Yesterday,
we were talking about, yo, Kitsch
and embiid
coming off ridiculous performances.
And in fact, I didn't realize this, but yogesh is last game
when he put up,
46 12113,
and for
was the first 40 1010 33 game in NBA history, The One and
Only.
So, yesterday we were talking about this MVP race.
I remember saying to,
I think it was David Gardner. I was like,
yeah, that's a two-man race. This is this, let's two-man
race between the two centers to traditional centers. I know yah
displays a lot of Center
but two-man race between the two centers.
You had to pick one right now. Who would it be? And David was
like, yeah, for me. It's down at your kitchen and beat and
I would probably pick, I think he said, yo catch.
And then yanis goes out and has the aforementioned 39, 7 and 7
in 28 minutes. Last night. Yanis is having a brilliant
season
on historic season as our reference.
So,
shame on me for saying, it's a two-man race and disrespecting
Jana. So then I gave a lot of thought to it today and I said,
you know what?
I got it wrong. I got it wrong. Not by saying it was a two-man
race instead of a three-man race.
Michael, the truth is the one man race.
This MVP race is not much of a race when you really, really
think about it. When you really really look at it.
It's not much of a race
because there can only be one. Unfortunately.
Yanis is fantastic. He's fabulous raining finals MVP
two-time MVP defensive player of the year. One could argue
and I believe you have that yanis is the rightful
owner of the best player in the world title given
what he did on it. Final stage dropping at 50 piece in game 6,
right? What he's done this year. So Joel and be phenomenal
player.
Deserving of the MVP
conversation deserves to be at the Forefront of the MVP
conversation, one of the most versatile and dominant big men.
We've seen in recent memory. He's incredible at both ends.
Carrying a Sixers.
What? Unfortunately,
like a lot of people
who played in the era of other great players.
You just happened to be playing at the wrong time.
Because I know what the odds are,
but that's not the numbers. I'm focused on.
Okay,
I will say I will repeat what I said for those who may have
missed it. Well, I'll repeat it for the cheap seats. You would
have to be crazy
to look at, what Nicola yo, coach is doing this season
and not
easily without hesitation, without losing sleep, without
second-guessing yourself.
Put him in as your MVP for the second straight season. The
only reason you would not give nickel yogesh MVP this year, is
because you already have your keys fatigue after one year
or because you think it should transfer for player 2 player
year to year or you didn't like that. You could spoil whatever.
Reason won it last year to reluctantly gave it to him last
year. That is the only reason
why you would not
named MVP a guy.
I'm just gonna rattle it off again Michael, because it's
fun.
Player efficiency rating. Yo, koj. When shares your kids
offensive when shares? Yo can see better? When shares, your
courage, when shares for 48 minutes. Yo koj box, plus -
yo koj officer blocks, post box, plus minus yogesh
defensive block box, plus - yo koj value over a replacement
player. Yo, koj like by any measure
and he's on Pace to have the greatest defensive player
efficiency rating in NBA history, by any measure. He is
the most valuable player. And when you look at the fact that
the It's completely fall off a cliff
when he's off the court.
People talk about. Oh, there are six seed or whatever. See
they are the records. If you want to compare the records
to her to the rest of the MVP. Kurt exactly. The nuggets in
the Western Conference of 39 and 26.
Philadelphia is 40 and 20 for
Milwaukee's 41 and 25.
So it's a great race this box score battled at these three
guys are having
night in. I doubt is phenomenal to watch
their one, two and three. They should be one, two, and three
on, almost every ballot.
But if you do catch, is not your one. You got to explain to
me what I'm missing. And please don't give me the eye test.
Because if you tell me that, okay, somebody else passes
the eye test over, Nicolas. Yo, Kitsch, then that just means
you're not fixing your eyes and watch them, nickel. Yogesh.
That's all that means. If you well win over the eye test.
Well, I think the eye test
is should be a factory. You said by any measure, that is
a measure now, maybe it's not a scientific measure. It's not
a scientific as to sit
as the
statistical arguments
and those categories that you put there,
it'll also items
and I don't mean it's argumentatively. I'm actually
curious like, you know,
what does I test mean in this context?
No, I'm not arguing what I'm saying is it's there. It is
a measure. You said by any measure. I'm just
just pointing out, but I'm wondering,
how do you? I don't even know what the eye test is
necessarily. Is that just a hunch? Is that just a gut
feeling? Is that we like the narrative? What does the eye
test? I'm legitimately asking
because that's a storyline
because the narrative that it's not, you're going to wait for
No, I know you're gone. But but to this girl, no, I
only did that because your narrative could inform your
perspective. Of you think that could without Ben Simmons and
Joelle, and be should have got it last year, but he was, but
he got
hurt. So he got robbed last year. A look at what he does at
both ends, even though Nicoli encourages by a hair s, and
defensive when Sheriff's adjacent, 80, if you if you
want, if that's your narrative, then you're going to be
inclined to look at Joyland bead
with the eyes and think he's the MVP. So that's why I asked.
What does I test mean? If you're saying, you know, what,
box are better than the heat? You could say the eye test.
I was watching them. You think they're better.
I'm asking how you could watch these three players
and say that somebody has the edge and its so-called I test.
That's what I'm legitimately wondering.
How that's a measure.
Let me attempt it because this is why I'm here.
I'm here
because I sensed correctly
that you're looking for somebody to argue with.
No. I'm not. I'm not are no, I'm not.
I said I test is a measure that I just want to know what that
was. No. No, I'm done before that before you even said that
that this, this is something that you're passionate about.
And you are, you don't understand how anybody
could pick yoga.
You don't understand how anybody can pick somebody other
than yo, koj, right. You just don't understand what they're
seeing
that necklace, that really had, but that doesn't mean I need to
argue because I don't think there's much of an argument is
my point.
