Dont think any of those dudes actually get a vote tho. Look through the list, its mostly local team sports writers
Playoffs should be irrelevant, and the award is too screwed-up anyway, so it's not worth bringing them into the equation. The NFL has told us this past year that a defensive player cannot win the MVP award. Oh, somebody WILL in the future, but that will just be like giving somebody a Best Director award for their seventh best movie, because you just screwed up and didn't give them the award one of the six previous times you had a chance. The future recipient will not have a season like Watt had. Watt had a season unlike any defender in the modern age. He scored 5 damn touchdowns in about every way possible. First player to have 20 sacs in multiple seasons. He elevated a low position on the field past all logical heights. Aaron Rodgers had a good year as a quarterback. J.J. Watt had a mythological year as a defender. If the NFL couldn't recognize what Watt did this past year, it needs Best Quarterback and Best Overall Player awards and should ditch the "most-valuable" bull**** in a game where one position is by design the most valuable on the team. Again, should've let the players vote on this one. Watt would've won easily.
All this talk about the MVP being reserved for the best player on the best team and that's what the standard should be based on is absolute BS! The media who spits out that garbage is completely uneducated in their job and need to be slapped with the facts. Let's go down memory lane.... MVP's Over the Years 2014 - Kevin Durant #1 Team - San Antonio Spurs .756 #2 Team - Oklahoma City Thunder .720 (3 games back) 2013 - LeBron James #1 Team - Miami Heat .805 2012 - LeBron James #1 Team - Tied: San Antonio Spurs / Chicago Bulls .758 #3 Team - Miami Heat .697 (3 games back) 2011 - Derrick Rose #1 Team - Chicago Bulls .756 2010 - LeBron James #1 Team - Cleveland Cavaliers .744 2009 - LeBron James #1 Team - Cleveland Cavaliers .805 2008 - Kobe Bryant #1 Team - Boston Celtics .805 #2 Team - Detroit Pistons .720 #3 Team - LA Lakers .695 2007 - Dirk Nowitzki #1 Team - Dallas Mavericks .817 2006 - Steve Nash #1 Team - Detroit Pistons .780 #2 Team - San Antonio Spurs .768 #3 Team - Phoenix Suns .659 (9 games back from Spurs) 2005 - Steve Nash #1 Team - Phoenix Suns .756 2004 - Kevin Garnett #1 Team - Indiana Pacers .744 #2 Team - Minnesota Timberwolves .707 2003 - Tim Duncan #1 Team - San Antonio Spurs .732 2002 - Tim Duncan #1 Team - Sacramento Kings .744 #2 Team - San Antonio Spurs .707 (3 games back) 2001 - Allen Iverson #1 Team - San Antonio Spurs .707 #2 Team - Tied - LA Lakers & Philadelphia 76ers .683 (2 games back) 2000 - Shaquille O'Neal #1 Team - LA Lakers .817
Green Bay would suck without Rodgers, like really really suck, lol The most important stat in sport really is wins, which due to the player load will always lean towards QBs, but a quarterback like Rodgers is worth 7 or 8 wins on their own.
Technically phoenix were 4th (the mavs were one game behind san antonio) but the stupid seeding setup made them 3rd
Who the 4k is JJ Watt? Never heard of him before. Get this **** outta here and talk about a real MVP playing a real sport in Harden
im not a "everyone is out to get the rockets kind of guy" but if harden doesnt win after seeing this. something is truly wrong
lol yet Harden is 0-4 against Curry this year. Also Harden can't even come up with his own signature. Everyone knows Curry did the chef thing first.
Curry's rate-adjusted individual stats are generally as good or better than Harden's. I think its the combination of this plus his team's regular season dominance that makes his MVP candidacy stand out.
Harden making some gains on Curry after the Sunday game: http://www.oddschecker.com/basketball/nba/nba-championship/regular-season-mvp
The thing is you can make any analytics stick out to be in favor of someone. Watching Steph I just don't feel the intimidation that he is going to single handedly take over a game. He's going to be the engine that runs the well oiled machine that is the Warriors and reap the benefits from his team's success
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To me, it's complicated to use rate-adjusted stats for an individual performance award. You're essentially saying he hypothetically was capable of a great individual season but his team hasn't needed him to to deliver his full value.
I always saw the MVP as a reward for what the league thought the best player on the best team was.. if they are consistent with this.. Curry will win. He is deserving. Just sucks for Harden cause he's just as deserving.