Embiid bested by Jokic in bid for MVP
PHILADELPHIA » Since the surprise was at a minimum, so was Doc Rivers’ disappointment Tuesday that Joel Embiid will not be named MVP.
Shortly before the Sixers would play Atlanta in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, multiple credible reports leaked that heavy favorite Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets had won the award.
With Steph Curry, Embiid was one of the three finalists.
“Listen, there’s a lot of great candidates,” Rivers said. “With Jokic and Joel, I think it was a two-man race. I guess you can throw Steph in there. He made a charge. There are so many great players in the league.”
Embiid averaged a career-high 28.5 points in the regular season, but played in just 51 of the 72 games. Jokic averaged 26.4 points but played in every game.
“I do think, probably, the deciding factor was games played,” Rivers said. “That helped for sure. But even if they both played the same amount of games, it still would have been a difficult choice. Obviously, I was hoping for our guy. But you can’t take anything away from Jokic.”
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Already renowned for his unique defensive style and excellence, Matisse Thybulle is a consistent jump shot away from becoming an NBA starter.
That’s why he is known to regularly take extra shooting practice, and why he was on the court shooting long before tipoff Tuesday.
“It just goes back to the confidence thing,” Thybulle said. “When you know you have put in the work, it’s something you can fall back on.”
As solid as any Sixer defensively in Game 1, the second-year pro shot 4-for-6, including 2-for-4 on threepoint shots.
“The practice has done a lot to help me succeed in those situations,” he said. “And it helps carry over to what I know I can do defensively.”
Believing that Trae Young initiated the contact, Rivers said he would seek clarity on a Game 1 foul called on Matisse Thybulle.
He received an explanation from the NBA.
“I did,” he said. “And I’ll leave it at that.”
Of course Rivers remained in character between Games 1 and 2, semi-hinting that Embiid’s knee injury yet may require a load-management night.
Why not?
The Sixers have done relatively well without the MVP finalist, winning nine of their final 15 without him in the regular season and thumping the Washington Wizards in an elimination playoff game. When Embiid doesn’t play, Rivers will shuffle Ben Simmons to a frontcourt position and the Sixers will change styles with rare ease.
“I think it’s growth,” Rivers said. “We had to make a decision at some point: Are we still going to be a good team and win games, or are we going to use that as a crutch? And our guys decided we’re still going to be a good team. That has really served us well.”
The Sixers aren’t the only team in NBA history to be that flexible without their signature superstar. But Rivers has been around the league since 1983 and he recognizes that it is rare.
“There haven’t been a lot of other teams,” Rivers said. “Overall, when your guys are out, you typically don’t play well. I’ve been on a couple teams that could do that. But it’s the way this season is gone, where guys are in and out.”
Officially listed as “questionable” until shortly before game time, Embiid took his regular spot in the starting lineup with Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Danny Green and Simmons.
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While he hardly wears a Young jersey around town, Tyrese Maxey, 20, maintains a generational appreciation
for the 22-year-old Hawks superstar.
“I feel like the league is in good hands,” the rookie said Tuesday, after a morning shootaround. “I know a lot of guys work on their craft for a very, very long time. You can see that they’ve been working because they have been successful
at the highest levels of basketball.
“So kudos to them. And I feel like the league is going to be good for a long time.”
The next two series games will be in Atlanta, Friday and Monday night at 7:30.