Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the MVP of the Western Conference finals on Monday in the 2023 NBA Playoffs after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers, and did so by becoming the player with most triple-doubles in a single postseason.
Jokic, 28, recorded his eighth triple-double of the playoffs in Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena to leave Wilt Chamberlain (7) in the rearview, a record that had stood for decades.
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The two-time league MVP led Denver to it first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history on the day that Carmelo Anthony, a Nuggets legend, announced his retirement from the league.
Anthony, 38, was unable to win a ring in his career and now Jokic has the chance at doing just that.
He will face the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, which could also be a sweep.
Nikola Jokic better than Joel Embiid?
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid won the league MVP award this season to stop Jokic from becoming the first-ever player to win it three straight times since Larry Bird.
NBA Twitter is now adamant that Jokic deserved it and use his team’s finals berth as proof, but the league MVP award is for regular season performances, and Embiid did outplay the Joker all year long.
Jamal Murray also had an incredible WCF performance, scoring 37 points in both Game 2 and 3, and 25 in the closeout contest.
The 2023 NBA Finals start Thursday, June 1, so there could be more than a week-long wait if Miami eliminates Boston on Tuesday.
