The NBA‘s season is coming to a close very soon.
We are two weeks away from the play-in tournament, and eventually, the NBA playoffs.
A lot has happened throughout this season.
Whether it was Covid protocols hampering most of the teams, or it was the emergence of players and teams.
We love the storylines that make up every NBA season.
There are ones that we know coming into the season, but there are the storylines that manifest themselves out of nowhere.
Now with the postseason approaching, let’s see what are the two biggest storylines to watch in the homestretch.
Why Not Jokic?
The MVP race this year has been an interesting one, but also disappointing.
There have been several frontrunners this season, such as Lebron, Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Kevin Durant.
All of them, however, have fell out of the race due to injuries.
There has been one consistent member in the MVP race.
And that man is Nikola Jokic.
Nikola Jokic has been extremely dominant all season long.
The seven footer is averaging 26 PPG, 11 RPG, and 8 APG at the center position.
He is so close to accomplishing a 50/40/90 season, which would be remarkable at his size and position to accomplish that feat.
He is the frontrunner now, but that is still not stopping people from trying to rip the award away from Jokic.
ESPN has tried their best to discredit the big man.
First take has had segments dedicated to giving Damian Lillard or Stephen Curry the MVP.
Now Kendrick Perkins has been campaigning for Chris Paul to win; even calling him the real frontrunner.
People should stop with the Jokic is the clear favorite for MVP!!! TBH Chris Paul should be the favorite. Carry on… pic.twitter.com/ZKsgYCaQX0
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 3, 2021
Dame has missed some time and his Trail Blazers have been falling in the standings.
Steph has been out of this world during the entire season, but the Warriors are the 10th seed right now, whereas the Nuggets are the third seed.
Chris Paul has been great and the Suns are the number one seed in the West because of his leadership and play.
However, Paul is averaging just 16 PPG and 9 APG.
His numbers do not come close to Jokic’s numbers.
So why can’t the big man win the MVP?
Playoff Seeding and the Play-in Tournament
The playoffs are almost here.
Seeding is always important for teams during this time of the year, but it has been magnified with the play-in tournament.
Teams are trying their best to not fall to the 7th or 8th seed and avoid the tournament as a whole.
Some players around the league have voiced their frustrations with this tournament, including Lebron James.
LeBron James on the play-in tournament: "Whoever came up with that s— needs to be fired"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 3, 2021
It has shifted how to play during this last stretch.
In previous years, teams that were positioned in a certain spot would rest for the last week or so.
However, with this tournament, things have changed.
The Lakers wanted to coast the rest of this season, but now have to play hard in the final two weeks.
These last two weeks are going to be competitive from the first seed all the way to the tenth spot.
The Suns and Jazz are fighting for that top spot in the West.
Over in the East, the Sixers and Nets are battling for the one seed.
The East from fourth to eighth is extremely close as of right now.
These last two weeks will be as intense as we have ever seen before.
NEXT: What Should The Cavs Do With Kevin Love?