The 2022-23 NBA MVP was announced earlier this month as Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Everyone expected that this would finally be the season that he could get the Philadelphia 76ers over the hump and advance to at least the Conference Finals. On Sunday, those hopes were dashed when the 76ers were blown out in Game 7 of the Conference SemiFinals, led by Jayson Tatum with 51 points and 13 rebounds. Embiid did not play like an MVP for Philadelphia, going for just 15 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
- 2014 NBA MVP Winner – Kevin Durant
- 2015 NBA MVP Winner – Stephen Curry
- 2016 NBA MVP Winner – Stephen Curry
- 2017 NBA MVP Winner – Russell Westbrook
- 2018 NBA MVP Winner – James Harden
- 2019 NBA MVP Winner – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 2020 NBA MVP Winner – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 2021 NBA MVP Winner – Nikola Jokic
- 2022 NBA MVP Winner – Nikola Jokic
- 2023 NBA MVP Winner – Joel Embiid
- Next
Embiid is the first MVP in NBA history to have never played in a Conference Finals game in his career. When we add the fact that he is 29 years old, we have to question the validity of this MVP award and if Embiid truly deserved the honor. His regular season 33.1 PPG and scoring title did not translate to the playoffs as he finished with just 23.7 PPG and had nobody to blame but himself, although he certainly tried to shift that blame.
Is Joel Embiid the first MVP to disappoint in the NBA playoffs over the last decade? Certainly not. Today, we will take a look at every MVP over the last 10 seasons and where their teams ended up finishing in the NBA playoffs. You will notice that only one of these players was able to step up and lead their team to an NBA championship and that most MVPs ended up disappointing in the playoffs.
Hopefully, Joel Embiid can use this tough loss as motivation for next season and put the 76ers right back into contention for an NBA championship. The loss doesn’t change that he is among the best centers and best overall players in the NBA today. He just needs to go out and play like it when the lights get brighter and it matters most, much like many past MVPs were unable to do before him in order to break the streak.
These are the last 10 NBA players to win MVP and how their teams finished in the NBA playoffs.
2014 NBA MVP Winner – Kevin Durant
2014 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Oklahoma City Thunder def. Memphis Grizzlies 4-3
Western Conference Semifinals: Oklahoma City Thunder def. Los Angeles Clippers 4-2
Western Conference Finals: San Antonio Spurs def. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2
The 2013-14 MVP race was not a close one in any sense of the word. Kevin Durant was claimed the winner of the award with 119.0 first-place points, with the runner-up for the award, LeBron James, finishing with just 6.0 first-place points. Durant fully deserved the award as he won his fourth scoring title averaging 32.0 PPG while adding 7.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.3 SPG. The Thunder would win 59 games and earn the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The first round of the playoffs would be a test for the Thunder as they were pushed to a Game 7 by the Memphis Grizzlies. Durant would be the one to help Oklahoma City advance with 33 points in Game 7, setting up a series with the L.A. Clippers. Once again, Durant was the best player on the court, averaging 33.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.2 BPG to down the Clippers in six. In the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder would be stopped in their tracks by the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs defeated the Thunder in six games, with Durant averaging 26.7 PPG and shooting 47.5% from the field. Durant’s season was over, but he could hold his head up high, knowing he left everything he had out on the court.
2015 NBA MVP Winner – Stephen Curry
2015 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Golden State Warriors def. New Orleans Pelicans 4-0
Western Conference Semifinals: Golden State Warriors def. Memphis Grizzlies 4-2
Western Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors def. Houston Rockets 4-1
NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2
As we move onto the 2015 season, we come to the only instance in which an MVP over the last 10 seasons has led their team to an NBA championship. Stephen Curry’s legacy as the greatest three-point shooter of all time was just beginning to be written as the Golden State Warriors allowed his true abilities to be unleashed. Curry would average 23.8 PPG, 7.7 APG, and 2.0 SPG to lead the Warriors to 67 wins and the best record in the NBA while also shooting a historic 44.3% on 8.1 three-point attempts per game.
In the NBA playoffs, Curry would not slow down in the slightest as he went for 33.8 PPG and 7.3 APG in a four-game sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. Golden State would see somewhat of a test against Memphis in the second round, but Curry led them to a series win in six games behind 24.5 PPG on over 40.0% shooting from three once again. After a five-game win over the Rockets in the Conference Finals, we were treated to the first of four straight meetings between the Warriors and Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Stephen Curry would average 26.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.8 SPG as the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in six games for their first NBA championship since 1975. Andre Iguodala would be awarded the Finals MVP for his defensive efforts against LeBron James in the series in what is one of the more questionable decisions in Finals MVP history.
