The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are meeting up twice in two days, with the first game already accounted for, a 127-103 win for the Thunder.
Unsurprisingly, the games have developed an enormous subplot in regards to the MVP award, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić going head-to-head.
Should two games matter?
With an NBA regular season lasting 82 games, it would seem like a knee-jerk reaction to base the MVP vote off two games being played back-to-back.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who posted 40 points in the win, would in this instance appear as the favorite - and the betting market would agree - but that blatantly ignores the game Jokić had prior to the double Thunder matchup, when the three-time MVP put up a line for the ages, as he finished with 31 points, 22 assists, and 21 rebounds, the first-ever 30-20-20 game in NBA history, against the Phoenix Suns.
Two games simply shouldn't matter, and the field of voters who ultimately decide the winner, should very much be reminded of that.
This isn't to say these two games should be ignored. Excellence is excellence, and for Gilgeous-Alexander to put up 40 points in the win is certainly a notch in his favor for that specific game. But it should be added into a total picture, instead of one game being used as an argument.
(And yes, the same should be said of Jokić's game against the Suns.)
MVP battle for the ages
Whichever side anyone lands on in regards to MVP, the Jokić vs Gilgeous-Alexander battle is a major success for the NBA.
Jokić, already one of the best players of all-time, is having arguably his best season ever, and Gilgeous-Alexander is looking more and more like this era's Michael Jordan in regards to scoring proficiency, two-way game, and on-court control.
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For fans, pundits, media, and everyone generally invested in the NBA in some way, this is tracking towards being one of the most intriguing MVP fields in recent years, only made better by the fact that the two stars, who are duking it out, appear to have very little interest in the award themselves.
Jokić, historically, isn't keen on individual praise. Gilgeous-Alexander is showing similar traits, as both of them are super focused on getting their team in a position to make a deep run in the playoffs.
That type of mentality is endearing to a lot of people, as both players are dominating through the perspective of winning, and not individual glory.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats viaNBA.com,PBPStats,Cleaning the Glass orBasketball-Reference. All salary information viaSpotrac. All odds courtesy ofFanDuel Sportsbook.