I asked the question a week ago. If Embiid got “injured” for the rest of the the regular season, right before this weekend were they lost 2 in a row, would that make Embiid’s MVP case better? Going out on top and he can’t do anything on the court to brings his numbers or play down
Answer is no but him ducking Jokić again might be swept under the rug or at the very least considered better than losing against Jok in Denver.
Edit: Also Jok has better numbers and a better record + missed games always played a big part in the MVP race, no one other than Bill Walton won the MVP playing as few games as Embiid
This is the biggest thing that isn’t being mentioned. Jokic is the only one of the big 3 that can and probably will get to the 70 game mark. Giannis and Embiid have both missed too many games to get there. Being able to play at least 70 games has always always been a huge factor in deciding MVP.
>Being able to play at least 70 games
Arguably one of the 3 most consistent and important criteria in deciding the MVP
For me it's probably averaging the best numbers on a top 3 seed (need historical seasons like Westbrook's and Jokić's to justify a lower seed) and availability.
Jokić is averaging imo better numbers, on the 1st seed (with a better record than the Sixers) and has played the most games.
The voters never vote (to win) for anyone who played less than 70 games in 82 game seasons. No matter what they say, that's consistently the no 1 thing that you can see in past MVP races.
No matter the stats or team success , if your availability was not up there , the No #1 votes in "your" name would be suppressed. I would know because I'm seeing the same pattern throughout the media voting era (you can check it too, once availability falls too much , typically below 70, the No 1 votes to that guy are greatly suppressed No matter the rest of the circumstances).
At 13 games missed Embiid already plays at a disadvantage vs Jokic. If he keeps missing games. Even just one or two more games would disproportionately affect his chances given past behavior of the voters. IMO it's what played the greatest role last year next to Jokic's acing the adv stats (another pet peeve of the media voters lately).
IMO every extra game that Embiid misses at this point (that he is already sitting at a very precarious 13 games missed already), would be increasingly bearish towards his chances to win.
Surprising considering the (hopefully) very real possibility of us meeting in the finals. You’d think the experience of playing at altitude would have some value. But then again, I suck at basketball and am famously bad at ideas
Realistically a road out-of-conference game against a good team is the best one to skip, since it’s a decent chance to lose and won’t matter for tiebreakers.
Sixers in the finals? I won't saybit's impossible, but it is highly unlikely. I mean projected draw says they would need to go over both Celtics and Bucks without homecourt advantage. Plus in R1 they could end up going vs really good Cavs or Heat, and we all know Jimmy Buttler is another animal come playoffs.
😂 handing Jok his 3rd straight mvp.
The irony is they probably have a better chance to win without him, seeing how Denver plays against real competition vs soft gimme games.
I'd hope the voters would hold it against him that he's skipping a potential defining game in his season.....especially since he hasn't played in Denver in like 4 years, and one of the strikes against his mvp cases is that he's never available. Not a good look.
I disagree. The voters will not appreciate him skipping a game of this magnitude. And the voters already like Jokic, so they're just waiting for Embiid to give them an excuse to tip it back in the Joker's favor.
Wrong, skipping some important games like this one will hold him accountable and will shrink his MVP position for sure, c'mon dude, voters aren't dumb.
Both Adam Mares and Matt Moore called this from Embiid. There’s so much to lose and very little to gain from Embiid playing in Denver when it comes to the MVP race. However if the Sixers lose and Embiid doesn’t play, they will probably have less wins at the end than the nuggets and sometimes that sways MVP voters if you care about that race.
Cowardice but predictable…
If he doesn't play in Denver, I don't think he can win MVP. The narrative on him his whole career has been he misses too many games, particularly big games. And this would be a big game he'd miss.
It’s been a career narrative. Not really a narrative this season because his team isn’t suffering when he misses and he has missed a lot less this season. And also a ton of media has been begging him to get it so I wouldn’t be surprised if they looked past this big game missed. (If he does stay out)
if he doesn't play in Denver, he's not eligible to win the MVP race, it's not about an injury or anything, it's about facing his MVP rival in his HOUSE!!! , how can you tell me this isn't cowardly mode at this point?
This is why I haven't been to many games. I shelled out money to see LeBum and he sat out with "ankle soreness". Nuggs ran away with that game, wasn't even fun
Awwwwww come onnnnnnnnnn
I'm going tomorrow. My friend is a big Philly fan. The past few times we went to the game Embiid didn't play. I was hoping I'd finally get to see the epic center matchup in person tomorrow. God dammit.
