Should LeBron James Be Considered Even If Cavaliers Lose?
Published on June 16th, 2015 6:15 pm ESTOne of the debates that is currently raging in the sports world as he head into Game 6 of the NBA Finals later tonight - should LeBron James be considered for the NBA Finals MVP even if the Cavaliers lose?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently in a 3-2 hole heading into Game 6 tonight on their home court. The Golden State Warriors have won the last two games of the series convincingly and are the favourites to win tonight in Cleveland. LeBron James has done an unbelievable job in leading the injury-riddled Cavaliers this far, but there is a feeling that there is only so much that "King James" can do with his ragtag group of players. Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson have found their strokes for the Warriors, while LeBron's 40+ point performances haven't been enough to get the job done for the Cavaliers.
LeBron James is averaging 37 points per game this series. As a matter of fact, LeBron has had multiple triple doubles and is averaging close to a triple double for the series. Even if the Cavaliers lose, some people argue, LeBron should be named the MVP. If LeBron is named the MVP, he would be the first Finals MVP on a losing team since Jerry West accomplished the feat many moons ago.
Others argue that Stephen Curry is the MVP and that the MVP shouldn't come from a losing team. Curry, as mentioned, started out slow in the series but has come on exceptionally strong as of late.
It's interesting (well, not really) to note that of the top five candidates for the MVP award (in terms of the odds), LeBron is the lone Cavalier on the list.
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Here are the current odds to win the MVP as of this moment:
Stephen Curry, 1.67
LeBron James, 2.10
Andre Iguodala, 7.00
Draymond Green, 81.00
Klay Thompson, 101.00
In reality, Curry and James are the only two players who really have a chance of winning.
Here are their odds of winning the MVP, based on the numbers listed above:
Stephen Curry Wins, 59.88%
LeBron James, 47.62%
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As some people have pointed out, the series is not over yet.
One thing is for sure, however - if the Cavaliers come back to win the next series, LeBron James is a mortal lock to win the MVP award.
