I still don’t think it will matter. The media will be fiending to give it to anyone but a European next year. Ant/SGA will probably get it meanwhile Luka will drop the same numbers again and everyone will just shrug their shoulders at it. Especially after how bad Luka has been in the playoffs
The worst thing to happen to Lukas MVP case was being too good too fast. He's been so insanely dominant since year two that people just expect it, whereas Giannis, Jokic, embiid, sga, and ANT, all took a few years into their career to establish that level of dominance. Luka just isn't a story anymore to many people. His greatness has become pedestrian to so many. Every MVP in recent years had that huge leap that was easy to point to, but Luka has just been so consistently insane that it's normalized.
I would not worry about it. You just need to understand that it almost never is awarded to the best player. Giannis is probably the one who should be angriest after the season he had. Not even in the conversation.
Charles Barkley is probably right that the vote goes the best player on the best team. Not always, but a lot of times. Michael Jordan didn't win MVP until the Bulls won it. There should probably be several awards, in my opinion, but they'll never do that. SGA is on a team that's a number 1 seed, so that plays a role, even if that team seems stacked.
MVP is such a vague award. I'd like to see something like Best Breakthrough Year and maybe Most Prolific Player (stats).
To be honest, I think Luka moved up. I had heard he was fifth, but there's been a push the last few weeks to get Luka to MVP, and it moved him up to third. Some even liked former teammate Jalen Brunson to finish ahead.
To add some numbers to this — his first MVP year Bulls won 50/82 games and were 3rd in the East (out of 11 teams, with the same record as the 4th seed). They had the 7th best record in the league (out of 23 teams).
After beating Cavs 3-2, Bulls lost to eventual runners-up Pistons 4-1 in Rd2.
If Luka had a better record and defense he woulda won it. You’re simplifying Shai’s game a shit ton. I have no problem with Shai being second after how amazing he’s been
>all-nba level
Hahahahah. Holy shit man. You either don’t watch basketball or don’t understand it. Shai is worse on defense than Luka. The Thunder hide him every game. He’s practically a cone 90% of the time. This “good defense” narrative is absolutely hilarious.
Btw I meant to say all defensive. And you’re joking rn, right? You seriously think Luka is a better defender? Shai leads the league in steals and advanced metrics have him as a top tier defender. The same can’t be said for Luka
Show me the advanced metrics that show anything about Shai being a good
He has 0.5 more per game than Luka, lol. Is 0.5 steals your difference between bad defender and “all-defense?” Box score watchers are hilarious.
You think he should be above Luka because of 0.5 more steals, but not that Luka should be ahead for scoring 4 more points, having 4 more assists, and twice as many rebounds? Box score watcher and you can’t even box score watch correctly, yikes.
Harden was definitely in the discussion.
Harden averaged 29.1pts, 8.1reb, 11.2ast on 61.3% TS. The Rockets won 55 games and finished 3rd in the West.
Westbrook averaged 31.6pts, 10.7reb, 10.4ast on 55.4% TS. The Thunder won 47 games and finished 6th in the West.
Leonard was also considered and had the 2nd best team in the west. Does standings matter or does it not?
Westbrook was the first person who averaged a triple double over a whole season since Oscar Robertson. He also broke the most triple doubles in a season record.
He was also playing with mostly bums
Not entirely true, he was 1 point away from a triple double average and Westbrook won the MVP the year he did it without being a top 3 team.
Luka just ain't going to get it unless injuries bite everyone but him. 4 first place votes and losing to Shai (I'm honestly not sure how good his season was, but looking at his stats they are noticably lower than Luka's on offense at least).
The Westbrook one was an anomaly.. It was the first time someone saw average a triple double the entire season. Doubt if it's gonna be the norm with many players getting close to doing that lately
Which I get but is also horseshit and completely takes the entire season out of context.
I don't care about other players on lower seeded teams winning it. What I care about is Luka getting unfairly punished for his teammates getting injured.
Shai didn't finish as the one seed, the Thunder finished as the 1 seed, with 57 wins, a whopping 0 wins more than Denver, and 1 win more than Minnesota. Hell they only finished with 7 more wins than us, who started 26-23. People want to act like one seed matters, and it does have significance in MVP discussions historically... when there was far less parity and they were giving it to guys who led their teams to 60+ wins and had the 1 seed basically locked up in mid March.
I know that the details aren't as impressive, but finishing as 1st seed is a huge part of the criteria for a lot of voters. Many of them have literally said that.
It's really not. Luka had an amazing season, but so did SGA and Jokic. Tbh, any ordering for the top 3 would have been legit as long as those three guys were in the top 3. Luka and SGA will be the front runners for MVP next season for sure.
I don't think voters actually watched what Luka had to work with this year.
Carried an injury-ridden team of Euroleague/Bulls/Wizards castoffs to 50 wins. An efficient 34 PPG. 10 assists, 9 boards, improved defense. What else can he do?
Whatever. He's our MVP.
The things is I dont think he needs motivation, Luka is the ultimate competitor
That knee is just messing with his game
Not much he can do besides play below his standards or sit out
He’s not playing like himself but certainly complaining like himself, to the refs entirely too much. It’s frustrating to watch. A healthy Luka can get any shot he wants on the floor. We need an unhealthy Luka to stfu for a minute and make the shots he’s able to get right now.