2016 NBA MVP Winner – Stephen Curry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwbC1EemF4
2016 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Golden State Warriors def. Houston Rockets 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Golden State Warriors def. Portland Trail Blazers 4-1
Western Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors def. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3
NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers def. Golden State Warriors 4-3
The 2016 season was supposed to be the greatest season by a team in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors looked like a lock as NBA champions while playing at an astronomical pace, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The team would break the record for most wins in a regular season with 73 to just nine losses which led to another first in NBA history. Stephen Curry would be named the first and only unanimous MVP in the 67-year history of the award. He did so by averaging 30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 2.1 SPG while shooting 50.4% overall, 45.4% from three, and 90.8% from the foul line. There was nothing stopping this group from solidifying themselves as the greatest team ever, or so they thought.
The first two rounds of the playoffs offered little to no challenges to Golden State’s pursuit of basketball immortality. This set up a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. After building a 3-1 series lead, the Thunder folded as Golden State would advance to their second straight Finals series and set off a chain of events that would change the league forever. In the NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cavaliers once again, the Warriors would have a historic choke job of their own. They would drop three straight games after going up 3-1 in the series to let the NBA title slip away despite Curry’s averaging 22.6 PPG on 40.0% shooting from deep. It was the greatest upset in NBA Finals history and made way for the most traitorous move in NBA history as Kevin Durant left the Thunder for the Warriors that summer.
2017 NBA MVP Winner – Russell Westbrook
2017 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Houston Rockets def. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1
Even more history would be made during the 2017 season, but this time it would come from a different Western Conference point guard. Russell Westbrook headed into the 2017 season as the sole leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first time in his career, as former teammate Kevin Durant had just left in free agency to join the Warriors. The move made Westbrook shift into a different gear as he went on to become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season. He averaged 31.6 PPG to win the scoring title, as well as 10.7 RPG and 10.4 APG, as the Thunder won 47 games and made the playoffs. The season-long triple-double is something Westbrook would do three more times in his career while becoming the all-time leader in triple-doubles as well.
When the Thunder got to the playoffs, they were immediately met with the task of facing the 55-win Houston Rockets led by James Harden. Westbrook did everything he could in the series averaging 37.4 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 10.8 APG, but it was not enough to overcome Houston’s overall firepower. The magical run would stop there for Westbrook and the Thunder as Houston advanced in five games behind 33.2 PPG and 7.0 APG from Harden.
2018 NBA MVP Winner – James Harden
2018 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Houston Rockets def. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Houston Rockets def. Utah Jazz 4-1
Western Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors def. Houston Rockets 4-3
It seems like his entire career, James Harden has always finished just short of reaching his goal. Whether it was an MVP award or an NBA championship, Harden always seemed to fall just shy of achieving the things he set out to do as a player. In 2018, Harden would change one part of that story as he went on an incredible offensive tear during the season and won his first career MVP award. Harden averaged 30.4 PPG on 44.9% shooting while also adding 5.4 RPG and 8.8 APG, as well as his first of three straight scoring titles. The Rockets would win 65 games and earn the best record in the NBA heading into the NBA playoffs.
Harden, and the Rockets would make easy work of their first two opponents in the playoffs, defeating the Timberwolves and Jazz each in five games. This set up a matchup with a familiar foe for the Rockets, the Golden State Warriors. This looked like the year that Harden could finally get past the team that had him so many headaches in the past. However, that would not be the case as the series pushed to seven games between the two powerhouses. In Game 7, Harden would shoot horrifically from the field, going 2-13 from three and 12-29 overall as the Rockets led their best chance at an NBA Finals slip away. Since that time, James Harden has been a member of three different teams and won an assists title as well as two more scoring titles but has never been back to the Conference Finals.
2019 NBA MVP Winner – Giannis Antetokounmpo
2019 NBA Playoffs:
Eastern Conference First Round: Milwaukee Bucks def. Detroit Pistons 4-0
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Milwaukee Bucks def. Boston Celtics 4-1
Eastern Conference Finals: Toronto Raptors def. Milwaukee Bucks 4-2
The 2018-19 season was a memorable one on many fronts. For many of us, we remember this as the first time we really watched Giannis Antetokounmpo and said, “Wow, is this kid already the best in the world?” This was Giannis’ third consecutive All-Star season with the Milwaukee Bucks, but his first competing for the MVP award. He would average 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.5 BPG, leading the Bucks to 60 wins and a real chance at an NBA championship. Giannis would win MVP by nearly 200.0 voting points over runner-up James Harden as the Bucks became a real threat to the NBA hierarchy.
In the playoffs, Giannis and the Bucks made it look easy against their first two opponents. They swept the Detroit Pistons in resounding fashion and took out the Celtics in five games in the next round. Unfortunately, they would run into the hottest team in the NBA, led by a possessed Kawhi Leonard, in the Conference Finals. The Bucks and Raptors would last just six games, with Giannis going for 22.7 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 2.7 BPG. It would not be enough to overcome the play of Leonard, who averaged 29.8 PPG on 44.2% shooting en route to his second career NBA championship and second career Finals MVP award.
