An MVP Swan Song for the Ages

Jokic slaps his away into the offseason.

Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals had just under 4 minutes left when the 2021 NBA MVP wound up for one of his patented ‘IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GIVE ME THE CALL THEN IMMA SLAP THIS MAN’ frustration fouls. While he connected cleanly with the ball, his lumbering arm made contact with what can only be described as Cameron Payne’s whole ass face. Every time they showed the replay I couldn’t help but think of the scene in Along Came Polly when Ben Stiller gets a chest to the face. Rain Drops!

Let’s shout out Cameron Payne for a second. My man hit the ground like he was a striker for the Brazilian national futbol team. Stunned to see him remain in the game after laying motionless on the ground for 3 minutes while Jokic and Booker refused to blink.

We can debate for days whether that warranted a flagrant 2 that lead to an ejection, but regardless if Jokic played the remainder of the game, the outcome would have been the same. This Phoenix Suns team is hashtag good. Throughout 10 playoff games, the Suns had 6 different players averaging over 10 points/game. Monty Williams has a strong sense of his rotation narrowing it down to 8 players. The starters of Booker, Paul, Bridges, Crowder, and Ayton are all averaging 30+ minutes while the Cameron’s (Payne + Johnson) along with Torrey Craig round out the rotation. This is what sets them apart from their competition.  The Denver series put the spotlight on some of the ancillary pieces from the Nuggets and that’s where it comes crumbling down. Austin Rivers, Campazzo, Marcus Howard were all playing meaningful minutes. Not great, Bob. The Clippers can’t figure out who to play and are rotating between Beverly, Kennard, and Mann. The Utah Jazz are the only real team that can compete in depth with the Suns and boy oh boy I hope we get that Western Conference Finals. Ayton v Gobert. Mitchell v Booker. CP3 v Conley.

Before we say goodbye to the Denver Nuggets let’s give Nikola Jokic one final curtain call. The big man single handedly pulled Denver out of the first round and went on to average 30-17 in the 10 playoff games. The Nuggets 2021 might be over but their story is just beginning.  The young core of Michael Porter Jr, Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic are all entering their prime together. Now it’s up to the front office to find the right pieces to surround this offensive juggernaut. The Western Conference seems prime to remain dominant but the future is just going to look different. Are the Lakers, Warriors, and Clippers soon to be a thing of the past? The west looks ready to be lead by the young bucks of Booker, Mitchell, Jokic, Morant, and more. The NBA may start to look different, but it’s still fun as hell.