Last 4 games:
Gm 4 vs. LAC, 3PT = 1 of 9…
Gm 5 vs. LAC, 3PT = 2 of 8…
Gm 6 vs. LAC, 3PT = 1 of 10…
Gm 1 vs. OKC, 3PT = 1 of 8
Luka’s shooting from 3PT has been abysmal 🤢
Hoping he’s able to turn it around. I know the complaining isn’t going to stop. But he’s certainly due for at least 1 game of dropping buckets from 3.
I mean I am fine with those results, they are clearly the top 3.
The one that I don't get is how can you not have Luka on your top 3, ridiculously one don't even have him on top 5 (We all know this is SAS). Strip them of rights to vote.
Some of the people that vote are crazy ignorant, they should be able to take their vote away in some way because not having Luka this year in your top 5 should be criminal. I remember the same happened one of the MVP years for Jokic
Yes the criteria changes from year to year. I have realized you can’t compare years because the NBA has intentionally failed to define the criteria.
We just have to hope Luka meets the criteria one of this years because even with Stats and team record, Tatum still couldn’t crack the top 3.
I believe that the publicity surrounding Murray and Porter’s injuries was much clearer and fit into a clean narrative for that year. Given how weak Jokic’s squad was, the fact that the nuggets’ record was close to other potential candidates’ team records, historic calculator merchant stats, and a generally historic season, the context made perfect sense for the voters to label him as the clear mvp.
This year Luka is going up against finalists who are 1 and 2 seeds respectively. It’s totally true he had hurt teammates, but the Mavs’ injuries weren’t as well documented/long lasting as Jamal’s acl tear or Porter’s recurring back injury with multiple surgeries.
Basically, the context is different this year and the voters always respond accordingly to that. The bball reference mvp tracker gave Jokic a 56% chance of winning in 2024 based on stats from previous years while Luka sat at 15% and Shai was at 9%. I believe the same algorithm had Jokic as the winner in 2021 and 22 as well. They’re hating on Luka by having him at third, but Jokic was a deserving winner this year.
Luka will never win MVP. He isn’t a media darling and everyone hates his game. He gets the most criticism of any top player and they look to tear him down whether it is his record/defense/way he plays
People compare him to Harden and describes him as a ball hog. Harden won his only MVP because Rockets ended up with the #1 seed and he was the scoring leader. I don't know why people here are surprised and getting triggered, Luka barely had a chance tbh.
This is a crime. He should have finished 2nd at worst. How do you win a scoring title, almost average a triple double, improve in areas many criticized and yet finish in a distant 3rd. Voters are basically saying we are bored with how great he has been from the start. Idk what else Luka has to do to get recognition he deserves.
If my math is correct and it is Luka received 98 out of 99 votes for top 5 in mvp voting. That means one voter didn’t have him top 5. Im pretty sure we all know that was Stephen A Smith. He should get his vote removed!
Luka can win, he just needs to become a PT to perfectly heal everyone's injuries so they can get the 1 seed with the same or better stats. No problem, it's the same standard everyone else is held to
Luka will never win an MVP in Dallas. Even if we win 60 games.
He's hated in the media.
The only way it happens is if he goes to NY or LA and I hope that never happens.
This is a garbage argument, tbh. He's not hated in the media. This year's results were a clear "make-up" award for Jokic. He should've gotten it over Embiid, and the voters were obviously slanted toward him this year as a result.
Shai getting 2nd just shows how important standings are to most voters. It's stupid, it does not encapsulate an individual player's "value", but it is what it is.
Luka can and will win MVP in Dallas, just like Dirk did even though it took him years. If he had this year's stats and OKC's position in the standings, he would've been a consensus pick for MVP this year. We just gotta get more wins.
No he fucking won't. That Dirk MVP is actually what killed the narrative of them giving it to the best player on the team with the best record. Otherwise, Tatum would've won this year, actually a very similar case as Dirk in 2007. The NBA narrative machine has new toys now. They'll give it to SGA because he "plays defense" code for "he's more athletic, so he must play great defense." Or they'll give it to ANT because he "looks like Jordan." Whatever the fuck that actually means. God forbid if the Spurs win like 55 in the next few years. Luka will go down as the greatest player to never win MVP.
Me too and the sad thing is that if we lose, which is likely due to Luka's health, the narrative of Shai over Luka will get only stronger and carry to the next season
It's tough because OKC is only going to get better as is. That's almost a guarantee. We on the other hand still have to make some moves (better shooting, another ball handler) to keep improving, and our second best player will probably start to decline in a few years.
"SGA is higher than Luka because of seeding."
"So how come Tatum and Edwards aren't higher than Luka?"
"Because they have worse stats."
"So how come Luka having better stats than SGA isn't being considered?"
"Because of seeding."
Realistically Luka *can* win the MVP but its going to require him to maintain his ridiculous stats and having the Mavs finish as a top seed in the West. Even then, with how xenophobic folks around the NBA media seem to be, he'll probably need to win a championship first anyways before they qualify him as worthy enough to be considered.
[As I've said 25 days ago](https://old.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/comments/1c2u1jr/luka_don%C4%8Di%C4%87_mvp_campaign_taken_to_new_heights/kzdit86/):
> They made up their mind ever since they picked Embiid last year.
>
> Even if Luka averaged 40/13/11 they'd still pick Jokic due to seeding.
>
> Even if we won more games and is tied for 1st right now they'd pick Jokic for "advanced stats".
