“MJ clone, but he can’t win MVP”: Gilbert Arena thrashes media narrative amid overlooking Anthony Edwards’ for NBA honors
The similarities in Anthony Edwards and Michael Jordan's games are evident. The high-flying midrange specialist has shown fans time and time again that the way he plays the game includes flashes of the six-time NBA champ himself. With many debating the case for Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win MVP, Gilbert Arenas is wondering why Anthony Edwards isn't in the discussion.
On Wednesday night, Edwards and the Timberwolves faced off with Jokic and the Nuggets in a highly-anticipated battle between the top two teams in the West. While Jokic didn't place much emphasis on the game, Edwards indicated to media members pregame that he was aware of the magnitude of the situation.
Although the box score would indicate that Edwards may have lost the statistical head-to-head matchup, Gilbert Arenas isn't sure why he wasn't in the MVP race. With a career-high 26.3 points per game on 46.2% from the floor, Anthony Edwards has taken his game to the next level.
At the same time, the Minnesota Timberwolves have continued to impress, holding onto, and then fighting for, the first-place spot in the West for most of the season. The way Gilbert Arenas sees things, with the team's performance, and the Anthony Edwards-Michael Jordan comparisons, he deserves to be in the race.
As he explained on Gil's Arena:
"The number one seed with the number one seed that's coming to MJ. Hey, how about MVP? Oh, no, no, no. That's not in the script. And not even to put those expectations, but when you watch the game, you see the similarities. You see the strides that he's taken in his first four seasons in the league."
The battle for first in the West, looking at the standings after Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves loss to the Denver Nuggets
On Wednesday night Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves competed against the Denver Nuggets for a highly-anticipated game. With Nikola Jokic leading the way for the Nuggets with a 41-point outing that also saw him contribute 11 rebounds and seven assists, the team mounted a strong second half.
With the win, the Nuggets now sit in first place, while the Minnesota Timberwolves sit in second place in the Western Conference along with the OKC Thunder. At the time of publication, both teams have just two games left on their calendar before heading into the postseason.
The Timberwolves will next play the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, before then closing out their season with an April 14 meeting against the Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will play the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, before then closing out their season with an April 14 meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies
Of course, at the same time, the OKC Thunder will be looking to build on a three-game win streak heading into their final two games of the season. With the Western Conference playoff in full swing, the race for first will soon finally be over.
At the same time, the MVP race between Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is still a hot source of debate among fans. While there may be plenty of talk surrounding the MVP race, it's Nikola Jokic who sits as an overwhelming favorite on sportsbooks.
Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards doesn't even appear in the top three for DraftKings sportsbook's betting odds.