Mark Jackson Missed A Golden Opportunity To Become An All Time Villain And Leave Nikola Jokic Off Of His NBA Finals MVP Ballot
For those with goldfish memories, there was much-to-do at the end of this season because Mark Jackson left Nikola Jokic off his regular season MVP ballot. The only expert who gets to cast a ballot to do so.
Jackson voted Embiid in first place, Antetokounmpo in second, Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum in third, Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in fourth place and Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell in fifth place.
Like an idiot, he half apologized, half made an excuse that he mistakenly left Jokic off his ballot.
He further explained his MVP voting gaffe during a brief appearance on the SiriusXM radio show, "NBA Today," saying he mistakenly voted for All-NBA teams instead of MVP. (Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic, Embiid, Gilgeous-Alexander and Tatum made First Team. Jokic made second team.)
"I am thinking, how did I make that mistake?" Jackson said. "You can tell, I put one center, two forwards and two guards, so I wasn't even thinking. I apologize to the Denver Nuggets, I apologize to Nikola Jokić, who is not only in the MVP discussion and deserved to be on my ballot, but he's one of the greatest players in the history of this game. He's a top-10 center of all time."
He continued: "I would have still voted for Joel Embiid the MVP, but with Giannis and Joker second and third."
That didn't stop Charles Barkley from fucking destroying him during the playoffs.
Charles Barkley publicly criticized the sportswriter who omitted Jokic from the ballot on TNT's "Inside the NBA" earlier this week before the identity of the voter was revealed: "There's one person — I don't even know this fool's name — didn't even have (Jokic) in the top 5. People like that shouldn't get a vote… He's a (expletive) idiot."
We toasted Jackson's chestnuts by an open fire a little bit on here the last month as well. It was painful once again listening to him be an absolute ANVIL to Mike Breen during this entire postseason, but he made an extra ridiculous comment after the 76ers got bounced once again early, blowing a 3-1 series lead to boot, saying Doc Rivers is a Hall Of Fame Coach.
At this point Jackson is becoming Chris Broussard 2.0 in terms of commentary.
But he could have changed all of that tonight, and become stinking filthy rich(er) in the process.
Instead of going out of his way to let the world know he voted for Jokic for Finals MVP tonight, he should have left him off and instead voted for Murray. Or fuck it, go nuts and Vote Butler or Adebayo.
Instead of saying this,
He could have doubled down, said fuck Jokic, and went full heel.
He would have gained not just mine, but so many peoeple's (trolls like WSD) respect. He'd actually have a (small, braindead) legion of fans who'd back him and make him more appealing to ESPN. They'd probably line him up with Stephen A. Smith to debate as a poor man's Skip Bayless. He could just lob up moronic meatballs for Stephen A to take upper deck over and over and carve out a decent little new career path for himself. Because there is no way ESPN is keeping him around to continue to make the incomprable Mike Breen weighed down.
p.s. -
p.p.s. - here are my other thoughts in bullet points from this series/season
couldn't agree more with my guy Logan here. Genius couldn't even speak into the mic here and he gave the most half-assed "thank you" to the fans you've ever heard. "we couldn't have done it without you". for crying out loud man. luckily, Malone came in immediately after, and effusively thanked the great people of Denver like the class act he is.
agreed. fuck them.
it's seriously one of the craziest things ever when you think about it. in this day in age, where things have probably never been more about me, me, me, and I, I, I, you have one of the best humans to ever play the game of basketball deflecting compliments, and credit like its cooties. he is incredibly humble. humble isn't even the word. I know this is how baseball players in the old days used to be- classy, but that's how everyone was back then. mannered. I haven't seen anything like it (besides TB12 of course) in my lifetime. He wants absolutely nothing to do with the spotlight. Just wants to fucking win, and ride his horses.
Reags wrote probably the best explanation for it that I've yet to see in his blog tonight. (Read it)
I'm starting to think Jokic has no emotion because of his brothers. They just take up all of it. Anyone with siblings knows what I'm talking about. You have the loud sibling, the one who is always starting shit and the one who just hangs out. That's Nikola as his brothers toss Michael Malone around like a feather.
Bingo! That's definitely the brother Jokic is. To a T.