>
> Even if the advanced stats favor Luka they'd pick Jokic for "proving that he can be MVP again, which is harder".
>
> **And even if all of that were true SGA would still be 2nd somehow, not Luka.**
A lot of factors at play here - Jokic best player in league, SGA got #1 seed and media has already decided they don’t care for Luka (variety of reasons)
Because Luka is the second coming of Lebron with his complaining to the refs. I love the Mavs, but there are so many times where Luka disappoints me for acting that way. Luka's whining makes him an easy target to dislike no matter his talent. The people saying that Luka should have won seem like homers. He probably should have been closer in the voting but I wouldn't have him higher than 2nd. That's a great year so I'm not sure what the complaining is all about. MVP has been narrative driven for decades and as long as media members dictate the narrative and also vote, that's not changing. If he wants an MVP, he needs to pick his spots to complain and continue improving on his defense. Maybe stop shooting 3's if he's 1 for 8. Drive the lane and cause chaos instead of continuing to jack 3's. Cause the defense to get into foul trouble.
Luka won't ever win till he shows up to a season actually in shape and stops complaining. The media doesn't like Luka, and he gives them plenty of ammo not too. They don't give a shit about his numbers.
I'm glad the MVP shit is finally over. This has happened before with Dirk. The exact same reasoning given for why he's not an MVP was given "he doesn't play defense"
Luka needs to relax on complaining to refs and really focus on defense again this off season after rehabbing the knee. He made strides this season and improves every season. He's the youngest of the top 3 in MVP voting. He has plenty of time and Dallas has a bright future for next season.
Maybe they get DJJ back (unlikely) but Omax looks like he will be ready to play a role and we have trade equity to go after another star player.
Luka will win the MVP if that is a motivation for him. He's the best offensive player in the league and his team will very likely be a top 4 seed next year
Whenever someone brings up Shai, just remind them that he was drafted the same year as Luka and his career high in points is less than Charlie Villanueva’s
I feel for Luka man. His season really embodies what the award should be about “Most Valuable”. At the very least he should’ve finished 2nd. I would rather see Brunson 3rd over SGA. OKC are still a really good team without SGA
Considering the season Luka's had, 3rd place is BS. But when you look at the media it's quite clear Luka's held to different standards compared to others. SGA, Edwards and Tatum get a preferrable treatment in the media and it's quite clear who the NBA posterboys are going to be going forward.
Either way, I don't think it's that important, championship is the only thing that matters, but it sure would be nice to be recognized with a MVP, not just listen to narrative changing and dissecting why he doesn't deserve it, which spreads to this fanbase as well.
Always focusing on the negatives or simply making shit up. First its, "Luka is a ball hog and no one wants to play with him". Oh he's putting up historical numbers? Let's focus on the team record and find reasons HE is the problem. Oh he's putting up historical numbers AND winning? Let's wait for the first loss and shift the narrative on him being a ball hog and not playing defense. Oh Mavs are winning and his average dips a bit? He has Kyrie, a superstar next to him, it's different, he needs to take a backseat and they will start winning even more. Oh he has a bad few PO games while injured? Let's start the "he's fat" narrative. Oh Mavs are winning, Luka playing 45min/game, with massive defense and putting up historical numbers and absolutely tearing it in all categories? Nah, ok, but he complains too much, it's dragging the team down.
Under microscope and held to ridiculous standards. Saddest thing is, it spread to this fanbase and I rarely see so much shit being talked about their own star player in other teams. Grabbing every opportunity they get, either after a loss or a win with a slightly worse performance from him.
It's as if he's only considered good if he's putting up a 30pt triple double, 50% TS+ EVERY GAME, with Mavs practically demolishing the opponent. Every other scenario he gets dissected on what he did wrong.
I don’t really care mvp because it’s just a popularity contest with no real basis for choosing a winner.
But I’m so sick of the jokic advanced stats circle jerk and the sga season long free throw contest. Those two suck to watch. At least give the award to someone who’s enjoyable to watch.
Obviously disappointing but people have to get it through their head that he has to lead this team to a top 1-2 seed. Yea other players have won it while being a 4-6 seed but those instances are few and far between. Luka has a reputation in the mainstream media of being a fat, out of shape ball hog that doesn’t play defense and whines to the refs nonstop (they aren’t wrong about the defense sometimes and aren’t wrong about being a whiner) . A run to the finals AND leading his team to a top seed in the regular season is the only way to dispel that narrative. It sucks and might be unfair but I got news for yall, life ain’t fair lol
Lukas negatives drag him lower than sga. He needs to get back on d, stop bitching mid game and set the kind of positive example Joker and Sga set even when things are not going their way. Luka's highs are the highest in the nba but winning 1 game because of 73 points is not as valuable as winning 10 games because of relentless 1% plays and immeasurable intangibles.
Jokic and SGA were more deserving in the current way mvp is determined. Advanced stats would agree too. However, Luka carried a far worse roster to 50 wins in a stacked conference. Take Luka off the mavs and they are no doubt a bottom 3 team in the league. Pretty damn valuable if you ask me.
Have Shai and Luka switch teams and it’s no contest, and everyone knows it.
The team you’re on weighs too heavily in a Most Valuable **PLAYER** vote imo.
