LeBron James - LeBron's numbers are legit. They've been so all season. I mean 26.5 points per game, 6.5 assists per game , and 8.1 rebounds per game is certainly getting the job done. After all, he dropped 41 against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, helping the Heat clinch a playoff berth. The problem is that he still has the games where he does not show up. On Sunday, James had the chance to make his case against the Boston Celtics on national television. Instead, he looked passive for most the game in the Heat's embarrassing loss. He finished with 23 points, but had no assists. LeBron's numbers are great, but he takes nights off, which is something the other two candidates seemingly never do.
Kevin Durant - Durant might be having his best NBA season yet. He is averaging 27.5 points per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is doing that while shooting slightly better than 50% from the field and nearly 38% from three. All the while, he is elevated his team's play to the best record in the NBA. Something I think they will hold onto the rest of the season. Unlike James, Durant thrives under pressure and attention. In his last game against the Heat he nearly had a triple-double. He will get another shot tomorrow night to showcase his talent against LeBron when the Thunder travel to South Beach to take on the Heat. You can bank on the fact that many MVP voters will be closely watching that game.
Kevin Love - Love's numbers are just sick. There is no way around it. He is averaging 26.5 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game. How did Love respond when his team's second best player and starting point guard, Ricky Rubio, got knocked out for the rest of the season? He took his game to an even higher level. In the month of March, Love averaged 31 ppg and 15 rpg. How is he in the spotlight? Love shines as bright as anyone. He sent a game against the Thunder into overtime a couple weeks ago when he posted up about 25 feet from the basket, sealed off his man, and nailed the buzzer-beating stepback three. Despite being 6-10, Love is the total offensive package shooting 45% from the field, 39% from three, and 82% from the charity stripe.
All three players have fantastic numbers, so you can't really go wrong with picking any of them. However, I believe there is one superior candidate. LeBron has all the makings of an MVP winner, but the fact that he disappears at the moments that matter most is not very MVP-like. Durant's a complete package as well, but you have to consider that he has another star in Russell Westbrook putting up excellent numbers as well. For that matter, LeBron has some guys named Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh playing with him who aren't to shabby either. With Rubio hurt, Love's best teammates are the likes of Nikola Pekovic and Michael Beasley. You can argue that Love shouldn't win the MVP because he doesn't play on one of the league's best teams, but this team was likely going to be a playoff team for the first time in years, until the Rubio injury. Even since then, Love has kept the Timberwolves near the .500 mark, something they haven't finished above since the 2004-05 season. If the award is seriously going to be called the Most Valuable Player, I don't know how you can give it to anyone other than Kevin Love. No player means more to his team than Love means to the Timberwolves.
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