After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's clutch performance against the Denver Nuggets , it appears the apocalypse might be the only thing stopping the OKC Thunder guard from securing back-to-back MVPs.
For Stephen A. Smith , however, the race is far from over. Jaylen Brown , who in his eyes is the next in line, can still close the gap and tilt the results in his favor, depending on what he does over the team's next two road games.
SGA joined an elite group after torching the Nuggets last night for 35 points and 15 assists without a single turnover. The last person to pull that off was Tyrese Haliburton last year against the Milwaukee Bucks . Interestingly, Hali had four such games, all within a two-year range.
The Thunder has now won six straight with Gilgeous-Alexander back in the lineup after a 10-game absence. They have beaten the Nuggets twice during that span, with the reigning MVP registering a 36-point, nine-dime night in OT the first time around.
With these things considered, analysts are all but ready to hand over the Michael Jordan trophy to SGA. Kendrick Perkins , Stephen A.'s co-host on "First Take," believes that type of showing is the equivalent of Shai announcing, "he's still the best player in the world." DeMarcus Cousins echoed the same sentiment.
But as mentioned, there might still be a way for Brown to turn the tables.
" Jaylen Brown is a top 2 candidate for league MVP," Smith said . " There are two road games coming up this week: at San Antonio, and then against Shai, at Oklahoma City. Now, Jaylen Brown, that could go a long way, towards us looking at you… Now, even when Jayson Tatum is coming back… it's still you, Jaylen Brown, when you roll up into San Antonio, into Oklahoma City."
"Whatchu gonna do? All of us are watching. But what are you gonna do against those brothers?... If Jaylen Brown goes into Oklahoma City and busts Shai's you-know-what, we gonna be like, 'Oh, damn. We got to pause and look at this because it's a different day.' That's gonna go a long way into us deciding whether Jaylen Brown is an MVP," concluded the outspoken commentator.
JB's brilliant all-around play enabled the C's to go 41-21 until Jayson Tatum came back on March 6. Tatum's presence netted them two consecutive wins, including holding off the fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers two nights ago, 109-98.
Still, it was JB who captained the ship all season. The 2024 Finals MVP is averaging career-high numbers in points (28.7), rebounds (7.2), assists (5.1), free-throw attempts per game (7.1), and free-throw percentage (.780).
But unlike Gilgeous-Alexander's upward trajectory, "The Gravedigger" is not exactly sprinting through the final stretch of the MVP race. The numbers are by no means terrible, but his scoring average over the last five games is down (23.5) as he commits nearly four turnovers a game. That can be attributed to the fact that the other guys picked up their scoring over that stretch, so Brown is using his gravity by dishing 7.5 assists.
However, this is not the time to release the pressure off the gas pedal. Not only will they face the two best teams in the league over the next few days, but the Celtics also have the toughest remaining schedule among the East's top four seeds. Twelve of their last 18 games are against above .500 teams, and two more against the Charlotte Hornets , the surging unit that dealt them a 29-point blowout loss back on March 4th.
As SAS reiterated, it's make-or-break time for Brown. What he has done without Tatum is remarkable, but if JB wants to add the shiniest individual hardware there is to his collection, the home stretch is his chance.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
