The Rush: Jokic wins MVP, Curry makes history and Horford turns back the clock
The Warriors were missing head coach Steve Kerr and the Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant, which set up a dramatic finish to give Golden State the Game 4 win and 3-1 series lead. Led by 35-year-old Al Horford, the Celtics beat up on Giannis and the Bucks to even their series at 2-2. Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic won the NBA MVP award, much to the disappointment of 76ers fans. PLUS: Find out why the Warriors Game 4 win was extra special, and maybe extra important, to assistant coach Mike Brown.
Video Transcript
- Eight-point lead for the Grizz. Curry turns the corner. Curry! A sleight of hand!
JARED QUAY: Ja Morant missed Game 4 of the Grizzlies-Warriors series with an injury. But for Memphis, it was no Ja, no problem.
- On the interior, Bane tosses it up. It's in! Desmond Bane beats the buzzer on an excuse-me 3!
JARED QUAY: Until the last 45 seconds of the game, when Warriors took their first lead of the night on Steph Curry free throws and never looked back. Curry was feeling as spicy as he scored 18 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and dropped an NBA record 500 playoff 3-point shots.
- Curry! It's Curry with a downtown hit!
JARED QUAY: The Warriors jumped out to a 3-1 series lead without head coach Steve Kerr in Game 4, who tested positive for COVID. So in stepped assistant coach Mike Brown, just hours after accepting an offer to become the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
- He was named head coach twice in 24 hours. I felt like we got traded to the Kings overnight.
JARED QUAY: And to be honest, the Kings might've rescinded their offer to Brown if the Warriors had lost to a Ja-less Grizzlies team. Can't do that.
Game 4 between the Celtics and Bucks looked painful. Guys are throwing elbows like it was a St. Patty's Day parade. But that is to be expected when you got one of the best defenses going head to head with the 6'11" freight train named Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished the game with 34 points and 18 rebounds.
- Stopped here with a throw down.
JARED QUAY: But the Celtics were able to counter that with 35-year-old Al Horford?
- Horford gets by Giannis and throws it down! And one!
JARED QUAY: In fact, Horford went at it with Giannis a few times, and Al held his own. I mean, the guy who's known as "Average Al" scored a playoff career high of 30 points, as the Celtics grabbed a 116-108 victory, evening the series at two games apiece. Hopefully, everybody is recovered by the time Game 5 rolls around, because I need a massage just watching this one.
Well, we finally know who is the NBA MVP, and it is controversial.
- Controversy means viewers.
JARED QUAY: Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic is taking on the hardware for the second consecutive season. And on one hand, it makes perfect sense. Just look at these stats. But Philly fans have a legitimate gripe that their guy, Joel Embiid, didn't get the MVP nod. I get the award is supposed to be based on regular season play. But if the second-round of the playoffs against the Heat is any indication, Embiid is important as hell to the 76ers.
All the MVP credentials talk aside, I want to point out that poking the beehive that is Philadelphia sports fans is dangerous for everybody. I mean, these folks booed Santa Claus, for crying out loud.
- Dear Santa, [BLEEP] you and [BLEEP] Christmas.
JARED QUAY: Maybe they should just take the award back from Jokic and give it to him, just to protect national security, am I right?
I mean, let's be honest, the NBA don't always get it right with MVP. Let's think about it. Kobe Bryant has one MVP trophy. He led the league in scoring like five seasons! And LeBron only got four. He's played 17 amazing seasons and only got four trophies? I mean, Steph Curry did have those two great seasons, but he's never got a Finals MVP, so why does he have two regular season MVP trophies? You tell me that, Adam Silver. I get it, he made the NBA great. But according to MVP trophies, you have been a bum, and Roger Goodell owns you!
