"Outside of Russ, probably one of the most disrespected MVPs" - DeMarcus Cousins comes out in defense of Nikola Jokic, compares slander he gets to Russell Westbrook's

Denver Nuggets backup center DeMarcus Cousins feels teammate Nikola Jokic and LA Lakers star Russell Westbrook are the two most disrespected league MVPs.

Cousins reserved high praise for Jokic following the Nuggets' season-ending Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors, saying (h/t House of Highlights):

"I've always respected him (Jokic); the only reason he was even on my radar, I mean, just being honest. He's an incredible talent, probably one of the most, outside of Russ, probably one of the most disrespected MVPs in this league. Incredible, incredible talent, his game speaks for itself."

Nikola Jokic is arguably one of the top five players in the NBA right now. However, he isn't spoken about or given as much attention as a league MVP generally receives. Moreover, despite having similar stats from his MVP campaign this year, the "Joker" didn't receive enough recognition.

It was only after Kevin Durant (injury) and Steph Curry (lack of form) slipped up in the MVP ladder race, Jokic started getting attention as an MVP favorite. The Nuggets' talisman helped his team make the playoffs this year, despite fellow co-stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. missing almost the entire campaign.

The situation with Russell Westbrook is no different, either. Fans have accused the former OKC Thunder star of 'stat-padding' and playing for individual accolades. Westbrook's talent, effort and work ethic have often gone unnoticed, as he's often heavily criticized after an off game.

Westbrook has also been criticized for not being a team player, despite his former teammates suggesting otherwise.

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Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets go down fighting against mighty Golden State Warriors

Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets suffered a first round playoff series exit against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

The Nuggets were down 0-3 in the series, and many expected the Warriors to sweep them. However, Denver fought brilliantly in Game 4 before eventually losing in five games.

Jokic and Co. tried their best to extend the series to six games, putting together one of their best defensive performances of the series. However, the Warriors came up clutch down the stretch to steal a 102-98 win.

Jokic produced his third consecutive 30-point game, bagging 30 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks, shooting 66.7%. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon had 15 points and eight rebounds, while DeMarcus Cousins scored 19 points in 15 minutes off the bench.