By Tim Bontemps | ESPN, 2024-12-20 21:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
周一下午，在拉斯维加斯举行的 NBA 杯决赛中对阵扬尼斯·阿德托昆博(Giannis Antetokounmpo)和密尔沃基雄鹿队之前，俄克拉荷马城雷霆队的球星谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大(Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)在 T-Mobile 球馆的墙边向本赛季的 MVP 投票者传递了一个信息。
“在这项运动中，如果你不赢球，一切都没有意义，”这位西部联盟领头羊球队的领袖亚历山大告诉 ESPN。“而且这个奖项的评选是在季后赛结束之前完成的，所以那些比赛不会被考虑在内。所以我认为赢球应该很重要。”
“联盟中有很多有天赋的球员，有很多球员可以打出漂亮的数据，但胜利才是让你脱颖而出的关键，过去一直如此。这也是让伟大球员变得伟大的原因——因为他们赢球。而那些不赢球的球员，这总是他们的一个缺陷。”
随着赛季的展开，赢球——亚历山大和雷霆队从现在到四月中旬媒体提交投票这段时间可能会经常做到——肯定会在这个竞争激烈的 NBA 最高个人荣誉的角逐中起到关键作用。
但正如 ESPN 的首个 NBA MVP 民意调查显示的那样，雷霆队在周二的杯赛决赛中输给字母哥和雄鹿队表明，投票者的想法变化有多快，以及差距可能会变得多么微小。
这项民意调查最初是在 NBA 杯决赛前大约 24 小时内进行的。但在字母哥打出 26 分、19 个篮板、10 次助攻、2 次抢断和 3 次盖帽的主宰表现，而亚历山大虽然得到 21 分，但 24 投仅 8 中，失误 (3 次) 比助攻 (2 次) 还多之后，ESPN 再次联系了所有 100 位投票者。
结果，有 29 位投票者选择更改他们的投票，这导致字母哥的首轮投票总数增加了一倍多，并显著缩小了他与排名第二的亚历山大之间的差距。字母哥的跃升使他领先于排名第四的波士顿凯尔特人队前锋杰森·塔图姆(Jayson Tatum)和排名第五的达拉斯独行侠队后卫卢卡·东契奇(Luka Dončić)。
但丹佛掘金队的中锋尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokić)再次领跑。
在过去四年中赢得了三次 MVP 之后，这位中锋有望追平勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)和比尔·拉塞尔(Bill Russell)，成为 NBA 历史上仅有的在五年内四次获得该奖项的球员。约基奇将成为第六位获得如此多 MVP 的球员，加入卡里姆·阿卜杜尔-贾巴尔（6 次）、迈克尔·乔丹（5 次）、比尔·拉塞尔（5 次）、威尔特·张伯伦（4 次）和勒布朗·詹姆斯（4 次）的行列。
在这次民意调查中，约基奇获得了 100 票中的 57 张第一名选票和 829 总积分。这使他连续第三次在这个民意调查中领先于亚历山大，这位雷霆队后卫获得了 24 张第一名选票和 677 总积分。
在本赛季进行三分之一的情况下，这场竞争的基调很明确：约基奇、亚历山大和字母哥已经明显地将自己与其他竞争者区分开来。事实上，以至于可能需要出现伤病才能将竞争范围扩大到排名更靠后的球员。（这是过去六个赛季以来，首次在初始民意调查中只有三名球员获得至少一张第一名选票，并且这三位球星占据了总票数的 82.6%。）
2024-25 赛季 NBA MVP 民意调查 1.0
| 球员 | 球队 | 第一名 | 第二名 | 第三名 | 第四名 | 第五名 | 总票数 | 总积分 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 尼古拉·约基奇 | DEN | 57 | 23 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 827 |
| 2. 谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 | OKC | 24 | 36 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 678 |
| 3. 扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 | MIL | 19 | 38 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 98 | 643 |
| 4. 杰森·塔图姆 | BOS | 0 | 3 | 13 | 51 | 28 | 95 | 267 |
| 5. 卢卡·东契奇 | DAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 40 | 67 | 123 |
| 6. 多诺万·米切尔(Donovan Mitchell) | CLE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 30 |
