LeBron James Has Locked Up 2012 NBA MVP with Recent Tear
LeBron James may have his postseason woes, but there is no question who the “King” is during the regular season.
With the MVP debate down to James and Kevin Durant, the Miami Heat star made a convincing push of late to be the obvious choice to win his third MVP in the last four years.
Monday night against the New Jersey Nets he scored the team’s final 17 points to hang on to the 101-98 road win. He has upped his April scoring average to 29.6 as he holds the Heat together while Dwyane Wade continues to battle injuries.
Meanwhile, Durant just shot 38 percent and committed five turnovers in a 15-point loss to the Clippers on the same night. With both teams possessing other superstars while sitting in second place in the standings, LeBron has the clear advantage.
The numbers he's put up this season (27.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 53 percent shooter) are mind boggling. Advanced stats agree as his PER (30.5) is almost four points higher than Chris Paul, who ranks second in the league. That’s the largest gap we’ve seen in the league in over a decade.
In a lockout shortened year where stats have been altered drastically, James has pieced together one of the most complete seasons in NBA history. And he's doing so with the majority of the NBA world hating on him.
Durant’s numbers are in the same stratosphere as James (27.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 bpg, 50-percent shooter), but he hasn’t been as efficient as James. He clocks in with a PER of 20, well short of King James.
The other big difference is on defense.
James is guarding virtually every position on the floor, using his size to bully smaller opponents and speed to make bigger players uncomfortable. He is likely going to win Defensive Player of the Year.
You certainly can’t say that about Durant, who visibly rests at times defensively to ensure he has the energy to score on the offensive end of the floor.
James' conditioning and toughness has been incredible. He takes a physical (and mental) beating sometimes four out of five nights and has taken it all in stride. He has only missed one game despite playing over 37 minutes a night.
Once the playoffs begin and pressure situations arise, you can start spewing all of the "LeBron isn’t clutch jokes." The MVP is about the regular season and in a jumbled up mess of a year, it’s the face of the league that stands above the rest.
It may not be the sexy pick, but it’s the right one. LeBron James will win the 2011-12 MVP.
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