NBA All-Star Game 2015: Top MVP Candidates for Annual Exhibition
The NBA All-Star Game may be the one basketball contest a season that nobody cares who actually wins or loses the game.
That’s because fans remember the individual performances and who won the MVP award more so than which team scored more points in a game that features absolutely zero defense and a marginal effort level at best.
Fans want to see alley-oops and three-pointers instead of drawn charges and timely double-teams at the All-Star Game, and the players respond accordingly.
So which superstar will take home the MVP award this season on Feb. 15? Read on to see some of the top candidates.
*All stats are as of Tuesday morning before Tuesday’s slate of NBA games began.
James Harden, Houston Rockets
If the season ended today, you could make a very convincing case for James Harden as the actual MVP. It is only natural to expect that elevated level of play to continue into the All-Star Game.
Pick the statistical category, and there is a good chance Harden is among the league leaders. He leads the NBA in points per game (27), win shares (10.1), free throws made (378), free throws attempted (428) and value over replacement player (7.9).
He is also third in player efficiency rating, third in steals per game, eighth in total assists, fifth in three-pointers made and sixth in minutes per game.
What’s more, he has carried the Houston Rockets in the loaded Western Conference while Dwight Howard deals with various injuries.
Harden’s former teammate Chandler Parsons, who is now with the Dallas Mavericks, commented on Harden’s MVP status, via Sean Meagher of The Oregonian: "For sure. He's the best player in basketball right now. The things he's doing are incredible. The scouting report is focused in on stopping him, and you see he's still getting 30 a game. It's impressive."
Harden has dominated the regular season thus far, and he is playing some of his best basketball as of late, via the Houston Rockets:
There is no reason to expect that to change at the All-Star Game.
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
You don't have to be a diehard NBA fan to know this season has been a complete disaster for the New York Knicks. Even star Carmelo Anthony has had something of a forgettable campaign.
He is still posting impressive per-game averages of 24.3 points and 6.7 rebounds, but those would both be his second-lowest totals since the 2008-09 season. He has also battled through injuries for much of the season and can’t be enjoying his team’s abysmal start.
However, the All-Star Game is in New York this year, and an Anthony MVP award would be a well-deserved one-night break from the losing for the fans in Madison Square Garden.
It is not difficult to envision a scenario where Anthony’s Eastern Conference teammates feed him the ball early and often in an effort to get him the award in front of his hometown fans.
Anthony has the skill set to thrive in an All-Star Game as well, considering he can drill three-pointers and throw down impressive dunks. There aren’t exactly a lot of mid-range jumpers going up in this game every year, and Anthony will look to rack up the points against soft defense.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
This spot could go to a number of players, including Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant. After all, who’s to say Curry or Durant doesn’t start lighting it up from downtown and putting on an absolute show for the fans throughout the entire All-Star Game?
However, let’s give the nod to the widely regarded best player in the NBA, LeBron James.
Remember when the Cleveland Cavaliers were under .500 and everyone was worried about their immediate future? James (and teammate Kyrie Irving) has put them on his back, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
On the season, James is averaging 26.2 points, 7.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game.
He is also arguably the best playmaker in the league who can stuff the stat sheet with points or assists, which plays well in the All-Star Game. Even if the Eastern Conference tries to feed Anthony, what if it’s James racking up the assists to go along with a solid scoring game? What if he gets a triple-double, as he is prone to do (via ESPN Stats & Info)?
James is always a candidate to dominate every game he plays, but he has put on a basketball exhibition the past few weeks to get his Cavaliers back into contention for a favorable seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
He is not going to turn that switch back off for the All-Star Game, and he should put up monster numbers without much resistance throughout the night.
That is a formula for a potential MVP award.
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