"I'm not mad... But it's really time to really put all my energy into the bigger picture" - Joel Embiid finally shares his thoughts on losing MVP award to Nikola Jokic
Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been tangled in a three-way battle for NBA MVP honors.The 2021/2022 NBA regular season has finally come to a close, and the awards have finally made their way around the league.
The "Joker", however, was the victor of the coveted MVP award. Following a fantastic season, in which the Denver Nuggets center averaged career highs, Jokic was responsible for guiding the Nuggets to the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Speaking to the media for the first time since the results were made public, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid shared his perspective on the winner, as well as the award.
Embiid began:
"This is something I knew weeks ago, even probably two weeks before the season ended. After those games against Denver and Milwaukee and when (ESPN's Tim Bontemps) did his straw poll or whatever. I just knew it wasn't going to happen." Obviously, congrats to Nikola. He deserved it. He had an amazing season. There is no right or wrong. There was a lot of candidates."
Embiid went on to shower appreciation on the other candidates, as well, before stating the awards are handed out based on the narrative the media and the voters rally behind.
"The Process" went on to cite Bill Simmons and the controversy involving him and Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green as the perfect example of the scenario.
Embiid's intention was to insinuate that members of the media who are in authorataive positions propel their own personal agendas to fit the masses and the narrative, which is true to an extent.
Joel Embiid concluded:
"I'm not mad. The last two years in a row, I've put myself in that position, it didn't happen. It's almost like, at this point, it's whatever, whatever happens happens...To me, it's just whatever. It's all about ... not that I wasn't focusing on the bigger picture, but it's really time to really put all my energy into the bigger picture, which is to win the whole thing."
Here's Embiid's full quote on the MVP decision, voters on the award, and focusing on the bigger picture: https://t.co/1H14Rc30qm
Regardless of whether the five-time NBA All-Star wins the trophy, his extraordinary campaign will not be forgotten by the NBA world anytime soon.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers and the Playoffs
Joel Embiid and the 76ers have a rather dire history in the postseason. They have never found their true calling, come playoff time, with the franchise failing on multiple occasions since the center's arrival in Philadelphia.
This year, however, the team have made drastic changes to their roster, with the addition of former league MVP James Harden.
The 76ers have been successful so far in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, having decimated the Toronto Raptors, clinching the series 4-1. The showdown included a Joel Embiid game-winning buzzer beater in game three of the first round of the Eastern Conference.
The Philadlephia 76ers are currently tied up in a fierce battle with the Miami Heat, with the franchise currently trailing 3-2 going into Game 6. If the 76ers can pull off this victory, they have a legitimate chance of going all the way and finally capturing NBA gold.