The 2021-22 NBA season comes to an end tomorrow. On the last day of the NBA could see a lot of movements, in the standings and even awards races. One of which will be for the scoring title between Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. A race till the last basked which looks reminiscent of Shaq and David Robinson’s race in 1992.
Tomorrow, the teams under the most spotlight will be the Nuggets, Jazz, Warriors, Mavericks, 76ers, Celtics, and Bucks.
Joel Embiid may not want to repeat the mistake Shaq made 30 years ago
Currently, Joel Embiid has 2079 points and is averaging 30.6 points per game. Giannis Antetokounmpo has 2002 points and is averaging 29.9 points per game. Embiid has a 77 point lead over Giannis with a game in hand. This overwhelming number could be more than enough for Embiid to crown himself the champion right now itself.
Joel Embiid pretty much has the scoring title in the bag.
Even if he plays the last game of the season tomorrow and scores 0 points, Giannis would have to score 47 to pass him.
If Embiid sits out tomorrow, Giannis needs 78 points. pic.twitter.com/QGk1kk7oXZ
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 9, 2022
However, the door is not completely closed for Giannis. There is a tiny spot through which Giannis could do the impossible. On the off chance that Joel does not play his very crucial game tonight and Giannis plays out of his mind, he could pull off a miracle. Those are a lot of ifs and things left up to chance.
But a very similar tale unfolded in the 1992-93 NBA season. Shaq was in his 2nd season in the league and had a 33 point lead over David Robinson going into the last game. Shaq scored 32 points against the Nets in the final game of the season. However, Robinson wanted to beat Shaq badly and the Spurs helped him score a career, season, and franchise-high 71 points against the Clippers.
Robinson did this on the last and most insignificant game of the season to become the scoring champion. Giannis has a much bigger hill to climb but Robinson set the example that it isn’t impossible to pull off.
Could we see Giannis Antetokounmpo have the greatest game of his career against the Cavaliers tonight and essentially steal away the scoring title from the hands of Joel Embiid? The stage for that to happen is surely set.