But the race for the 2023 MVP didn't start this way. History could be repeating itself with the vote between Embiid, Jokic and Antetokounmpo. Coupled with Jordan's finish - he had 21 first-place votes, with more second- and third-place votes than Barkley - it allowed the final vote to swing in Johnson's favor. "Could they tie for MVP?" Dallas coach Jason Kidd said with a smile before Wednesday night's game between his Mavericks and Embiid's 76ers in Philadelphia.Įmbiid's two-point margin of victory, if it were to carry over to the actual MVP vote at season's end, would easily eclipse the closest race since media voting became the norm during the 1980-81 season.Īfter the 1989-90 campaign, it was Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan tightly bunched together, with Barkley garnering the most first-place votes at 38.īut while Johnson finished with 27 first-place votes, what pushed him over the top to win the award was finishing in second on 38 ballots. The biggest takeaway from the poll - conducted in a 36-hour period from Monday afternoon through Tuesday night in the wake of Embiid missing Monday's highly anticipated showdown with Jokic in Denver due to a right calf injury - is that an already contentious MVP race will truly be in doubt up until the league announces the winner during the early portion of this year's playoffs. "These may not be my final answers," one voter said.Īnother asked, "Can't you wait until after the regular season is over?" Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo - a two-time MVP in his own right - grabbed the remaining 18 first-place votes, and he lurks within striking distance as the best player on the team with the most wins (55) in the league, making a difficult choice for voters even tougher.Īdd it all up and, with just a handful of days to go in the regular season, many of those polled are still uncertain about how they will ultimately vote. The difference: Embiid finished in second place on 45 ballots - six more than Jokic - to give the Sixers big man a slight lead over his rival. Not only did Embiid edge Jokic in total points - 790 to 788 - but Jokic actually had more first-place votes (42 for Jokic, 40 for Embiid). If ESPN's final MVP straw poll of 2022-23 is any indication, buckle up, as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has overtaken Denver Nuggets center and two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Will this NBA season feature one of the closest Most Valuable Player votes in league history? NBA, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks NBA MVP Straw Poll 3.0: Why margin between Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic has become razor-thin You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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