Jokic overall season was still better despite the coasting.

Citation needed.

Why is the last part of the season weighted differently?

That’s just how it’s always been? The exact reverse situation happened the previous season, Embiid was the frontrunner most of the season, then the Sixers lost to the Nuggets and Bucks, and Jokic won out.

Actively looking like you’re not giving a fuck for the last quarter of your season should ding an MVP candidate and leave a sour taste to the voters, and that’s what happened. You can’t be losing to the Rockets by over 20 points in a tight MVP race late in the season while your closest competitor is dropping 52 on the Celtics the same night. At the end of the day, it was a worthy sacrifice, Jokic got the awards that mattered most.