Monday night was supposed to feature a showdown between the two MVP favorites this season — instead, it turned into another forgettable game after it was announced that Embiid would not suit up for ‘precautionary’ reasons.
To say fans were disappointed might be underselling it, as the game was supposed to carry big implications for the raging MVP debate.
But after it was announced that Embiid would not play, Kendrick Perkins had to call him out on NBA Today.
“Joel Embiid is ducking that smoke. He has been on record, we know how much it means to him to win this award,” said Perkins. “You gave Jokic a spanking when you were down there in Philly. You cannot sit out this game… When it comes down to these matchups, I have a vote [for MVP]. I’m going to remember this moment.”
https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1640434641185406976
In an MVP race that is this tight, every game matters, and the fact that Embiid chose to sit out for this game against a guy like Jokic, is interesting, to say the least.
But as Embiid has already pointed out before, he’s not in it to win MVP anyway. In his mind, the only thing he’s focused on is bringing home a championship.
Can The 76ers Win It All This Season?
No matter what happens with the regular season awards, this is the year that the 76ers must find success in the playoffs. After years of failures, another short exit could result in major changes this offseason.
“It’s all about the playoffs,” Embiid said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Being in the MVP race, I told you, I don’t care. If I win, good. If I don’t, it’s whatever. That’s not where my focus is…If my focus was on [the MVP], I could have run up the stats against Chicago and could have gone for a triple-double or kept the 30-point streak or whatever. But I don’t care because, you know, truth be told, we were up 30 [points]. I wasn’t needed anyways. But to be the MVP, you also have to have great stats. I just don’t care.”
It’s only a matter of time before we see the MVP results for ourselves, but the real thing to pay attention to is where the Sixers finish in the East bracket.
Anything short of a Conference Finals appearance is going to be marked a failure for Philly, and Embiid has seemingly risked his own MVP to ensure he’s fresh and ready to go for the most important games.
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