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Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals to clinch their fourth championship. Though the Celtics were the favorites to win the title, the Warriors got over the hump. Somehow locking down Tatum in the Fianals worked for the Warriors.
This season, the Celtics are the best team in the league and there is not an argument against that. They have the best record in the East, along with the enitre league. The Celtics lead the second seed in the East by eight wins and second-best in the league by five wins. Tatum has been the leader for the Celtics on both ends of the floor, and yet he is fifth in the MVP voting.
On his “The Draymond Green Show,” the Warriors star expressed his confusion over Tatum’s ranking in the MVP race. According to Green, and mostly how it has been, the best player on the best team is the leading candidate in the race. However, the same is not being considered in Tatum’s case.
The four-time NBA champion noted that the same criteria somehow are not being applied to Tatum.
“Sometimes it's like that team is winning and that guy is the best player and playing well and like in this situation clearly that's not the goalpost…has shifted dramatically because in this guy's case, he is fifth and they got a seven and a half game lead in the conference. That goalpost is moving on JT,” Draymond remarked.
Green later conjectured that Tatum not being taken seriously is because he hasn’t won a championship.
“JT will not be taken serious for the MVP until he win a championship and it hasn't been that way for everybody else,” Green added.
Green again pointed out that Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo were all MVPs even before they won any title. Moreover, these players also didn’t necessarily have the best record in the league.
In Week 17, Jokic is leading the MVP race after Joel Embiid was removed since he will not be able to complete 65-game mark. Nikola Jokic is followed by OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Tatum at the fifth spot.
Draymond Green heaps praise on Nikola Jokic after Warriors loss to Nuggets
Despite Draymond Green coming back after suspension, the Warriors haven't been able to find their best form. They are ranked 10th in the Western Conference with a 29-27 record. On Sunday night, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets handed them their 27th loss.
Jokic finished the game with 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists. After the game, Draymond Green admitted on his podcast that Jokic got the best of him. Green admitted that he absolutely had no answer for the Serbian star.
“Joker went for 32, 16 and 16. He gave me complete hell tonight,” Green said.
“I have had my fair share of matchups against Joker. I have given him a little bit of hell on some nights but he gave me complete hell. I had absolutely no answers."I am going to laugh about it because either you laugh or you cry. I had absolutely no answers tonight. He was brilliant,” Green added.
Draymond Green also added the real issue was the fact that he couldn't keep up with Jokic running up and down the floor. That said, Green also added that the Warriors are still capable of beating the Nuggets in the playoffs.
