Last year the MVP race was between Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Bryant won and took his team to the NBA Finals.
Who led the league in scoring last year? LeBron James, with 30 points a game.
Why didn’t he win the MVP?
His win column.
The Cavaliers were 45-37, while the Lakers were 57-25 and the Hornets had just one more loss than L.A.
This year it’s Wade vs. LeBron.
Dwyane Wade leads the league in scoring, just above LeBron with 29.7 points per game. He’s the second in steals per game with 2.25, just behind Chris Paul. He’s eighth in the league in assists, and he plays for around 38.5 minutes.
LeBron is second in the league in scoring with 28.3, tenth for assists per game (7.2), and he adds seven rebounds a game. He beats Wade in the points, rebound, and assists totals column and is tenth on the steals per game list.
Not only is he at the top the league; LeBron leads his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. Those are all the major categories. Dwyane Wade almost plays a full minute more than LeBron.
Both of their statistics can be put together and they are almost the same. This award is not about numbers, though—it’s about who was most valuable to their team. Who has brought their team somewhere?
The Heat's record is 35-29. Their record is third in their division. That is not a great resume when the Cavs are 51-13 and at the top of the Eastern Conference. Not to mention the Cavs have beaten the Heat, despite Wade scoring 40 plus points.
Like last year, the numbers do not matter as much as the record—and the Cavs are a lot better of a team.
Dwyane Wade is a terrific player and is the soul of his team, but he’s not as valuable as LeBron is to the Cavs. No one in the league is as important to their team as LeBron is to Cleveland.
Kobe is probably a more apt comparison for LeBron. But since he’s not in the race, it’s got to be “King” James.
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