Jordan won the MVP in 87-88 and his team finished 50-32 record, which was tied for the 3rd best record in the east and 7th in the NBA overall.. He averaged 35 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.9 ast, 3.2 ast, and 1.6 blks.
And the argument against Nash that I heard over the years was that his team couldn't even make it to the NBA finals.
Jordan AT THE TIME, didn't even make the ECF.
That same year, Magic and the Lakers finished with 62-20 record. Magic averaged 19.6 pts, 6.2 reb, 11.9 ast 1.6 ast, 0.2 blks.
True... And we have all said for years Jordan that year (87-8
was the exception to the rule. We've known that. Jordan though that seasondid
average 35.0 PPG, shot .535 from the field, led the NBA in steals and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year. (Was All Star Game MVP and DunkChampion to top it off)
And the Bulls went from 40-42 to 50-32 which i guess helped.
I believe there might have been one other winner (possibly Olajuwon) who didnt have a top seed......but other than that every year the voting has beenbasically right down the line.