKC Thunder and Boston Celtics in the Playoffs.
Related: Nikola Jokic Reveals How Long He’ll Play In The NBA Before Retiring
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