| 7. 卡尔-安东尼·唐斯(Karl-Anthony Towns) | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| 8. 凯文·杜兰特(Kevin Durant) | PHX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 9. 杰伦·布伦森(Jalen Brunson) | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 10. 斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry) | GS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 并列第 11. 安东尼·戴维斯(Anthony Davis) | LAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 并列第 11. 维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) | SA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 并列第 11. 安东尼·爱德华兹(Anthony Edwards) | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 并列第 11. 贾·莫兰特(Ja Morant) | MEM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
截至周四，约基奇场均得到 30.9 分、13.3 个篮板、9.9 次助攻和 1.8 次抢断，投篮命中率为 55.8%，三分球命中率更是创下职业生涯新高的 48.9%。字母哥，这位 2019 年和 2020 年的双届 MVP，以超过 61% 的投篮命中率领跑联盟，场均得到 32.7 分、11.5 个篮板、6.1 次助攻和 1.8 次盖帽。但是，虽然两人都打出了惊人的数据，几乎凭借一己之力带领球队在开局缓慢后重回争夺行列，但亚历山大一直是 20 胜 5 负、排名第一的雷霆队的护身符。
“显然，这是我的目标，”亚历山大说道，他场均得到 30.3 分，投篮命中率为 51%，还有 5.5 个篮板、6.3 次助攻、1.9 次抢断和 1.0 次盖帽。“对于我内心 20 年前的小孩来说，（获得 MVP）是一个梦想成真，但你不能一步登天。你必须赢得它。这就是我所专注的。”
需要注意的是，获得赛季末奖项的 65 场比赛要求可能会在赛季后期因伤病而对这些排名造成巨大影响，对于排名靠后的球员来说，追赶似乎很困难。以塔图姆和米切尔为例。
米切尔的 MVP 竞争力集中体现在他是最佳球队中的最佳球员。但尽管克利夫兰取得了联盟最佳的 23 胜 4 负的开局，这位后卫仍然排在第六位。与此同时，塔图姆在过去六次民意调查中一直排在第四到第六名之间，这可以追溯到 2022-23 赛季的中段。
纽约尼克斯队中锋卡尔-安东尼·唐斯、菲尼克斯太阳队前锋凯文·杜兰特、尼克斯队后卫杰伦·布伦森、金州勇士队后卫斯蒂芬·库里、洛杉矶湖人队中锋安东尼·戴维斯、圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马、明尼苏达森林狼队后卫安东尼·爱德华兹和孟菲斯灰熊队后卫贾·莫兰特都获得了一些零散的选票。
另一方面，约基奇正寻求打破 MVP 民意调查领先者在赛季进行过程中逐渐落后的四年趋势。上赛季，乔尔·恩比德(Joel Embiid)在第一次民意调查中领先，但在 2024 年 2 月的更新之前，伤病使他失去了资格。在此之前，塔图姆在 2023 年排名第四，库里在 2022 年下滑至第八，詹姆斯在 2021 年下滑至第 14 位。
点击查看原文：NBA MVP straw poll - Where Jokic, Giannis, SGA and more stars rank
NBA MVP straw poll - Where Jokic, Giannis, SGA and more stars rank
Leaning against a wall inside T-Mobile Arena on Monday afternoon before facing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup final in Las Vegas, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a message to this season’s MVP voters.
“Nothing matters in this game if you don’t win,” Gilgeous-Alexander, the leader of the top team in the Western Conference, told ESPN. "And the award is finished being selected before the playoffs are finished, so those games don’t go into it. So I think it should matter a lot.
“There’s so many talented guys in the league, so many guys that can put up numbers, but winning is what sets you apart, and it’s been that way in the past. It’s what’s made the greats the greats – because they win. And the guys that don’t win, it’s always a knock on them.”
As the season unfolds, winning – something Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are likely to do plenty of between now and when media submit award ballots in mid-April – could certainly play a key role in determining another tightly contested race for the NBA’s top individual honor.