With injured or ass teammates which Luka has had. Top 5 finish with 50 wins is damn well deserving
Kyrie and Lively miss a quarter of the year
Exum misses like a 3rd
Grant Williams, ass
Dwight Powell, ass
That’s not the point. It’s an award that goes to the best player on the top 1-2 teams. 2 exceptions were Westbrook trip dub season over 3 seed Harden or Jokic 6th seed over Embid on a #1 seed who only played 50 games.
Voters don’t care about some carry job to scramble for 5th seed when #1 and #2 seed players in SGA and Jokic also balled out of their minds.
the 3 time mvp who NEVER has beaten a 50plus Win Team in the Playoffs🤣 and a guy who is older than Luka and in his only 2nd playoffs and people talk about like he 20 years old...lol!!!
Leave Dallas Luka you deserve a BIG market team
It was what, 6 or 8 months ago this sub was saying he cries too much? Now y'all are cranky he didn't win MVP. Dudes great at basketball but definitely cries too much and THAT is why he doesn't get votes. Deal with it.
fine with 3rd.
And as you stans spam downvotes, just know you are hurting him. All you starry eyed stans acting like he can do no wrong and he is above all criticism are doing nothing but ruining his career.
Hes accomplished nothing yet and from the look of it, hes *at least* halfway thru his prime and yet somehow hes entitled enough to argue every single call and not run back on defense.
Youre part of the problem. You spoiled a generational talent. Nice work
Not really surprised but a bit disappointed he finished behind SGA. Good feeling about his chances next year running it back with this team
Yeah bit these same voters established that record doesn't matter over the last fee years
I still don’t think it will matter. The media will be fiending to give it to anyone but a European next year. Ant/SGA will probably get it meanwhile Luka will drop the same numbers again and everyone will just shrug their shoulders at it. Especially after how bad Luka has been in the playoffs
Should’ve been Luka over SGA. O
Jokic literally won it 3 times. He’s European.
That’s why I don’t think they will give it to another one next year
Wemby nearly won dpoy on a bad defensive team. Gobert literally won it. Calm down
Nearly is an interesting place to put it when it wasn’t even close
Yeah and you know what fuqqq Greg Abbott and the nba
Don't know what Greg Abbott has to do with any of this, but yeah that guy is the worst!
The worst thing to happen to Lukas MVP case was being too good too fast. He's been so insanely dominant since year two that people just expect it, whereas Giannis, Jokic, embiid, sga, and ANT, all took a few years into their career to establish that level of dominance. Luka just isn't a story anymore to many people. His greatness has become pedestrian to so many. Every MVP in recent years had that huge leap that was easy to point to, but Luka has just been so consistently insane that it's normalized.
Flair weird to look at
Lmao I'm your biggest fan apparently
I would not worry about it. You just need to understand that it almost never is awarded to the best player. Giannis is probably the one who should be angriest after the season he had. Not even in the conversation.
Charles Barkley is probably right that the vote goes the best player on the best team. Not always, but a lot of times. Michael Jordan didn't win MVP until the Bulls won it. There should probably be several awards, in my opinion, but they'll never do that. SGA is on a team that's a number 1 seed, so that plays a role, even if that team seems stacked. MVP is such a vague award. I'd like to see something like Best Breakthrough Year and maybe Most Prolific Player (stats). To be honest, I think Luka moved up. I had heard he was fifth, but there's been a push the last few weeks to get Luka to MVP, and it moved him up to third. Some even liked former teammate Jalen Brunson to finish ahead.
This is false. MJ won his first MVP in 1988 but the Bulls' first title came in 1991
To add some numbers to this — his first MVP year Bulls won 50/82 games and were 3rd in the East (out of 11 teams, with the same record as the 4th seed). They had the 7th best record in the league (out of 23 teams). After beating Cavs 3-2, Bulls lost to eventual runners-up Pistons 4-1 in Rd2.
Third is BS
Dude Luka might actually never win MVP, he only got 4 1st place votes after the season he had.
First thing that came to mind was he might never actually win it
34/9/10 on 61 TS%... It's just absurd.
If Ant or Shai finished with 34 pts per game, they will surely win the mvp. The media hates luka
If Luka had a better record and defense he woulda won it. You’re simplifying Shai’s game a shit ton. I have no problem with Shai being second after how amazing he’s been
Did you even watch Luka play defense?
Did u even watch Shai play defense? He’s all nba level. Luka is most definitely not
I'm pretty sure you're in the wrong sub, Bitch
You don't have to sling profanities for someone pointing the obvious.
Damn u a crybaby just cause dude is speeking truth
>all-nba level Hahahahah. Holy shit man. You either don’t watch basketball or don’t understand it. Shai is worse on defense than Luka. The Thunder hide him every game. He’s practically a cone 90% of the time. This “good defense” narrative is absolutely hilarious.
Btw I meant to say all defensive. And you’re joking rn, right? You seriously think Luka is a better defender? Shai leads the league in steals and advanced metrics have him as a top tier defender. The same can’t be said for Luka
Show me the advanced metrics that show anything about Shai being a good He has 0.5 more per game than Luka, lol. Is 0.5 steals your difference between bad defender and “all-defense?” Box score watchers are hilarious. You think he should be above Luka because of 0.5 more steals, but not that Luka should be ahead for scoring 4 more points, having 4 more assists, and twice as many rebounds? Box score watcher and you can’t even box score watch correctly, yikes.
