Thanks to its panel of voters wanting to be the closest to the reality of the final vote, ESPN offers, several times during the season, an update of the trophy race in MVP. The third and final fictitious vote puts Joel Embiid in the lead ahead of Nikola Jokic… for two small points. Giannis Antetokounmpo is third, but much further behind.
Rarely has a race for the MVP trophy been so close. The proof by the game, but also by the votes. The ESPN survey is very indicative in this respect, as it brings together members of franchises, as well as American and international journalists. These reproduce the final jury in conditions very close to reality. If the first and second votes had elected two clear leaders in the people of Jayson Tatum then Nikola Jokic, the race is now very tight. It’s very simple: two votes separate Joel Embiid from his Serbian competitor.
New ESPN story: The final MVP straw poll is out — and the voters are saying it’s a dead heat between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, setting up a truly thrilling race to the finish line.https://t.co/G8KZJn2R1r
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 30, 2023
Tim Bontemps, who is in charge of following the race for the best player of the season trophy, also reminds us: if the votes remained similar for the official consultation, this would constitute – by far – the smallest gap between two candidates. 22 votes had separated Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley in 1990… we are therefore talking about a margin eleven times smaller. Important note: these votes did not take into account Embiid’s absence in Denver on Monday.
790 points for Jojo, 788 for Niko. If the Nuggets pivot has more “first place votes(42 vs. 40) Embiid makes the difference on second place votes. It is precisely here that Giannis Antetokounmpo could play an important role. Possessing “only” 18 first and 15 second votes, his end of the season will potentially determine a carryover of votes towards one or the other of the favorites. Seeing him so far from the final duel may push voters to reconsider their judgment… but his recent big performances will possibly award him additional first places. The killjoy, basically.
Image and text source: ESPN