“Re-energized MVP” Nikola Jokic’s Comeback Triggers Kevin Garnett’s Optimism Despite Minnesota’s Setback

Kevin Garnett doesn’t have to agree with this season’s MVP results to know what winning feels like. The 2004 MVP is keeping a close eye on his former team’s series that’s tied 2-2 now. He might be seeing a whole new form of Nikola Jokic since winning his third MVP title. But he’s still rooting for his Wolves. After leading the series, the defending champs have tied it 2-2 off the efforts of The Joker. That’s far from disheartening for The Big Ticket. Garnett, in fact, sees this as a clean slate for Minnesota.

After rightfully pointing out on X, “It’s like the MVP re-energized Joker,” KG sees this as a restart for the series and for Anthony Edwards to make it a best 2 out of 3 wins for the Timberwolves. “Eff it… 0-0!!! Let’s get it,” he wrote directed at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

No matter what the status of his relations with the organization, KG has been consistently rooting for Edwards who made 44 points in Minnesota’s Game 4 loss. The Nuggets won 115-107 with Jokic making 35 points and much-needed assistance from Jamal Murray’s 19 points and Aaron Gordon’s 27 points.

The semifinals became interesting when Jokic seized the 2024 MVP title. He received 79 votes for a season where he averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game to lead the Nuggets to third seed in the West. Garnett was previously hoping for Anthony Edwards to win that honor, but he had a new favorite among the finalists. And it wasn’t The Joker.

Kevin Garnett left disappointed by MVP results

In the immediate aftermath of Jokic’s MVP win, KG expressed his thoughts on KG Certified. For him, OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who won 15 votes, deserved more than Jokic. SGA averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. As KG would argue, he was undeniably valuable to lead the young Thunder team to #1 in the West and within title contention.

“It’s a regular season award, and usually the best player on your team usually represents the best team. So I thought Shai should have had [the MVP]. He’s on the best team in the league… it’s a regular-season award,” Garnett said. He even felt Jayson Tatum was a better choice.

Garnett is not alone. Shaquille O’Neal was rooting for SGA before and still is. The next best thing he can do to make these veterans happy is to win the championship. But Garnett is hoping the Timberwolves will serve the reigning champs and upset this series and go the farthest. Do you think it’s a restart for the Wolves as KG believes?