Will this NBA season feature one of the closest Most Valuable Player votes in league history?
If ESPN's final MVP straw poll of 2022-23 is any indication, buckle up, as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has overtaken Denver Nuggets center and two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
By two points.
Not only did Embiid edge Jokic in total points -- 790 to 788 -- but Jokic actually had more first-place votes (42 for Jokic, 40 for Embiid). The difference: Embiid finished in second place on 45 ballots -- six more than Jokic -- to give the Sixers big man a slight lead over his rival.