Many people were looking forward to the battle of the MVP frontrunners in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, and the series has not disappoint

The silver lining from the worst three-game shooting funk of Nikola Jokic's career is that the Nuggets managed to pull out a win during that stretch -- but now their Western Conference semifinal series with the Oklahoma City Thunder is tied 2-2 after another uncharacteristically inefficient outing by Jokic during a 92-87 Denver loss Sunday in Game 4.

Barkley pointed out how Jokic's statistical excellence makes him very important to the Nuggets. The center averaged a triple-double during the regular season, and while Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to win the league MVP award this year, many still consider Jokic the best player in the world.