Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers agrees with a good number of people who believe Kevin Durant should win the MVP award this season, but it's his runner-up pick that's head-turning.
Doc Rivers: Blake Griffin ahead of LeBron James in MVP consideration
Clippers coach Doc Rivers thinks Blake Griffin is behind Kevin Durant but ahead of LeBron James in the MVP race.
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Rivers thinks Clippers forward Blake Griffin is ahead of four-time MVP LeBron James, according to ESPN.
“I think second (in voting) because I’m coaching him,” Rivers said of Griffin. “I think Durant has had the best year. I still think LeBron [James] is still the best player in the NBA but I think Durant has had an MVP year. I don’t know who has had a better year. And I honestly think Blake would be right behind him.”
The reasoning behind Rivers’ personal MVP power rankings is clear at least -- Griffin is his guy -- but his opinion is still surprising. Rivers could simply be bringing the worthy attention to a player who took major steps forward this season.
But does Rivers truly believe Griffin’s year is better than James’? It’s hard to say.
Durant's own leap in 2013-14 was, like Griffin's, helped out by losing a teammate for a chunk of the season. Russell Westbrook's injury sparked an efficient scoring playmaker to come out of Durant, and the Thunder were winning. Same when Griffin led Los Angeles to a 12-6 record without point guard Chris Paul.
But James has averaged 27 points, 6.4 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. He's put up a PER of 29.36, second to Durant's 30.17 PER and well ahead of Griffin's 10th-ranked PER of 23.85. James is the league's third-leading scorer and shooting 57 percent overall, for goodness sakes. The Miami Heat star has helped his team to nearly as impressive a record as Griffin's Clippers, and he's done it all year long without many constants outside of Chris Bosh.
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So Rivers might be pushing it with his comment, but it’s the type of comment that resonates enough to make it a serious discussion. Plus, it’s nice he’s going to bat for his players.
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