But as ESPN’s first NBA MVP straw poll reveals, OKC’s loss to Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in Tuesday’s Cup final showed how quickly voters can change their minds and how narrow the margins could become.
The straw poll was originally conducted in a roughly 24-hour period leading into the NBA Cup final. But after Antetokounmpo’s dominant performance with 26 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks while Gilgeous-Alexander had 21 points but shot 8-for-24 and had more turnovers (3) than assists (2), ESPN reached out again to all 100 voters.
As it turned out, 29 voters chose to alter their ballot, which resulted in Antetokounmpo more than doubling his first-place vote total and significantly narrowing the gap between him and Gilgeous-Alexander in second. Antetokounmpo’s jump created a massive lead over Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in fourth and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic in fifth.
But once again, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic leads the way.
After winning three of the past four MVPs, the big man is in position to match LeBron James and Bill Russell as the only players in NBA history to win the award four times in five years. Jokic would become just the sixth player to have that many, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5), Wilt Chamberlain (4) and James (4).
In the straw poll, Jokic took home 57 of the 100 first-place votes and 829 total points. That placed him, for the third straight time in this poll, ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander, as the Thunder guard racked up 24 first-place votes and 677 total points.
The tenor of the race, through one-third of the 2024-25 season, is clear: Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the contenders. So much so, in fact, that it will likely take an injury to extend the race to any player further down the list. (This was the first time in the past six seasons that the opening straw poll saw just three players receive at least one first-place vote, and the three stars accounted for 82.6% of the total vote.)
NBA 2024-25 MVP Straw Poll 1.0
| Player | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Totalvotes | Totalpoints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nikola Jokic | DEN | 57 | 23 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 827 |
| 2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 24 | 36 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 100 | 678 |
| 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 19 | 38 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 98 | 643 |
| 4. Jayson Tatum | BOS | 0 | 3 | 13 | 51 | 28 | 95 | 267 |
| 5. Luka Doncic | DAL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 40 | 67 | 123 |
| 6. Donovan Mitchell | CLE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 30 |
| 7. Karl-Anthony Towns | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| 8. Kevin Durant | PHX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 9. Jalen Brunson | NY | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 10. Stephen Curry | GS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| T-11. Anthony Davis | LAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| T-11. Victor Wembanyama | SA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| T-11. Anthony Edwards | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| T-11. Ja Morant | MEM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Jokic entered Thursday averaging 30.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while shooting 55.8% from the floor and a career-high shattering 48.9% from 3-point range. Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP winner in 2019 and 2020, is leading the league with 32.7 points on more than 61% shooting from the field with 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. But while both are putting up scorching numbers to almost single-handedly carry their teams back into contention after slow starts, Gilgeous-Alexander has been the talisman for the 20-5 and first-place Thunder.
“Obviously, it’s a goal of mine,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 30.3 points on 51% shooting with 5.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks, of chasing his first MVP award.
“[It’s a] dream come true for the little kid inside of me 20 years ago, but you can’t fast-forward to it. You have to earn it. That’s what I’m focusing on.”
With the caveat that the 65-game requirement to be eligible for season-ending awards could always wreak havoc with these rankings later in the season if injuries occur, it appears it will be difficult for those further down the list to catch up. Take Tatum and Donovan Mitchell, for example.
Mitchell’s MVP case centers on being the best player on the best team. But despite Cleveland’s NBA-best 23-4 start, the guard sits in sixth. Tatum, meanwhile, has now landed somewhere between fourth and sixth in each of the past six straw polls, dating to the midway point of the 2022-23 season.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant all received scattered votes.
Jokic, on the other hand, is looking to snap a four-year trend of MVP straw poll leaders fading in the race as the season goes on. Last season, Joel Embiid led the first poll before injuries made him ineligible heading into the February 2024 update. That was preceded by Tatum finishing fourth in 2023, Curry sliding to eighth in 2022 and James fading to 14th in 2021.
By Tim Bontemps | ESPN, via ESPN