For over a decade now, USA Basketball offers you every Tuesday its Top 5 candidates for the “Most Valuable Player” trophy (MVP)”. This week, five days from the end of the regular season, we decided to take a look at the most undecided races in history, because the distance duel between Nikola Jokic And Joel Embiid could reach a historic level (unless Giannis Antetokounmpo comes to play the spoilsports).
As the latest ESPN poll suggests, which gives Joel Embiid the winner ahead of Nikola Jokic by… 2 small points, the gap between the pivot of Sixers and the pivot of nuggets promises to be particularly tight this year. To the point of breaking the record for the most disputed ballot of all time? Or should we rather say since 1981, the moment from which it was the journalists who took control of the vote, instead of the players?
The record has stood since 1990
For the time being, no struggle has in any case done better than the 22 point difference raised in 1990 between Magic Johnson, the winner (636 points), and Charles Barkley, his runner-up (614 points), while Michael Jordan was not far behind them either (564 points).
In detail, this mainly gave 27 first places for the Lakers point guard against 38 for the strong winger of the Suns and 21 for the back of the Bulls. But “Sir Charles” was therefore not elected despite more first places obtained and he is the only player not to have received the trophy in such a case.
Another tight opposition: that of 1997 between Karl Malone (986 points, including 63 first places) and Michael Jordan (957 points, including 52 first places), who thus stood in only 29 dots. The Jazz “Mailman”, also crowned two years later, was also not indisputable in 1999 (827 points, including 44 first places), because he narrowly triumphed over Alonzo Mourning (773 points, including 36 first places) and Tim Duncan (740 points, including 30 first places).
These 54 points difference however, remain higher than 31 dots recorded in 1981 between Julius Erving, the winner (454 points, including 28 first places), and Larry Bird, his runner-up (423 points, including 20 first places). A fierce fight, which also reminds us of that of 2005 between Steve Nash (1,066 points, including 65 first places) and Shaquille O’Neal (1,032 points, including 58 first places), separated by 34 points.
An iconic rivalry?
It remains to be seen whether the new distance duel between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will enter the Top 5 most hung MVP races in history. To do this, they will therefore have to keep a difference of a maximum of 53 points.
So far, it can’t be said that the Nuggets center has been genuinely worried about the Sixers center in the past, as the “Joker” first edged him by 385 points (with 91 first-place finishes out of 100 possible) in 2021, before overtaking it once again, but by 169 points (with 65 first places out of 100 possible), in 2022.
Note also that, if they end together in the top two spots of a ballot for MVP, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will establish themselves as one of the most stable rivalries in the NBA. Indeed, only two adversaries found themselves jointly in the Top 2 of this trophy in three different polls: Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan (1987, 1989, 1991), then LeBron James and Kevin Durant (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014).
2023 MVP RACE: OUR TOP 5
1 – Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
Assessment: 52 wins, 26 losses – 1st in the West.
Matches: 67 contested out of 78 possible.
Statistics: 24.9 pts, 11.9 reb, 9.9 pds, 1.2 int, 0.7 ctr and 3.5 pdb in 34 min.
Percentages: 63% on shots, 39% at 3-pts and 82% on throws.
2 – Joel Embiid (Sixers)
Assessment: 51 wins, 27 losses – 3rd in the East.
Matches: 64 disputed out of 78 possible.
Statistics: 33.0 pts, 10.2 reb, 4.2 pds, 1.0 int, 1.7 ctr and 3.5 pdb in 35 min.
Percentages: 54% on shots, 33% at 3-pts and 86% on throws.
3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Assessment: 56 wins, 22 losses – 1st in the East.
Matches: 62 disputed out of 78 possible.
Statistics: 31.1 pts, 11.8 reb, 5.6 pds, 0.8 int, 0.8 ctr and 3.8 pdb in 32 min.
Percentages: 55% shooting, 28% 3-pt and 65% throwing.
4 – Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
Assessment: 54 wins, 24 losses – 2nd in the East.
Matches: 72 disputed out of 78 possible.
Statistics: 30.3 pts, 8.9 reb, 4.6 ft, 1.0 int, 0.7 ctr and 2.9 ft in 37 min.
Percentages: 47% on shots, 35% at 3-pts and 86% on throws.
5 – Domantas Sabonis (Kings)
Assessment: 47 wins, 31 losses – 3rd in the West.
Matches: 76 disputed out of 78 possible.
Statistics: 19.2 pts, 12.4 reb, 7.2 pds, 0.8 int, 0.5 ctr and 2.9 pdb in 35 min.
Percentages: 61% shooting, 36% 3-point and 75% throwing.