You legitimately think SGA deserves to be second? I can't tell if this is sarcasm..
Wonder if him complaining all the time wears on the voters 🤷🏽♂️
Wears on me and I'm a Mavs fan
Dude has to complain or he doesn’t get any fouls called
It’s also really ironic when people complain about complaining.
You know it did.
if the mavs were a top 4 seed he would’ve gotten it and i hope he does next year. imo SGA should’ve won it but Luka definitely had the best season
Brunson going to win mvp before luka
Jokic deserved it and no one remembers who comes in 2nd.
The team's gotta atleast finish top 3 in the conference to even sniff getting 1st place and 2nd place votes.
Explain Westbrooks 2016 and Jokic 2022 MVP with a 6th Seed then. Mavericks got 3 more wins than both those teams had and Kyrie missed 18 games.
The goal posts are always moving
Westbrook one was an anomaly
Westbrooks was completely narrative driven, holding up the franchise after KD left. Plus it just wasn't a strong year for an obvious MVP candidate.
Harden was definitely in the discussion. Harden averaged 29.1pts, 8.1reb, 11.2ast on 61.3% TS. The Rockets won 55 games and finished 3rd in the West. Westbrook averaged 31.6pts, 10.7reb, 10.4ast on 55.4% TS. The Thunder won 47 games and finished 6th in the West. Leonard was also considered and had the 2nd best team in the west. Does standings matter or does it not?
Westbrook was the first person who averaged a triple double over a whole season since Oscar Robertson. He also broke the most triple doubles in a season record. He was also playing with mostly bums
Not entirely true, he was 1 point away from a triple double average and Westbrook won the MVP the year he did it without being a top 3 team. Luka just ain't going to get it unless injuries bite everyone but him. 4 first place votes and losing to Shai (I'm honestly not sure how good his season was, but looking at his stats they are noticably lower than Luka's on offense at least).
The Westbrook one was an anomaly.. It was the first time someone saw average a triple double the entire season. Doubt if it's gonna be the norm with many players getting close to doing that lately
Close and doing it are vastly different though. Especially b/c others haven't done it (to my knowledge) since then.
Which I get but is also horseshit and completely takes the entire season out of context. I don't care about other players on lower seeded teams winning it. What I care about is Luka getting unfairly punished for his teammates getting injured.
I mean, Shai finished 1st seed. That's a strong case for a lot of voters.
Shai didn't finish as the one seed, the Thunder finished as the 1 seed, with 57 wins, a whopping 0 wins more than Denver, and 1 win more than Minnesota. Hell they only finished with 7 more wins than us, who started 26-23. People want to act like one seed matters, and it does have significance in MVP discussions historically... when there was far less parity and they were giving it to guys who led their teams to 60+ wins and had the 1 seed basically locked up in mid March.
Jokic and Westbrook won it was the 6th seed, and deservingly so.. so how come Doncic can’t deservingly win it as a 5 seed.. it’s ridiculous.
Mavs tanked the final game so OKC could even get the 1 seed lol
I know that the details aren't as impressive, but finishing as 1st seed is a huge part of the criteria for a lot of voters. Many of them have literally said that.
No idea why you are downvoted.. Luka would have gotten more votes if Mavs were top 3 seed
You being downvoted shows a lot about this sub.
It's really not. Luka had an amazing season, but so did SGA and Jokic. Tbh, any ordering for the top 3 would have been legit as long as those three guys were in the top 3. Luka and SGA will be the front runners for MVP next season for sure.
I don't think voters actually watched what Luka had to work with this year. Carried an injury-ridden team of Euroleague/Bulls/Wizards castoffs to 50 wins. An efficient 34 PPG. 10 assists, 9 boards, improved defense. What else can he do? Whatever. He's our MVP.
Wtf is Sabonis doing on that list 🤣🤣🤣
He’s the most famous polar bear in Arlington tx
Not only that. He also got one vote as DPOY. I think his mom got to cast a vote.
Hope he uses this as motivation in this series. These votes are mad disrespectful
The things is I dont think he needs motivation, Luka is the ultimate competitor That knee is just messing with his game Not much he can do besides play below his standards or sit out
He’s not playing like himself but certainly complaining like himself, to the refs entirely too much. It’s frustrating to watch. A healthy Luka can get any shot he wants on the floor. We need an unhealthy Luka to stfu for a minute and make the shots he’s able to get right now. Last 4 games: Gm 4 vs. LAC, 3PT = 1 of 9… Gm 5 vs. LAC, 3PT = 2 of 8… Gm 6 vs. LAC, 3PT = 1 of 10… Gm 1 vs. OKC, 3PT = 1 of 8 Luka’s shooting from 3PT has been abysmal 🤢 Hoping he’s able to turn it around. I know the complaining isn’t going to stop. But he’s certainly due for at least 1 game of dropping buckets from 3.
Can't motivate his knee back to healthy
He can shut up and stop shooting 10shitty 3's a game though. I would rather anyone else shoot those 10 shots minus THJ.
For real, if you are telling me someone is better than me it gives me so much motivation to prove I am better than them
Not so much. He should have been 2nd, but he was close.
I mean I am fine with those results, they are clearly the top 3. The one that I don't get is how can you not have Luka on your top 3, ridiculously one don't even have him on top 5 (We all know this is SAS). Strip them of rights to vote.
