In the eyes of many fans, today’s game will go a long way to settling the NBA MVP debate between Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But reader Stephen Cunningham has e-mailed us to let us know that in his mind, the debate is already settled — and Jokic should win his fourth MVP award:
“One player (Gilgeous-Alexander) is leading the league in scoring. No one regards him as the best player in the league.
“He is on a team with other all-stars. He is a really good player on a really good team, and is a really good guy. His team would be in the playoffs even without him. He has the coach of the year guiding him (both this year and last year).
“The other player (Jokic) is top-three in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, and is a one of the top 3 point shooters (by %) in the league. He is generally regarded as the best player in the league.
“His team won 50 games with literally every starter out for injuries for parts of the season, and none of them are all-stars. He is the team leader, and also a really good guy. No one thinks his team would be in the playoffs without him. He has an interim coach who is smart enough to let him coach the team.
“Simply no question.”
Remember, you can send us your thoughts and predictions on the MVP race or any other Game 7 storylines by emailing us at live@theathletic.com.