Debating the Finals MVP Choice: SGA vs. Jalen Williams

SportsGrid

Watch Debating the Finals MVP Choice: SGA vs. Jalen Williams - SportsGrid on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Try and talk through the finals MVP market if you think it's maybe even up for debate right now, either side of it.

00:05I'll start on the Shea-JW debate that was bubbling a little bit going into game number six.

00:14I found the Jalen Williams argument to be non-existent, and then he was minus 40 in game six.

00:24I mean, I know it's not like, you know, Shea's minus 17 was necessarily something to write home about,

00:29but I'm not sure minus 40, when you were already nowhere near as good as Shea in the series, is something that can be overcame.

00:37Coach, your thoughts on the Thunder portion of the finals MVP race?

00:41There is no conversation. It's over.

00:44So, you know, obviously when you look at it, you know, J-Dub, could he have a great game seven?

00:49Yes, but SJ has been far away, been the better player.

00:52That's why if you start looking at the game, you know, the Thunder being minus 290,

00:57if you want to just go money line, I would just go SGA minus 240 to win the MVP

01:01because I don't see a pathway for J-Dub or anyone else for that team, Tom,

01:07to even have a chance on getting the MVP.

01:10Like, this is the discussion we have in a lot of different sports for awards,

01:15and SGA is the right answer. SGA is going to win it.

01:18The argument people want to say is, like, oh, what would it take for Williams to win the award?

01:24He legitimately needs to have 50 points.

01:26Like, that's an exaggeration.

01:29And a bad SGA game.

01:33So, like, everything that you see right now, it's like SGA averages more points.

01:37Yes, the J-Dub is highlighted by a 40-point performance, which SGA does not have.

01:42He has not scored 40 in the finals.

01:45But the totality, and again, the body of work that SGA has put up is better than J-Dub.

01:51And the recency bias of, like, oh, my God, 40 points.

01:53Like, he would literally need to go out and score 50 points for me to entertain the argument

01:57that it's not going to be SGA.

01:59And seeing 50 points in Game 7 would be monumental.

02:03Like, it would be a literal all-time performance.

02:05Well, it also would throw away the fact that you and I think that the game is probably going under.

02:08Absolutely. That's what I'm saying.

02:10It would go against everything, and SGA would be scoring 15 points.

02:14And they're like, listen, we're just going to give the ball to Williams because he's not missing,

02:16which is not going to happen.

02:17I just think really quick, if you are big on maybe you think that Jalen Williams has a chance,

02:22which none of us think he does, then I would just go to the alt mark and just go 25-plus points

02:26and plus 158.

02:27Very fair.

02:28Just very fair.

02:29I'll just go there.

02:30Even 30.

02:31Even 30.

02:32Plus 40.

02:32Like, 30 is along the lines of what we're saying, but it still wouldn't get him to the MVP.

02:38Right, right.

02:39Agreed.

02:40Shea is averaging significantly more points more efficiently while also assisting more

02:44and being more impactful on defense.

02:45Okay, so that's not even close.

02:47Yeah, again, I...

02:48We're all in agreement.

02:48It would require a monumental game for Williams to win.

02:51Yeah, absolutely.

02:51The Pacer side is either more of a debate or not really because people also, you know,

02:56could think it is Pascal.

02:58Pascal averaging at the moment 20 points per game along with eight boards and four assists,

03:02averaging three stocks when you round up.

03:05Tyrese Halliburton is averaging 15 points a game with five rebounds and seven assists,

03:09averaging two stocks when you round up.

03:11So far, Pascal Siakam has provided more consistency.

03:14I think that Tyrese Halliburton has provided more of what this team needs in order for them

03:22to win the series.

03:23Ultimately, through the first three games, I didn't find this to be particularly close.

03:28I know some did.

03:29I did not.

03:30Tyrese Halliburton's shot is worth a lot more than Pascal scoring 28 and a loss.

03:36I firmly believe that.

03:38But also, Tyrese Halliburton's 14 points and five assists that he had in game number six

03:43are not going to wow or go, oh, oh, oh.

03:46Well, he was plus 25 in 23 minutes.

03:48He was the most impactful player in the game.

03:52Now, it's going to swing, of course, on game number seven.

03:56But I think the market is still treating it somewhat more like, ah, Pascal's got a comfortable

04:02lead.

04:02That's not something I agree with, Tom.

04:04I don't either.

04:06And this comes down to recency bias, recent performance, box score watching.

04:13But as we have continuously talked about, not just for this year's, but the playoffs overall,

04:20what Halliburton is good at doesn't always show up in terms of box score.

04:25And that is very important.

04:26And a literal driving factor of why they win games.

04:30It's very simple.

04:31Well, very simply put, if you look at the three games that they've won, 14, 10, and

04:36six, 22, 11, and nine, and then the 14 points in 23 minutes, I think it should just be a

04:43hell of a lot closer to this number for Tyrese Halliburton.

04:46Because if he has a big game in game seven, he could steal it.

04:49Now, here's the crazy thing.

04:50He'll never get it.

04:51He'll never sniff it.

04:53But there's a part of me that wants to put a couple of dollars.

04:56No, stop.

04:57Don't do this.

04:58Go ahead.

04:58No, go ahead.

04:59Ready?

04:59Oh, God.

05:00Ready?

05:01Who in every big moment for Indiana seems to be on the floor?

05:05TJ McConnell.

05:06Every time.

05:08Listen.

05:08That is crazy.

05:09A dollar.

05:10Not an A.

05:11Not the mortgage.

05:12Just a dollar.

Category

Transcript

Recommended