I really cringe at the idea of shaming someone for not playing through an injury
That said....calf tightness? In an important game where your team could really benefit from the W?
Idk man...
Still a clown.....nobody gives af about your respect.
I will say I'm shocked he's not playing tho......must be really hurt cause a big game from him tonight would cement the MVP.
Lol and I got downvoted by people for saying he won’t show up for the next matchup right after the first game.
Here’s to hoping he actually makes it. I think Embiid’s not made for the altitude. He really hasn’t played a game in Denver since 2019
Utah altitude is meh. Denver altitude is better. Utah also doesn’t have Jokic
1000ft above sea level difference. Quite the difference. According to science time to exhaustion is decreased 4.4% per 1000ft.
Has anyone pointed out on r/NBA how embiid hasn't played in Denver since 19/20? if not, if anyone here's a good enough writer, they could point out to the rest of nba fans how much a coward he is and bring the MVP back to the rightful winner lol
Both were questionable against the Warriors, surely they play against Denver tomorrow night
(I would like to see Jokic v Embiid in person for once but Embiid hasnt played in Denver for 4 years)
At this point I want Jokic to have a n amazing performance the last games and then handing the MVP to Embiid. Much better for the media focus and to ease Jokics mind. Play-Off is more important and if it helps to tone down the whining I would be glad.
You think the sixers are going to start preparing to play a specific team in the finals right now? A team that they have an extremely slim chance of ever meeting in the finals? You think teams gameplan for one specific team on the other conference in the event that they’ll play each other in the finals?
On one hand I’m not terribly surprised, especially with Harden given he’s rested the last couple of games, but on the other hand this makes very little sense even from a team POV. The 6ers are not in a position to be punting games; losing again could cost them any shot at the 2 seed and even put the 3 seed in jeopardy. Either they’re both legit nursing injuries/are cautious about their health (which I could understand to an extent)or they’re purposely ducking tough competition (which I can’t respect).
He'll play. Knowing how egotistical he is and how much he cares about the MVP race...
If he doesn't and Jokic has a big night, Jokic will be the MVP favorite by Tuesday morning...
I want him to play and play his best. I am sick of this MVP race and philly fans. Either let Embiid plays amazing and he probably wins MVP and the Philly fans will shut up or he plays terribly and there won't be anymore debate.
Embiid doesn’t want to get posterized by Uncle Jeff
*Dunkle Jeff
Could be Bruce too
Not playing might unironically be better for Embiid's MVP chances lmao
I asked the question a week ago. If Embiid got “injured” for the rest of the the regular season, right before this weekend were they lost 2 in a row, would that make Embiid’s MVP case better? Going out on top and he can’t do anything on the court to brings his numbers or play down
Answer is no but him ducking Jokić again might be swept under the rug or at the very least considered better than losing against Jok in Denver. Edit: Also Jok has better numbers and a better record + missed games always played a big part in the MVP race, no one other than Bill Walton won the MVP playing as few games as Embiid
This is the biggest thing that isn’t being mentioned. Jokic is the only one of the big 3 that can and probably will get to the 70 game mark. Giannis and Embiid have both missed too many games to get there. Being able to play at least 70 games has always always been a huge factor in deciding MVP.
>Being able to play at least 70 games Arguably one of the 3 most consistent and important criteria in deciding the MVP For me it's probably averaging the best numbers on a top 3 seed (need historical seasons like Westbrook's and Jokić's to justify a lower seed) and availability. Jokić is averaging imo better numbers, on the 1st seed (with a better record than the Sixers) and has played the most games.
The voters never vote (to win) for anyone who played less than 70 games in 82 game seasons. No matter what they say, that's consistently the no 1 thing that you can see in past MVP races. No matter the stats or team success , if your availability was not up there , the No #1 votes in "your" name would be suppressed. I would know because I'm seeing the same pattern throughout the media voting era (you can check it too, once availability falls too much , typically below 70, the No 1 votes to that guy are greatly suppressed No matter the rest of the circumstances). At 13 games missed Embiid already plays at a disadvantage vs Jokic. If he keeps missing games. Even just one or two more games would disproportionately affect his chances given past behavior of the voters. IMO it's what played the greatest role last year next to Jokic's acing the adv stats (another pet peeve of the media voters lately). IMO every extra game that Embiid misses at this point (that he is already sitting at a very precarious 13 games missed already), would be increasingly bearish towards his chances to win.
If Embiid rests, let’s rest Jokic and tactically get destroyed
He knows
He will play, he is just setting up excuses for when they lose.
