Watch out NBA fans, there’s another developing storyline in these Finals. Nope, it’s not about whether we will get to see Kendrick Perkins smile, but it’s whether LeBron James will be named Finals’ MVP. If Cleveland wins, this should not be a no contest. But since Golden State is a win away from winning the title, the conundrum of giving the award to James even if the Cavs lose becomes inevitable. Regardless of the outcome of this series, this writer thinks that James should be the 2015 Finals MVP, and below are three reasons why.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Win or lose: Why LeBron James should win the Finals MVP
King-size stats
[sc:NBA240banner ]LeBron James is putting up insane numbers one game after another in the Finals. There were previous players before who managed to blow our minds with eye-popping stats in the Finals, but what James is doing right now is on another level.
In five games so far against Golden State, James has averaged 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. Since 1986, there were only three players (Shaq, MJ, James Worthy) who reached those numbers in a single game. James has done that three times already against the Warriors, with a chance to add more. James is going scorch earth on the Warriors every single game, despite Golden State’s best efforts of stopping him.
If James fails to win the Finals MVP, there might be a consensus feeling of remorse among basketball fans in the future akin to what film buffs felt some years after the Oscars gave the Best Picture Award to Forrest Gump instead of Pulp Fiction.
He’s single-handedly making the Cavs competitive
In spite of a depleted roster, a shallow and old bench, a rookie coach, misfiring teammates, and JR Smith’s appetite for making stupid plays, the Cavs remain very competitive against Golden State simply because of James. He is doing it all for Cleveland, a team which has zero business of playing basketball this June if not for James’ heroics.
Anyone who argues otherwise can refer to the following stat: James has scored or assisted 70 of the Cavs’ 91 points in Game 5. Furthermore, the Cavs are scoring 97.2 points per 100 possessions when James is on the floor. Conversely, when James is sitting on the bench and watching his teammates humiliate themselves, the Cavs are making just 54.6 points per 100 possessions. The disparity in those two numbers validates how extremely valuable James is for the Cavs.
The Jerry West of the East
There is no rule that mandates the NBA from picking the Finals MVP from the winning team. The first and last one to win the award despite ending up on the losing side was Jerry West back in 1969, when his Lakers lost to the Celtics. Nearly five decades later, West’s feat is on the verge of being duplicated by James—of course, Cleveland will have to lose for that to happen.
Having a “loser” win the award before gives the NBA a useful precedent to help them justify making the same decision again. For comparison, West averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in seven games in the ’69 Finals. James, on the other hand, is at 36.6 points, 8.4 assists, and 12.4 rebounds through five games thus far against Golden State.
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