“My God”, Jokic, MVP dilemma
0.1 seconds disassemble “Supermans” Night of Madness
0.1 seconds disassemble “Supermans” Night of Madness
By David needy
02.04.2025, 7:15 p.m.
Sensation in the NBA: Nikola Jokic once again ensures an all-time record in a thriller that is decided by two mistakes in the very last seconds. Jokic dreams of beer – and collects arguments for the MVP election that he will not win.
There are still 12.8 seconds to play. The Minnesota Timberwolves lead in the extension of the Denver Nuggets with 125: 123. Of course, the NBA team from the former gold digging city is now looking for its superstar – and of course Nikola Jokic delivers. The Serb receives the basketball on the three -point line, pushes his opponent, megastar Anthony Edwards, back with his back to the basket. A second defender hurries, but Jokic turns easily and gracefully around both players and hits to compensate. It goes into the second overtime.
Everything at Jokic just looks like, nobody else in the world has his basketball tool case. Maybe nobody has ever had one. In the end there are 61 points (most of an NBA player this season), ten rebounds and ten assists in the 30-year-old’s account. An almost incredible collection of statistical values. So unbelievable that so many points in a triple double could not yet show a single professional in the long NBA history. Neither Michael Jordan nor Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain.
“That was perhaps the best game I have ever worked in,” says Minnesotas Edwards afterwards: “Nikola Jokic, Oh my god, he could be the best basketball player I have ever seen. He is incredible. We just had to hope that he will throw off.”
Jokic longs for couch and beer
When asked about his night of madness and as he looks at his record, Jokic, known for his jokes, answers: “Maybe I think about it when I lie on the couch and drink a beer.”
“Wow, that was the game of the year,” is Adam Lefko, moderator at the US broadcaster TNT completely out of breath after the drama. “Every time the nuggets needed an important basket, Jokic ensured what a performance.” And NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal adds: “This is how superstars do it.” Nuggets coach Michael Malone sums it up with the ultimate superlative: “This type is superman.”
Jokic plays the second half and both extensions, stands on the floor for 52 minutes and 38 seconds. The average in his career is almost 32 minutes. But against the Timberwolves with the strongly playing Edwards, the 2.11-meter giant is desperately required, is almost involved in every action, since it occupies the center position, but is also responsible for the game structure for the Nuggets.
In the end, however, he has 0.1 seconds and two hair -raising mistakes from his teammate Russell Westbrook for victory. The Point Guard can either play down the shot clock or move to the basket with 11 seconds on the clock in the second extension at the stand of 139: 138 for Denver. Westbrook decides on a quick counterattack for the second variant – and moves a simple layup that he has already transformed in his life ten thousand times.
Two bitter mistakes from Westbrook
So that’s not enough. Because the Timberwolves are still behind and the defensive of the nuggets is good when the counterattack is new. Only an emergency throw with the siren through nickeil Alexander Walker succeeds. The Canadian throws next to it, but because Westbrook impetuously jumps into him, Minnesota is awarded three free throws with 0.1 seconds on the clock. Alexander Walker meets two of them, places 140: 139 for the Timberwolves and decides the game.
But even without victory, Jokic sets another exclamation mark. After he had recently made an entry in the record books of the world’s best basketball league with the first game with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists, the next chapter follows Tuesday night. Nevertheless, the three -time MVP in the best season of his career is not the favorite for this year’s title of the most valuable player of the season.
Because SGA still plays in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a look at the simple individual statistics, Jokic should actually be ahead in the race around the MVP trophy. The Serb achieves a triple double on the season average (only Westbrook and Oscar Robertson in front of him), his 29 points and his almost 13 rebounds per game are the third best value in the league this year, its 10.2 assists of the second best. Gilgeous-Alexander leads the scorer list, but is far behind Jokic in the other categories.
However, extended statistics show that SGA also delivers like hardly anyone in front of him. Only three players in NBA history managed to open 33 points, six assists and five rebounds in one season and a true shooting value (a key figure, the three-point, two-point and free throws) of 60 percent. Michael Jordan, James Harden and Luka Doncic.
The MVP dilemma around Jokic and SGA
Gilgeous-Alexander will probably be the fourth in the ranks, with the true shooting best of 64.5 percent. So there was no other superstar in front of him as efficient as the Thunder star. Especially with the middle distance, Jordan’s largest weapon, SGA puts the best basketball player of all time in the shade when it comes to the hit rate. However, Jokic even has a True shooting value of 65.9 percent and only achieves about four points less per game.
How to do it, the value and influence on their teams of the two superstars can hardly be quantified. While SGA shaped the best team of the season from his already strong Thunder (and one of the best of all times in terms of victories and defeats) (63 victories, 12 defeats), Jokic makes a not so good team a strong team (47 victories, 29 defeats). Westbrook’s mistakes show that the nuggets are not elitist without Jokic and cannot tear anything in the playoffs. With the Serbs, however, Denver can be trusted, the young Thunder around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anyway.
The NBA is in an MVP dilemma, actually there should be two winners. But into the MVP voting, which perform selected members of the media annually, plays much more. It’s not just about the best or the most valuable player. It’s also about the narrative. And SGA scores clearly. The 26-year-old leads a young and hungry Thunder team and, unlike Jokic, has not yet won MVP trophy. The Serb can break so many records.