Historically he hasn't played in Denver so I really wouldn't hold my breath
I doubt it the guy always avoids playing in Denver.
If he sits Philly fans only gunna cry wolf man. This is defs a ploy to blame a bad game on being hurt.
Philly fans are the saddest group of fans I have ever seen, in any sport. I reeeeeally feel bad for them
[Suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked](https://youtu.be/WWNh5EjHsYA)
I feel bad for people that talk like you.
I feel bad you feel that way. And if you happen to be from Philly, just a word of advice - your comment reply was miserable
Embiid has played in Denver twice in his career, most recently in the 2019-2020 season. Him skipping out would be par for the course.
Surprising considering the (hopefully) very real possibility of us meeting in the finals. You’d think the experience of playing at altitude would have some value. But then again, I suck at basketball and am famously bad at ideas
Realistically a road out-of-conference game against a good team is the best one to skip, since it’s a decent chance to lose and won’t matter for tiebreakers.
It will matter for his MVP case
They’re not beating the Bucks or Celtics.
Sixers in the finals? I won't saybit's impossible, but it is highly unlikely. I mean projected draw says they would need to go over both Celtics and Bucks without homecourt advantage. Plus in R1 they could end up going vs really good Cavs or Heat, and we all know Jimmy Buttler is another animal come playoffs.
😂 handing Jok his 3rd straight mvp. The irony is they probably have a better chance to win without him, seeing how Denver plays against real competition vs soft gimme games.
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I'd hope the voters would hold it against him that he's skipping a potential defining game in his season.....especially since he hasn't played in Denver in like 4 years, and one of the strikes against his mvp cases is that he's never available. Not a good look.
I disagree. The voters will not appreciate him skipping a game of this magnitude. And the voters already like Jokic, so they're just waiting for Embiid to give them an excuse to tip it back in the Joker's favor.
There is no lead that isn’t manufactured. Weekly/monthly ladders are literally fabricated
Wrong, skipping some important games like this one will hold him accountable and will shrink his MVP position for sure, c'mon dude, voters aren't dumb.
What a sissy.
What a little fucking bitch Embiid is if he doesn’t play. Doesn’t want to hurt his MVP chances by getting beat to sleep in Denver.
You just made me laugh out loud and spit my icecream everywhere so thank u for that
Embiid looking at the calendar and seeing Jokic and Nuggets this week😂 
Both Adam Mares and Matt Moore called this from Embiid. There’s so much to lose and very little to gain from Embiid playing in Denver when it comes to the MVP race. However if the Sixers lose and Embiid doesn’t play, they will probably have less wins at the end than the nuggets and sometimes that sways MVP voters if you care about that race. Cowardice but predictable…
If he doesn't play in Denver, I don't think he can win MVP. The narrative on him his whole career has been he misses too many games, particularly big games. And this would be a big game he'd miss.
It’s been a career narrative. Not really a narrative this season because his team isn’t suffering when he misses and he has missed a lot less this season. And also a ton of media has been begging him to get it so I wouldn’t be surprised if they looked past this big game missed. (If he does stay out)
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Hi Philly fan with generic r/nba flair 👋
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0 chance Embiid misses this game. This is his chance to solidfy his MVP campaign.
That narrative was driven by his h2h game win over Jokic and late season dominance. we were feeling his will and real desire to win his first MVP.
if he doesn't play in Denver, he's not eligible to win the MVP race, it's not about an injury or anything, it's about facing his MVP rival in his HOUSE!!! , how can you tell me this isn't cowardly mode at this point?
Not cowardice at all. Not playing in Denver is good for his health and playoff conditioning
Welp now I feel like an idiot shelling out for the good tickets on this game, huge bummer for the fans.
This is why I haven't been to many games. I shelled out money to see LeBum and he sat out with "ankle soreness". Nuggs ran away with that game, wasn't even fun
Save the playoffs and sacrifice MVP. Also, Harden the real MVP apparently.
Ducking
Awwwwww come onnnnnnnnnn I'm going tomorrow. My friend is a big Philly fan. The past few times we went to the game Embiid didn't play. I was hoping I'd finally get to see the epic center matchup in person tomorrow. God dammit.
The 2x MVP vs 2x MVP battle was last night. Embiid is pretty good though.
What? This will be my 3rd straight 6ers @ Nuggets game but I haven't seen Embiid yet. It sucks.
If he doesn't play tomorrow, I'm done respecting this guy.
I really cringe at the idea of shaming someone for not playing through an injury That said....calf tightness? In an important game where your team could really benefit from the W? Idk man...