Well, I would say this. Here's here's the, here's the other.
Here's the other option.
What would somebody be looking at? It would be somebody, it
would be akin to or very similar to what we had before.
Advanced stats,
there wasn't always a player of fishies. It was there. We just
didn't have the language for it. There was player efficiency
rating,
there was
when shares and all this stuff, but nobody talk like that in
the 1980s. So let's say, take it back to the 1980s and how do
they pick MVPs in?
So that's that. That is, is that a legitimate measure? So,
somebody is looking at it that way, they're ignoring
all the mountains of information that are overwhelming
in favor of Yokohama.
Providing another tool.
So ignore that and you look at the player. You look at Larry
Bird versus Magic Johnson versus Julius Erving.
And you look at points per game and you look at how they affect
their teammates, how they affect the game, and how many
games they win.
And then you make your decision.
I think, if you do it that way, maybe you come up with somebody
else. That's the only thing, I think I agree with you. I think
it's yo, koj, I think yo kids,
Based on what we've seen based on what he did last year,
based on what he how he's improved on that this year.
He's improved the MVP from last year's improved this year.
Based on that. He should get it,
but I can imagine.
That there are, it's always like this, with vote won't be
unanimous, never won't be unanimous. You never know. You
never know. What a voter is looking at maybe a voter looks
at it and says,
hey, I don't like where they're seated in the Western
Conference. I like the way Joelle and bead plays the game
and how the offense runs through him and how his
teammates respond to him. Whatever it is.
I like the style better. Sometimes it's style. Let's face it.
I think a lot of times
sometimes it's for Statics.
I think it's some people at this point are going to,
they won't admit to it, but they're going to put three
names in a hat and pick one out, but they keep if these
three guys keep this up. I think a lot of people are going
to struggle and in the more I thought about it. And again,
I'm repeating a lot
of what I said weeks ago. I'm like no, I think we're
overthinking it. I think, I think it's obvious.
It's almost like what Surah was say almost
almost like what Sarah was saying?
About the Bucks,
you know, best team until further notice, as the reigning
Champs. It's not that simple. But I understand the sentiment
likewise understand the sentiment of what I'm saying,
Nicola yo catch is still the MVP until further notice.
That doesn't mean that one carries over to the next year.
But he was the best player in the league last year,
during the regular season.
And he's only gotten better
that do typically doesn't lose MVP.
Unless, you know what I mean? It's like, they don't know why
he's playing better than him. If nobody's playing better than
him and he's already proved his legitimacy by being MVP
and he's carrying a team once again
and it any box you need like okay, is he overcoming
adversity. Are there people missing on his roster due to
injury it, you know all of us there is this team,
you know, significantly worse, when he's on the bench. All of
that, all that's there for you
and his individual numbers.
It's like, what legitimate argument can you make against
him? Unless you just really want to give it
to yanis for third time or in be, for a first time.
I'm and sometimes we just want to give it to somebody new.
Yeah, and I don't understand that. Maybe if you if you've
got if somebody is really having this kind of season.
This is a great season from Yo, koj better than it was
better season this year than last year.
But here's another argument
another argument. Do you believe
yo koj has enough
to carry his team to a championship.
So that's not really no - or if they come, that's opinion
right now. Right now.
Can he with his greatness?
Does he owe know what Al Murray or Porter? No,
and he ain't even even if they were healthy.
I'm not sure I would pick them in the Western Conference.
I think maybe sometimes, you know, and sometimes that's what
an MVP
sometimes I get you in, VP consideration, if you can,
okay good team and drag it to the NBA finals
or drag. The NBA finals and win it. So if you take if but
seeing then it's a regular season award. I know.
So we're gonna see
what if you get it or
if you can take a team
to the top of the conference.
Yeah, well, you don't feel like
and and the the voters feel like
you're Supporting Cast,
is not as talented as one of your competitors.
Yet. You got more
out of your limited Supporting Cast
the net creditor did
that could end up being the tiebreaker if the Sixers are
measured and that's it. And that's all they are unfair.
That I could be the tiebreaker weird that,
I think it's fair to say it this way.
Objectively objectively. There's no other argument.
Subjectively. Who knows? Yes, if you hope is,
if you bring it in, if you're bringing it if you bring in
a dose of subjectivity,
yeah. All right, this thing might be a photo finish. And by
the way, I want to say this last thing
on this that's kind of adjacent to this
and fellas, we can bring up that Denver Post headline of
it. Just really I figure it out and going back to our
conversation.
Asian like in the first
hour
at Denver, Post headline that we just had on Yo koj and
the quote was,
he's just different. I understand why that triggered
me.
That says nothing
I just it just bothers me. You know, you got what? You got
a lot of pet peeves.
Hey, first sense Lang. No, 2000, flank 2016-2017 like
that. You hate those or anniversaries.
This is the eighth anniversary of something
that those things trigger you
like that. He's just different.
I'm looking for. Okay,
if that if I got a headline
and I got questions about the headline,
it's not good enough for me.
He's just different. What does that mean
at the end of the day? It's just like one of those cliches
just like
okay. What do we say?
So he's just different. Different doesn't do it for me.
I need
I need a picture. I need a word picture.
So different doesn't do it for me.
So that's why I responded that way earlier.
This reminded me of the first one of the first hour.
Just in case you won.
I wasn't and that's also completely different context.
But okay. Yes, speaking of Heavens, a trick that's
triggers are triggers, are different. You're triggered by
things that
I'll do ago saying. Oh, why don't you go?
No. No, there's no
I said, Somebody's job was different. That's different
from saying.
That's different from saying he's just different which is
a compliment to say, he's a different breed.
That's too. Okay. I'll leave that. That I'll leave that there.