"Race is so close with Giannis, Embiid, Jokić & Luka that little things matter" - Chris Broussard offers an intriguing solution to Joel Embiid to gain ground in MVP race
Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard harshly critiqued Joel Embiid for not making game-winning plays as the NBA MVP race is heating up. He stated that the MVP race is so close that everyone starts to nit-pick little details in the candidate's game.
On the popular sports debate show "First Things First", Chris Broussard gave his two cents on the MVP ladder and gave some solid advice to the Cameroonian big man in Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid recently stated that if he doesn't win the coveted Maurice Podoloff trophy, he will believe that everyone hates him and the standard is set differently for the Sixers. Broussard responded to his comments by saying:
"First of all, the standard in Philly isn't high. Ask Dr. J...Moses Malone...Allen Iverson. They all won MVPs in Philadelphia....and certainly nobody hates him."
Broussard continued, stating that Joel Embiid needs to be more assertive down the stretch if he wants to win the award.
"Joel asks, "Well, what do I do?". I must give you two phrases Joel. Dunk the ball and take the shot. Because this race is so close with Giannis, with Embiid, Nikola Jokic...Luka (Doncic). It's so close that little things matter."
"Joel Embiid is asking, 'What do I do' [to win MVP]? I have 2 phrases: Dunk the ball, and take the shot. This race is so close with Giannis, Embiid, Jokić & Luka that little things matter." — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/KwpUb2zNjn
Chris Broussard stated that little things make a huge difference in the ladder when the race is this close. He gave an example of the game when Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. visited Wells Fargo Center to take on the Sixers.
"When Embiid met up with Giannis with seeding implications on the line and he had a chance to win that game. First of all, Giannis outplayed him. Embiid, at the end of the game, got the rebound and hand a chance to tie the game with a dunk and he went up meekly, rushed a layup that Giannis blocked. So your competition made the game-winning play and you failed to make the game-winning play."
The Milwaukee Bucks have won several games down the stretch with Antetokounmpo making critical game-winning plays. He has shown the clutch gene on several occasions and the lack of aggression from Embiid in the final few minutes of games is why Broussard wouldn't pick the latter for the MVP award right now.
Joel Embiid suggests he has done everything it takes to win the MVP award
Joel Embiid is firmly invested in the NBA MVP race and was the runaway favorite to win the award a few weeks ago. However, since then, players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum have made a splash while the existing candidates like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have continued to dominate. The race is not yet decided and the award is evidently up for grabs.
When asked about the MVP award, Joel Embiid stated that the media world either hates him or the standard in Philly is set way too high. He said:
"If it happens, great. If it doesn't, I don't know what I have to do. I'll feel like they hate me. I'll feel like the standard for guys in Philly or for me is different than everybody else."
The MVP will be decided in the remaining one week of the regular season and every single game is going to count. When players like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic and other perennial candidates step on the floor, we can expect a 40-piece or a massive double-double.
@JoelEmbiid 
#AfroBallers
Giannis got the game-saving block on Joel Embiid, to help Milwaukee beat Philadelphia, 118-115!
BOTH MVP candidates went AT IT!
WHAT A GAME! 🏆
@Giannis_An34 🇳🇬🇬🇷 @JoelEmbiid 🇨🇲 #AfroBallers https://t.co/WJvyiSF6o2
Like Broussard pointed out, every play and possession matters as the world is now nit-picking every detail to decide the worthy winner of the award. When Embiid and Antetokounmpo went up against each other, the Greek Freak got the best of his matchup.
The Philadelphia 76ers take on the Indiana Pacers (twice), Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons for their final slate of games. Shall we expect a major game from the Cameroonian big man?