The latest NBA MVP rankings are too critical of Giannis Antetokounmpo, no thanks to the games he missed last week.
He is tied at third with Luka Doncic, behind No. 1 Nikola Jokic and No. 2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The rankings have not been kind to him throughout the season. He has yet to occupy the No. 1 spot, even though he is tied with Jokic and SGA in terms of Player of the Month won.
He is not a favorite, although he is statistically better than the two.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo should get some MVP love (to win his third), but as his coach, Doc Rivers, explains, viewers and voters are fatigued.
"I don't even want to get into it, but there's been guys that you get tired of voting for," he said early in March.
"Michael [Jordan] may be the poster child of that. And Giannis seems to be in that category; where you're so good, everything you do is taken for granted."
The Greek Freak should be at the top of the MVP ladder and he's showing out every time he faces the other candidates.
Beating the best to be the best
It goes unnoticed, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's performances against title and MVP contenders should make the news.
Giannis shows up every time he goes head-to-head with the best players in the league. He is currently 4-1 against the three other candidates.
The latest is against the Thunder and SGA, where he dropped 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a blow-out win.
His stats against Jokic and Doncic are astounding as if he is making a statement.
Giannis vs Jokic first happened in January. The Milwaukee Bucks forward put up 29 points and 14 rebounds in the loss, which was decided by just 6 points.
In their rematch in February, Giannis put up 36-18-5 in a dominant win.
As for Doncic, he may be a super-scorer, but Giannis has his numbers in their last two encounters.
The Greek Freak averaged 44 ppg in their last two meetings, both ending in wins.
Giannis' continuous improvement
People still think Giannis has no bag, even though he is the only active player in the league who has made it to the Top 5 in scoring in the last seven seasons, including the current one.
The scoring always comes for him, but his passing is a noticeable improvement in his game.
This season, he dished out passes one would never expect from a big man like him.
He consciously tries to improve the development in this facet of his game.
"I've been willing to pass the ball more and guys have been knocking down shots," Antetokounmpo said last month.
"I think it's a combination of both. At the end of the day, in order for you to be successful, it's gotta be a mixture of both. I feel like lately - I understand that we need everybody to be great in order for us to win and we need to knock down shots in order for us to win. I think I've been more willing lately to make the right pass, and they've been knocking down shots for sure."
Antetokounmpo is better than the other MVP candidates during games that matter and better than his past self.
For that, he should win the MVP award.
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