LeBron James isn’t an NBA journalist, so he doesn’t get a vote when it comes to award the league’s MVP award. If he did, however, he knows who he’d vote for:
LeBron James’ MVP vote would go to LeBron James
He’s having a typically great season ...but is it better than James Harden’s?
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James.
“I would vote for me,” James told the Associated Press. “The body of work, how I’m doing it, what’s been happening with our team all year long, how we’ve got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me.”
James raises some good points. His Cavaliers may have fallen to third place in the Eastern Conference in 2017-18, but his presence still makes them the team to beat on the East’s path to the NBA Finals. He’s picked up his team’s slack with Kyrie Irving now a Celtic and Kevin Love missing 21 games due to injury, putting up his highest scoring average since 2010 (27.4 points per game) and averaging career highs in both rebounds (8.6) and assists (9.1) per game.
At age 33, he hasn’t missed a game and plays more minutes than anyone in the league. James is having one of the most complete seasons of his career — and it still may not be enough.
James Harden has driven the Rockets to the league’s top record behind a career-high and league-leading 30.7 points per game. He’s the best player on the NBA’s best team, a pairing that has made him a heavy favorite to take home his first MVP award this summer.
Other candidates could also derail James’ bid. Anthony Davis is a two-way monster, scoring from inside and out to pace the Pelicans with 28.2 points per game while adding 2.5 blocks and giving New Orleans its highest playoff hopes in franchise history. Giannis Antetokounmpo is so vital to the Bucks they crumble when he’s off the court. Karl-Anthony Towns is leading Minnesota to its first playoff appearance since 2004. Russell Westbrook is still nearly averaging a dang triple-double.
Standing somewhere near the top of that pack is James, the only man who truly knows how much work he’s put into this season. Unfortunately for him, the fifth MVP he’d be a cinch for in a typical season may disappear thanks to Harden’s other-worldly 2017-18.
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