Heat's Kevin Love: Caleb Martin 'Could've Easily' Been ECF MVP over Jimmy Butler

Miami Heat forward Kevin Love thought it was basically a toss-up between Caleb Martin and Jimmy Butler for the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.

"He stepped up his game in a way that championship players do," Love told Andscape's Marc J. Spears. "He could've easily have been walking away with that (Eastern Conference MVP) trophy, but he's all about the team, the team, the team.

The voting totals bear that out. Butler edged Martin 5-4 on the MVP ballot.

Some thought Martin was the worthier candidate after averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 48.9 percent from beyond the arc across the series. He scored in double figures in each of the seven games.

In Miami's decisive 103-84 Game 7 victory, the 6'5" wing put up a double-double (26 points and 10 rebounds).

Even if he doesn't have the hardware, Martin's value to the Heat was evident as they put the Boston Celtics away. And missing out on the series MVP probably won't mean much to him in the end if Miami goes on to win its fourth NBA championship.