MVP Race - Media pushing for Lebron

Okay.

37-11-2 against Memphis.

34-17-6 against New Orleans.

48-14-4 against Dallas.

The only loss was against Dallas.

There is a bit of fortune in being in the Eastern Conference these past couple of decades, but greatness is greatness.

You don't have to be the best player in the world to be the MVP. LeBron was the best for close to 10 years (?) and won MVP in 4 of those years. Again, if you are the best player on one of the better teams in the NBA you will get MVP consideration. When your team is the best and your stats are the best, your MVP is pretty much a foregone conclusion.

BTW, if LeBron somehow wins this year's MVP he will be the only player to win MVP more than 6 years after winning his last MVP. Wilt was 23 when won his first MVP in 1960 and then won his first of three consecutive MVPs in 1966 as a 29-year-old; LeBron won his last MVP 7 years ago in 2013 as a 28-year-old.

Giannis's game does have/had serious weaknesses that a team with a great individual defender, like Kawhi, plus great defensive bigs, like Gasol, Siakim, and Ibaka, and a well-coached defense can exploit. I have heard that he has not had good games against Miami. Not surprising, Spoelstra is a great defensive coach and Abedayo is a DPoY candidate. However, against the Clippers and Lakers I know he look OK so I did a quick search:

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Tm	Opp	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS	GmSc	+/-
MIL	LAC	35:43	10	21	.476	4	7	.571	14	18	.778	16	9	2	2	3	4	38	37.2	+13
MIL	LAL	35:31	10	21	.476	1	6	.167	11	14	.786	11	6	1	0	2	5	32	25.0	-11
MIL	LAC	26:21	11	20	.550	1	4	.250	4	6	.667	11	4	0	0	4	3	27	18.7	+7
MIL	LAL	32:19	11	19	.579	5	8	.625	7	10	.700	11	7	1	1	4	5	34	29.0	+7

In those games, the Bucks are 3-1.

I never said Anthony Davis was amazing. All I said was that he is the difference between the mediocre LeBron Laker team of 2019 and this championship favorite LeBron Laker team. Which is true. And I said that he was the Laker's workhorse. This is also true because he leads the Lakers in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals.

I don't think he deserves any MVP votes because MVPs are leaders and he clearly showed in New Orleans that he wants no part of leadership. But despite him being a zero in leadership he is still one of the top-five players in the NBA this season. This is why I said I would listen to arguments comparing LeBron's MVP campaign to Steve Nash's MVP campaigns.

Nash had workhorses around him, too, in Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudamire but was still the straw that stirred the drink. Problem is, Nash wasn't going against players like Giannis who were dominating the league statistically and whose teams were also dominating the league. The closest was Shaq and he was a few years out of his prime and the Heat was not the best regular-season team.

 

LeBron is making more the Davis! In fact, Davis's dumb self gave up a $4 million trade bonus to join the Lakers.

Kris Middleton makes more than Giannis! He's on a max type deal if not a max contract. Giannis's next contract will be insane, but for this and next season, Middletown will make more.

But why do you compare Lopez and Middleton to McGee and Rondo? Shouldn't you compare the second and third best players from both teams?

Middleton and Lopez vs Davis and... probably Green

A swap of Middleton and Lopez for Davis and Green would do what for each team? The Bucks would either be the clear championship favorites or just as good as they are now, but the Lakers would definitely not be the favorites they are today.

If the Bucks called the Lakers and offered them that package for Anthony Davis and said that the combined players' contributions are similar to Davis's the Lakers would laugh out loud. That's what's called trading three quarters for a dollar.

Giannis does everything he does within a SYSTEM that doesn't need him to run. This is why the Bucks are still a good team when he misses a game and why so many people involved in the team shine. Adding Giannis to their system is like adding a supercharger to a racecar.

In the Lebronball system, LeBron is the engine and the driver and the pit crew chief and the team owner; all the other players are just disposable parts for him. It is amazing to watch, especially when he wins everything, but it isn't real basketball.

But that's not why Giannis deserves the MVP, that's just why the Bucks would still be a decent team without him and why the Lakers would suffer without LeBron. Who knows, though, Vogel is a good coach, a committed and healthy Davis has won in this league, Kuzma could have blossomed, and they have decent role players.

You said that the Bucks would still be a top team with Giannis. I told you why I doubted that. You said the Lakers would end their season without Lebron. I told you why that would be probable. I never said that made Giannis great or that made LeBron horrible. I actually said that it's incredible to see LeBron play Lebronball.

Vegas is taking the Bucks seriously.

Lakers are the best bet by a wider margin than that, IMO, but the Bucks are far from the dark horse the Rockets are.

ESPN's BPI is taking the Bucks seriously giving them a ridiculous 83.1% chance at winning the championship to the Lakers 12.6% chance.

The voters would have to be Bron fans and dishonest or misinformed like you for LeBron to win the MVP.

If Giannis goes out as he went out last year? You're probably right. He'd have to win a championship to ever be in serious contention again.

 

Spicy podcast!

(MacMahon & Bontemps put Windhorst in a bag)

https://www.espn.com/radio/play/_/id/31267644

 

If Jokic wins, would he be the lowest draft pick to ever win MVP I wonder?

2nd round, 41st pick?

 

With harden's injury, jokic is pretty much the shoe in at this point. As long as Denver's record is somewhat respectable despite not having a top record. The injuries to every other legitimate candidate pretty much gives him that cushion and hes played every game

 

And the fattest...

 

Nah, that title goes to Shaq.

 

It's hard to dispute that.

But Jokic has to be the most unlikely MVP by the look. I mean, by the time when he wants to force his way out of Denver, he won't even need to wear a fat suit and look disinterested. He just needs to look like himself.

 

Many important voices are really starting to push Curry and Westbrook as top contenders narrative -- it will be interesting to see if they (Curry/ Westbrook) can continue this type of ultra elite play.

 

I think Jokic will be a run away winner

The biggest ability is availability.