For years, NBA followers have complained that there haven’t been any dominant conventional huge males, however in recent times, that has modified.
Joel Embiid, this season’s regular-season MVP, Anthony Davis, and Nikola Jokic have helped counter a league-wide development towards small ball during the last decade or so whereas reminding long-time followers of how the sport was performed a very long time in the past.
The ultimate affirmation of the truth that the normal huge man isn’t extinct got here on Monday when the Denver Nuggets gained the NBA championship and Jokic was named the sequence MVP.
He’s maybe essentially the most dominant huge man since Shaquille O’Neal some 20 years in the past, and one of many league’s official Twitter accounts reminded everybody of all of the injury O’Neal did through the 2002 NBA Finals.
That was the final time a middle gained the MVP of the championship sequence.
The final middle to win #NBAFinals MVP earlier than Nikola Jokic…
SHAQ in 2002!
36.3 ppg
12.3 rpg
3.8 apg
2.8 bpg pic.twitter.com/DRsWjdYOgT— NBA Historical past (@NBAHistory) June 14, 2023
With O’Neal utterly eviscerating the outmatched New Jersey Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers gained in a four-game sweep and took dwelling their third straight world title.
Jokic has simply accomplished one of many best and most original postseasons ever, as he averaged 30.0 factors, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists a recreation whereas taking pictures 54.8 % from the sphere and 46.1 % from 3-point vary in 20 playoff video games.
It’s approach too early to evaluate him in a historic context, however at age 28, he appears to have a superb opportunity of successful at the least another Larry O’Brien Trophy.
As a result of comparatively younger age of the entire Nuggets’ key gamers, many count on them to, at a minimal, be title contenders for the following a number of years, which might tremendously elevate Jokic’s last legacy.
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Nikola Jokic Ended Up On But One other Historic Playoff Listing