"Some players have won two MVPs and won several MVPs and have not achieved anything so far, so why am I under pressure?"
Between now and the next few years, Joel Embiid's explicit mockery of Jokic will be a meme. When Jokic achieves important achievements, but Embiid is deflated, Embiid's words will be repeated repeatedly.
On May 23, Beijing time, Embiid was already a playoff spectator, and his career still hadn't even touched the floor of the divisional finals, and Jokic, who he evaluated as "accomplishing nothing", won the Western Conference Finals MVP and led the team to the Finals.
He scored 30 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 blocks in 45 minutes, and scored key goals in the final crucial moments. Averaging a triple-double in four games in the series, he can deliver super consistent output and key balls even in restricted games. He led the team to a 4-0 sweep against the Lakers, completing a sweep in the playoffs and reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in team history (once in the ABA era of the Nuggets).
Jokic interpreted the concepts of "MVP" and "first man in the world", did Embiid see all this?
There's no denying that when Jokic won MVP two years in a row, his qualifications did have a small hard wound. For example, the competitive environment, such as the record, such as the sympathy bonus from the team's injury. However, in terms of Jokic's personal performances in those two seasons, he is an MVP level is unquestionable, but those industry insiders who have the right to speak and do not look at Jokic deliberately amplify those small hard injuries.
So this season, when Jokic averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists in the regular season to move towards the MVP trifecta, he was sniped by prejudice.
"Jokic hasn't won a playoff yet" and "Jokic hasn't won a championship" are just polite statements, like Embiid simply throwing out the ridiculous idea that "some people can't get anywhere." So in the end, Jokic failed to achieve a three-game MVP winning streak, and Embiid was elected for the first time in his career.
The playoffs are the stage where superstars can really be distinguished, and Jokic has shown all those who question him his dominance.
Since playing the playoffs for the first time in 2018, Jokic has delivered far more statistics in the playoffs every year than the regular season, which is the true sense of the playoffs, Embiid, who has been reducing production for most of his playoff career, is not comparable in the first place.
This season, Jokic has taken his dominance to sky-high heights, averaging 29.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game.
There is no point in simply listing the numbers, and we might as well consider this, facing Rudy Gobert, the former defensive player of the year, Jokic handed in 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9 assists in the first round.
The second round was the most convincing to play the Lakers, who were the No. 2 team to defend and No. 1 in the playoffs after the trade deadline, and Anthony Davis was regarded as the strongest interior defender today. But in the first game, Jokic hammered Davis with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists. From Game 2 to Game 4, the Lakers thought of countless ways to limit Jokic, and his offensive efficiency never reached the level of Game 1, but he still turned in a triple-double in Game 2 and Game 4, and also scored 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists in Game 3, and hit fairy balls many times.
Imagine how strong a player is when he is limited by defensive tactics and the referee can still score 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and make a big splash in the fourth quarter?
Among the superstars who are eligible to compete for the "first man in the world" in this era, who is as powerful, versatile and endurance as Jokic on the offensive end? Peak LeBron James can, but he's 38 years old. Further back, neither Antetokounmpo nor Embiid nor Durant have this ability.
Over the years, it has always been defense that has hindered Jokic's style to the next level, and there are indeed weaknesses in his ability to move and protect the basket in the blocking era. The data shows that Jokic is the second lowest in the league in the regular season.
But in the playoffs, Jokic is crushing prejudice. As it turns out, the strongest playoff defender like Davis isn't invulnerable. Similarly, players like Jokic with defensive holes are not useless, and the Nuggets can cover up defensive problems through the system.
The arrival of Pope and Bruce Brown has improved the Nuggets' ability to pursue the opponent's core attackers in the blocking defense, and greatly reduced the defensive pressure on Jokic's inside. The arrival of Aaron Gordon and Porter Jr.'s growth have improved the Nuggets' ability to assist at the basket and helped Jokic carry a lot of damage. Coupled with short playoff rotations, Jokic rarely played with embarrassing role players, and the Nuggets' defensive effectiveness improved significantly
Jokic hasn't been targeted much, with the Nuggets ranking fifth in playoff defensive efficiency with 110.9 points compared to 113.5 points in the regular season.
It's time to let go of the prejudice against Jokic, the so-called can't prevent blocking, small singles, really encounter that kind of super blocker and dismantle ball attacker, this is not Jokic alone can not prevent. In Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, James and Davis defended Murray from blocking and throwing a shot, and everyone saw it. Jokic has flaws, but the flaws can be covered up as much as possible by the system. With good enough helpers, Jokic can also become a basket guard. To put it bluntly, basketball is not a one-man problem, and the defensive system is not built by one person.
Jokic has reached the Finals and is already establishing himself as the "first man in the world", while Embiid is still aiming for the Eastern Conference Finals.
So, who is getting nowhere?