2020 NBA MVP Winner – Giannis Antetokounmpo
2020 NBA Playoffs:
Eastern Conference First Round: Milwaukee Bucks def. Orlando Magic 4-1
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Miami Heat def. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1
As great and as dominant as Giannis was in 2019, the 2020 season may have been the best regular season effort of his career so far. The 2020 season would be unlike any other, with the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic throwing everything into a frenzy. Giannis Antetokounmpo had led the Bucks to a 56-17 record through 73 games averaging 29.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG in 63 games played. When the league was set to start back up in the bubble that summer, Giannis was named MVP and Defensive Player of the Year while the Bucks were headed for the NBA playoffs once again.
In the playoffs, things looked like business as usual in the first round as the Bucks got past the Orlando Magic in five games, with Giannis averaging 30.6 PPG and 16.0 RPG. In the next round, the Bucks were not prepared for the battle they set to face against the Miami Heat led by playoff Jimmy Butler who is in a category of his own when the lights get brighter. The Heat would take out the Bucks in five games behind Butler’s 23.4 PPG. Miami did a great job of limiting Giannis’ impact in the paint as they held him to just 21.8 PPG and 11.0 RPG for the series. For the second straight season, the MVP met heartbreak early in the NBA playoffs.
2021 NBA MVP Winner – Nikola Jokic
2021 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Denver Nuggets def. Portland Trail Blazers 4-2
Western Conference Semifinals: Phoenix Suns def. Denver Nuggets 4-0
In 2020, we watched as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led the Denver Nuggets to a surprise appearance in the Western Conference Finals. As they headed into 2021, the Nuggets were expected to make a run right back there again as their dynamic duo grew together in the Mile High City. Only 48 games into the season, Jamal Murray would suffer a torn ACL that would knock him out the rest of the year and was supposed to knock Denver out of playoff contention. Jokic had other plans as he would go on to win his first MVP award averaging 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 8.3 APG, putting his team on his back and getting them to the playoffs.
In the playoffs, Jokic would not let a first-round exit be a part of the story as the Nuggets battled the legendary Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard did all he could as one of the greatest shooting point guards ever, averaging over 34.0 PPG, but it wasn’t enough to take down Denver. Jokic averaged 33.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG for the Nuggets in the series as they advanced to play the Suns. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for the Nuggets against Phoenix, and they were promptly swept out of the playoffs, unable to match their offensive output with Phoenix’s. Jokic averaged 25.0 PPG and 13.3 RPG, with just two other teammates reaching 15.0 PPG, but Chris Paul and Devin Booker’s 25.0 PPG each was too much to overcome.
2022 NBA MVP Winner – Nikola Jokic
2022 NBA Playoffs:
Western Conference First Round: Golden State Warriors def. Denver Nuggets 4-1
For the second straight season, questions surrounded the Denver Nuggets, with expectations being Jamal Murray was going to miss the entire season with his knee injury. The noise got even louder when Denver lost Michael Porter Jr. for the season just nine games in with a back issue that had plagued him since college. Once again, Jokic stepped up and answered the call for Denver. He would go back-to-back as MVP with 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 7.9 APG and earned another playoff berth for his team.
Despite the miraculous season, the Nuggets drew the short straw in the first round of the playoffs as they took on the fully healthy Golden State Warriors, who were just hitting their stride as a unit. The Warriors would make quick work of the Nuggets in five games as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole each averaged over 20.0 PPG to win the series. Jokic would average 31.0 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 5.8 APG, but no other Nuggets player would reach the 15.0 PPG mark in support of their two-time MVP.
2023 NBA MVP Winner – Joel Embiid
Eastern Conference First Round: Philadelphia 76ers def. Brooklyn Nets 4-0
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Boston Celtics def. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3
The last of the NBA MVPs over the last decade has a story that has come to a familiar end. Joel Embiid and the 76ers’ season has come to an end in the second round of the playoffs as they have failed to deliver on their promise of a championship for the City of Philadelphia. As for the regular season, Embiid earned his first career MVP regardless of what NBA Twitter has to say about it. Embiid played 66 games for the Sixers this season and won his second straight scoring title with 33.1 PPG. He also added 10.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.7 BPG to help the Sixers win 54 games and the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
In their first-round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid would go down in Game 3 with a knee injury that would cost him Game 4 against Brooklyn and Game 1 against the Celtics in the following series. Before the injury, Embiid averaged 20.0 PPG and 11.3 RPG in the three games he did play against Brooklyn. The 76ers would win Game 1 without Embiid behind a 45-point outburst from James Harden. In Game 2, Embiid would return to the lineup with just 15 points and 5 rebounds in a 34-point blowout loss to even up the series at one game apiece. The series would go back and forth until Game 7 on Sunday. After the Celtics took a three-point lead into halftime, Embiid and Harden completely disappeared in the second half and Jayson Tatum and the Celtics capitalized, leading to a blowout loss for Philadelphia. Yet again, a Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid-led 76ers team was embarrassed in a game where they could have advanced to the Conference Finals, and accountability was nowhere to be found.
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