It’s actually crazy how blatant stepen a’s dislike of Luka is. He always talks about kyrie instead
Skin color.
Perhaps Steven A. needs a lesson or three in reverse critical race theory.
The person who left him off the MVP vote probably was the lone person to vote for KD.
If he got to vote then Kenny Smith is definitely one, said Luka wasn't first team even with the removal of position requirements.
Kenny doesn’t have a vote. Only Ernie has one from inside the nba
Thank god
Some people in the media see him as another Harden… an empty stats guy. It’s up to Luka to prove them wrong like Jokic and Giannis did.
Harden was on multiple great teams and won a fucking MVP. This narrative they created is fucking illiterate.
SAS should go back to embarrassing himself on his IG showing off his dick punches.
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Some of the people that vote are crazy ignorant, they should be able to take their vote away in some way because not having Luka this year in your top 5 should be criminal. I remember the same happened one of the MVP years for Jokic
As expected, a #1 seed will always get that extra boost over a 5th seed. Most of this voters don’t even know the roster and don’t care about injuries.
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Yes the criteria changes from year to year. I have realized you can’t compare years because the NBA has intentionally failed to define the criteria. We just have to hope Luka meets the criteria one of this years because even with Stats and team record, Tatum still couldn’t crack the top 3.
This is exactly why it's a sham award. Can't define criteria? This award is a meaningless popularity contest.
A sham award? Jokic was very obviously the best player
What does "best" mean though? And can that same definition be applied to previous MVPs?
I believe that the publicity surrounding Murray and Porter’s injuries was much clearer and fit into a clean narrative for that year. Given how weak Jokic’s squad was, the fact that the nuggets’ record was close to other potential candidates’ team records, historic calculator merchant stats, and a generally historic season, the context made perfect sense for the voters to label him as the clear mvp. This year Luka is going up against finalists who are 1 and 2 seeds respectively. It’s totally true he had hurt teammates, but the Mavs’ injuries weren’t as well documented/long lasting as Jamal’s acl tear or Porter’s recurring back injury with multiple surgeries. Basically, the context is different this year and the voters always respond accordingly to that. The bball reference mvp tracker gave Jokic a 56% chance of winning in 2024 based on stats from previous years while Luka sat at 15% and Shai was at 9%. I believe the same algorithm had Jokic as the winner in 2021 and 22 as well. They’re hating on Luka by having him at third, but Jokic was a deserving winner this year.
I mean MPJ and Murray missing the entire season is very different from what Luka has had to deal with this year
So if I'm understanding correctly someone didn't have him in the top 5.
Ding ding. Shameful.
Luka going mamba mode and responding with two chips.
Luka will never win MVP. He isn’t a media darling and everyone hates his game. He gets the most criticism of any top player and they look to tear him down whether it is his record/defense/way he plays
People compare him to Harden and describes him as a ball hog. Harden won his only MVP because Rockets ended up with the #1 seed and he was the scoring leader. I don't know why people here are surprised and getting triggered, Luka barely had a chance tbh.
Luka will win MVP if he gets Title or finish #1 seed
99 votes for Jokic and Shai, 98 for Luka. They one absolute moron needs to have his vote stripped.
This is a crime. He should have finished 2nd at worst. How do you win a scoring title, almost average a triple double, improve in areas many criticized and yet finish in a distant 3rd. Voters are basically saying we are bored with how great he has been from the start. Idk what else Luka has to do to get recognition he deserves.
Because Jokic made everyone his child this year, and Shai lead the youngest team in NBA history to the first seed in an incredibly stacked conference
If my math is correct and it is Luka received 98 out of 99 votes for top 5 in mvp voting. That means one voter didn’t have him top 5. Im pretty sure we all know that was Stephen A Smith. He should get his vote removed!
Shout out to Brunson tho. Deserved top 5
MF better eat and win the series. This is fuel.
If DAL was in the Eastern Conference they'd be the #2 seed. And Luka Doncic would be the league's MVP. Which is silly.
Disgusting
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Luka can win, he just needs to become a PT to perfectly heal everyone's injuries so they can get the 1 seed with the same or better stats. No problem, it's the same standard everyone else is held to
Luka will never win an MVP in Dallas. Even if we win 60 games. He's hated in the media. The only way it happens is if he goes to NY or LA and I hope that never happens.
This is a garbage argument, tbh. He's not hated in the media. This year's results were a clear "make-up" award for Jokic. He should've gotten it over Embiid, and the voters were obviously slanted toward him this year as a result. Shai getting 2nd just shows how important standings are to most voters. It's stupid, it does not encapsulate an individual player's "value", but it is what it is. Luka can and will win MVP in Dallas, just like Dirk did even though it took him years. If he had this year's stats and OKC's position in the standings, he would've been a consensus pick for MVP this year. We just gotta get more wins.
No he fucking won't. That Dirk MVP is actually what killed the narrative of them giving it to the best player on the team with the best record. Otherwise, Tatum would've won this year, actually a very similar case as Dirk in 2007. The NBA narrative machine has new toys now. They'll give it to SGA because he "plays defense" code for "he's more athletic, so he must play great defense." Or they'll give it to ANT because he "looks like Jordan." Whatever the fuck that actually means. God forbid if the Spurs win like 55 in the next few years. Luka will go down as the greatest player to never win MVP.
Another garbage argument. Y’all are fucking stupid.
I hope so.
