All signs point to NBA wrongfully robbing Luka Doncic later this season

The Dallas Mavericks are fresh off a big-time win against the Miami Heat. This win secured a playoff matchup against the LA Clippers where Dallas and LA will face off in a playoff series for the third time in five seasons.

The first two times these two teams faced off, it ended in Dallas getting bounced in the first round both times, despite historic performances from Luka Doncic. However, the Mavericks arguably have their best shot yet at overthrowing their longtime rival.

Since the All-Star break, Dallas has had a net rating of second in the league, only behind the Boston Celtics, and a combined defensive rating of fifth in the NBA. However, the same cannot be said for the Clippers as they have struggled to maintain a healthy roster since the trade deadline.

All signs point to the NBA robbing Luka Doncic of the 2024 MVP

There seems to be some optimism amongst Mavs fans that Doncic could finally beat the Clippers in the playoffs because Doncic is arguably having his best season yet and has been a top-three MVP candidate all season long.

Over the Mavericks' last 18 games, the team has gone 16-2 in that stretch, while Doncic and Kyrie Irving have played their best basketball of the season. For a long time, Doncic wasn't being considered for the MVP award due to his team's performance, but after winning 50 games, this debate seems to be nonlogical.

However, the NBA is still figuring out ways to discredit Doncic for his MVP candidacy. After NBA.com released their latest and final MVP ladder on Friday morning, it became abundantly clear to fans of the sport that the league is robbing Doncic of a chance at his first MVP award after ranking Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of him. The odds across all sportsbooks are also heavily favoring Jokic.

Doncic has broken many records this season that fans thought were unbreakable, but still, the NBA and many voters have turned a blind eye to Doncic's brilliance. It is unclear what agendas the league and voters are holding against Doncic in favor of Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander, but after scoring 73 points in Atlanta earlier this season, the media downplayed the importance of his performance.

As the season grows closer to the playoffs, it seems more and more unlikely that Doncic will win his first MVP award, and it looks like it'll be Jokic. An argument can definitely be made that Jokic deserves it, but having Gilgeous-Alexander over Doncic would make zero sense at all.

Despite this unfortunate news, Dallas should focus their attention on the upcoming playoff series against the LA Clippers.

For more updates on Luka Doncic's MVP case and the Mavericks upcoming playoff matchup, stay plugged in.