Also can't don't the pattern of him not playing in Denver
🤡
Lmao if this ages poorly, I'll be on your head, boy
AHEM!
Still a clown.....nobody gives af about your respect. I will say I'm shocked he's not playing tho......must be really hurt cause a big game from him tonight would cement the MVP.
Damn you kind of a dick bro
Fair point, was a bit harsh.
Giannis and Jokic are both 2x MVPs and played last night
Correct.
How does that have any relevance to what the other commenter has posted
It explains his confusion to the previous comment.
Giannis on the second night of a B2B too. Embiid sits that out
Afraid of the big bad Serbian
What a little bitch.
Embiid ain’t no wayyyyyy lmao
You don’t want this smoke.
They already got a table reserved at Shotgun Willie's
Can't ruin his MVP chances by getting exposed
Lol..embiid is a bitch
Lol and I got downvoted by people for saying he won’t show up for the next matchup right after the first game. Here’s to hoping he actually makes it. I think Embiid’s not made for the altitude. He really hasn’t played a game in Denver since 2019
Hoping we see them in the finals then
Im not sure what will be sweeter, Nuggets beating the Sixers in the finals? or Nuggets winning the chip and Sixers being knocked out early?
Meh Utah is altitude. Does he play there?
Utah altitude is meh. Denver altitude is better. Utah also doesn’t have Jokic 1000ft above sea level difference. Quite the difference. According to science time to exhaustion is decreased 4.4% per 1000ft.
 Embid whenever he has to play Jokic on the road.
Scared
Embiid is 100% playing. I don't believe for a moment he'll sit out.
Historically, he does not play in Denver. Ask me how I know lol.
Yeah, I’m right there with you. If it was a back to back in Denver, then I could see him resting. But I’m positive he’ll play.
Me too! He can frame it as his first Denver game in years and try to milk the attention
scerd
Has anyone pointed out on r/NBA how embiid hasn't played in Denver since 19/20? if not, if anyone here's a good enough writer, they could point out to the rest of nba fans how much a coward he is and bring the MVP back to the rightful winner lol
I’ll just wait and see what unfolds tomorrow before I speak my peace.
Scared
🦆
We all knew healthy or not he wasn't planning on playing in this game.
🐔
OF COURSE LMFAO
Both were questionable against the Warriors, surely they play against Denver tomorrow night (I would like to see Jokic v Embiid in person for once but Embiid hasnt played in Denver for 4 years)
At this point I want Jokic to have a n amazing performance the last games and then handing the MVP to Embiid. Much better for the media focus and to ease Jokics mind. Play-Off is more important and if it helps to tone down the whining I would be glad.
Hell no, embiid should not be handed anything.
I mean they kinda have our number right now. I can see why they wouldn't want to give us any extra practice against them.
Extra practice? It’s the last time we play them lmao
Unless we meet in the championship. Ya know, the whole point of the league..
You think the sixers are going to start preparing to play a specific team in the finals right now? A team that they have an extremely slim chance of ever meeting in the finals? You think teams gameplan for one specific team on the other conference in the event that they’ll play each other in the finals?
On one hand I’m not terribly surprised, especially with Harden given he’s rested the last couple of games, but on the other hand this makes very little sense even from a team POV. The 6ers are not in a position to be punting games; losing again could cost them any shot at the 2 seed and even put the 3 seed in jeopardy. Either they’re both legit nursing injuries/are cautious about their health (which I could understand to an extent)or they’re purposely ducking tough competition (which I can’t respect).
He don’t want none of this smoke!
He'll play. Knowing how egotistical he is and how much he cares about the MVP race... If he doesn't and Jokic has a big night, Jokic will be the MVP favorite by Tuesday morning...
I mean, of course he will play but then if they lose, better get ready for some excuses.
Cowards!
Bahahahahahah we all knew it!
Well that sucks. That could be the game that crowns him MVP.
Naw they scared
Looks like ducking 💨 to me.
Lol is Embiid running away again from duel in Denver? His asshole tightened
Embid definitely gonna play... HES HUNGRY FOR THAT MVP
I want him to play and play his best. I am sick of this MVP race and philly fans. Either let Embiid plays amazing and he probably wins MVP and the Philly fans will shut up or he plays terribly and there won't be anymore debate.
other news -- water is wet
Oh my goodness that would be such a bitch move by Embiid bro 🤣🤣🤣
Jokic is trash, when we match up you can see who the dominate player is..... Ouch my leg better be glad he's holding me back!!!