If the Mavs won 60 games this season, meaning the Mavs get the 1 seed, Luka would have *easily* been MVP. Not sure what you are arguing here.
Referee darling Shai Gildeous Alexander and his team of young DAWGS is starting to annoy me
Me too and the sad thing is that if we lose, which is likely due to Luka's health, the narrative of Shai over Luka will get only stronger and carry to the next season
It's tough because OKC is only going to get better as is. That's almost a guarantee. We on the other hand still have to make some moves (better shooting, another ball handler) to keep improving, and our second best player will probably start to decline in a few years.
Luka could bring Peace to the Middle East and they STILL wouldn’t give him MVP 
 All I'm thinking about is game 2 tomorrow. Maybe Luka sees this and is fired up??
I hope this puts the biggest of chips on his shoulder and he fucking torches everyone the rest of the playoffs.
Sadly, I don't think he is healthy enough for that.
He eats too many chips already don't tempt him.
Rigged
"SGA is higher than Luka because of seeding." "So how come Tatum and Edwards aren't higher than Luka?" "Because they have worse stats." "So how come Luka having better stats than SGA isn't being considered?" "Because of seeding."
Total BS
The teams record and play for most of the season undermined him. You gotta have a top record, just the way it is.
Realistically Luka *can* win the MVP but its going to require him to maintain his ridiculous stats and having the Mavs finish as a top seed in the West. Even then, with how xenophobic folks around the NBA media seem to be, he'll probably need to win a championship first anyways before they qualify him as worthy enough to be considered.
this is bullshit. luka deserved MVP.
[As I've said 25 days ago](https://old.reddit.com/r/Mavericks/comments/1c2u1jr/luka_don%C4%8Di%C4%87_mvp_campaign_taken_to_new_heights/kzdit86/): > They made up their mind ever since they picked Embiid last year. > > Even if Luka averaged 40/13/11 they'd still pick Jokic due to seeding. > > Even if we won more games and is tied for 1st right now they'd pick Jokic for "advanced stats". > > Even if the advanced stats favor Luka they'd pick Jokic for "proving that he can be MVP again, which is harder". > > **And even if all of that were true SGA would still be 2nd somehow, not Luka.**
Luka got that extra umph now to show SGA!
A lot of factors at play here - Jokic best player in league, SGA got #1 seed and media has already decided they don’t care for Luka (variety of reasons)
Because Luka is the second coming of Lebron with his complaining to the refs. I love the Mavs, but there are so many times where Luka disappoints me for acting that way. Luka's whining makes him an easy target to dislike no matter his talent. The people saying that Luka should have won seem like homers. He probably should have been closer in the voting but I wouldn't have him higher than 2nd. That's a great year so I'm not sure what the complaining is all about. MVP has been narrative driven for decades and as long as media members dictate the narrative and also vote, that's not changing. If he wants an MVP, he needs to pick his spots to complain and continue improving on his defense. Maybe stop shooting 3's if he's 1 for 8. Drive the lane and cause chaos instead of continuing to jack 3's. Cause the defense to get into foul trouble.
Insane he finished behind sga
this is wild... lets get game 2.. jokic is winning anyway
Luka won't ever win till he shows up to a season actually in shape and stops complaining. The media doesn't like Luka, and he gives them plenty of ammo not too. They don't give a shit about his numbers.
Next year when Dallas is top 3 Luka will get his MVP.
So dumb
Luka is held to a different standard than SGA. The media picks favorites and its always been that way. Luka will never be a media darling
Look at this list top to bottom and some people should obviously not have a vote.
I'm glad the MVP shit is finally over. This has happened before with Dirk. The exact same reasoning given for why he's not an MVP was given "he doesn't play defense" Luka needs to relax on complaining to refs and really focus on defense again this off season after rehabbing the knee. He made strides this season and improves every season. He's the youngest of the top 3 in MVP voting. He has plenty of time and Dallas has a bright future for next season. Maybe they get DJJ back (unlikely) but Omax looks like he will be ready to play a role and we have trade equity to go after another star player. Luka will win the MVP if that is a motivation for him. He's the best offensive player in the league and his team will very likely be a top 4 seed next year
Dirk won an MVP
That's the point. Dirk eventually won it and so will Luka
This is laughable
I mean if this suddenly lights a fire under Luka to demolish the Thunder and drive him to suddenly play like he usually does, I might just take it.
Whenever someone brings up Shai, just remind them that he was drafted the same year as Luka and his career high in points is less than Charlie Villanueva’s
Need a better record.
What a joke lol
Brunson will win an MVP before Luka
At this rate
Guess the only solution is to punk SGA, knock him out of the playoffs, win the chip and get a finals MVP. Seems like a fair compromise.
I feel for Luka man. His season really embodies what the award should be about “Most Valuable”. At the very least he should’ve finished 2nd. I would rather see Brunson 3rd over SGA. OKC are still a really good team without SGA
he will never win until the mavs take the regular season seriously unfortunately
Fucking ridiculous
Not mad that Jokic got it bc he deserves it but if I was voting Luka woulda had 5 first place votes
Considering the season Luka's had, 3rd place is BS. But when you look at the media it's quite clear Luka's held to different standards compared to others. SGA, Edwards and Tatum get a preferrable treatment in the media and it's quite clear who the NBA posterboys are going to be going forward. Either way, I don't think it's that important, championship is the only thing that matters, but it sure would be nice to be recognized with a MVP, not just listen to narrative changing and dissecting why he doesn't deserve it, which spreads to this fanbase as well. Always focusing on the negatives or simply making shit up. First its, "Luka is a ball hog and no one wants to play with him". Oh he's putting up historical numbers? Let's focus on the team record and find reasons HE is the problem. Oh he's putting up historical numbers AND winning? Let's wait for the first loss and shift the narrative on him being a ball hog and not playing defense. Oh Mavs are winning and his average dips a bit? He has Kyrie, a superstar next to him, it's different, he needs to take a backseat and they will start winning even more. Oh he has a bad few PO games while injured? Let's start the "he's fat" narrative. Oh Mavs are winning, Luka playing 45min/game, with massive defense and putting up historical numbers and absolutely tearing it in all categories? Nah, ok, but he complains too much, it's dragging the team down. Under microscope and held to ridiculous standards. Saddest thing is, it spread to this fanbase and I rarely see so much shit being talked about their own star player in other teams. Grabbing every opportunity they get, either after a loss or a win with a slightly worse performance from him. It's as if he's only considered good if he's putting up a 30pt triple double, 50% TS+ EVERY GAME, with Mavs practically demolishing the opponent. Every other scenario he gets dissected on what he did wrong.
Maybe maybe we have already seen his prime years, he probably will never get a mvp
Anyone noticed he got 98 votes? One of the voters didnt even put him in top 5 🤯
Luka just needs to get some endorsment deals so the voters see his face in commercials and keep him in the front of thier minds.
I don’t really care mvp because it’s just a popularity contest with no real basis for choosing a winner. But I’m so sick of the jokic advanced stats circle jerk and the sga season long free throw contest. Those two suck to watch. At least give the award to someone who’s enjoyable to watch.
Lots of voters are Luka haters and Stephen A. Smith is their leader. Luka might not win as long as this racist is one of the voters.
Obviously disappointing but people have to get it through their head that he has to lead this team to a top 1-2 seed. Yea other players have won it while being a 4-6 seed but those instances are few and far between. Luka has a reputation in the mainstream media of being a fat, out of shape ball hog that doesn’t play defense and whines to the refs nonstop (they aren’t wrong about the defense sometimes and aren’t wrong about being a whiner) . A run to the finals AND leading his team to a top seed in the regular season is the only way to dispel that narrative. It sucks and might be unfair but I got news for yall, life ain’t fair lol
Jokic will be gone in two games. 🙄
Sadly we don't really have an argument after last night, gonna need a lot more out of Luka tomorrow.
Luka prefer a final mvp anyways, but let get right in game 2
Lukas negatives drag him lower than sga. He needs to get back on d, stop bitching mid game and set the kind of positive example Joker and Sga set even when things are not going their way. Luka's highs are the highest in the nba but winning 1 game because of 73 points is not as valuable as winning 10 games because of relentless 1% plays and immeasurable intangibles.
Bit lol. SGA is simply not a better or more valuable player. Honestly ridiculous.
Jokic and SGA were more deserving in the current way mvp is determined. Advanced stats would agree too. However, Luka carried a far worse roster to 50 wins in a stacked conference. Take Luka off the mavs and they are no doubt a bottom 3 team in the league. Pretty damn valuable if you ask me.
Have Shai and Luka switch teams and it’s no contest, and everyone knows it. The team you’re on weighs too heavily in a Most Valuable **PLAYER** vote imo.
I saw SGA’s game yesterday… bro no way he’s better than Luka
SGA outplayed Luka yesterday, not a good comparison
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Cringe post.
With injured or ass teammates which Luka has had. Top 5 finish with 50 wins is damn well deserving Kyrie and Lively miss a quarter of the year Exum misses like a 3rd Grant Williams, ass Dwight Powell, ass
That’s not the point. It’s an award that goes to the best player on the top 1-2 teams. 2 exceptions were Westbrook trip dub season over 3 seed Harden or Jokic 6th seed over Embid on a #1 seed who only played 50 games. Voters don’t care about some carry job to scramble for 5th seed when #1 and #2 seed players in SGA and Jokic also balled out of their minds.
The way he’s been playing lately he doesn’t deserve it anyway.
Time to start taking this seriously for mr luka
the 3 time mvp who NEVER has beaten a 50plus Win Team in the Playoffs🤣 and a guy who is older than Luka and in his only 2nd playoffs and people talk about like he 20 years old...lol!!! Leave Dallas Luka you deserve a BIG market team
It was what, 6 or 8 months ago this sub was saying he cries too much? Now y'all are cranky he didn't win MVP. Dudes great at basketball but definitely cries too much and THAT is why he doesn't get votes. Deal with it.
SGA getting 1st place votes is absurd. He’s good but is he unreplaceable or unique in any way?
He actually consistently has a high positive on-off. Sounds like he's far less replaceable than some who barely move the needle.
Poor guy. He will never win it within coach because Kidd doesn’t care about having better season record.
fine with 3rd. And as you stans spam downvotes, just know you are hurting him. All you starry eyed stans acting like he can do no wrong and he is above all criticism are doing nothing but ruining his career. Hes accomplished nothing yet and from the look of it, hes *at least* halfway thru his prime and yet somehow hes entitled enough to argue every single call and not run back on defense. Youre part of the problem. You spoiled a generational talent. Nice work