The Curious Case Of LeBron James As Finals MVP

The Golden State Warriors, led by league MVP Stephen Curry, have pushed the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of elimination, with many analysts believing the series will be decided in Game 6.  If it ends for the Cavaliers, has LeBron James earned the Finals MVP?

While the end of the series is not the present just yet, the phenomenal play of the homecoming king has already been displayed.  LeBron James has taken the floor each time during the NBA Finals and has shown the world that not only is he the only player on both squads who has been on the championship stage, he is the best player on the court at any given time.

“I’m the best player in the world.”-LeBron James

His numbers speak for themselves, he has posted at least 20 points in all five games so far and 40 points in four (one of them is 39 but to split hairs on that point would be petty.)  He has also had two triple-doubles over the course of the week in which television ratings have been the highest for the championship that they have ever been since Michael Jordan last played in the NBA Finals.  In other words, more people than have been watching in prior years have seen the dominant performance that LeBron has put forth.

This leads to the question that is now circling the NBA Finals as the Warriors have the Cavaliers on the brink of elimination.  If the Cavaliers lose the series, has James done enough to earn the Finals MVP award?

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The debate is boiled down to two different arguments: Is James the most valuable player on either side to their respective team, and should winning the series be the determining factor in who receives the award?

To begin with the former, the only time that the Finals MVP was awarded to the player on the losing team was when Jerry West of the Lakers won the award despite losing to the Celtics in seven games in 1969.  Since then, the award has always gone to the player on the winning team.  The reason being is easy enough to understand; despite the meeting of many great players in the Finals, the winning team is nearly always the one whose star played the superior basketball to lead their team to the championship.

This is where the case against James is made.  Should the Warriors close out the series, shouldn’t the MVP go to Stephen Curry for having weathered the storm of the Cavaliers and lead his team to its first championship in 40 years?  Or should it go to Andre Iguodala whose play since Game 4 has helped to ignite the Warriors and slowed down the freight train that is “The King.”

Either case would be hard to argue on behalf of principal.  Obviously, the most valuable player is the one who provides the most valuable thing to their team: a win.

Jun 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward

(23) during the fourth quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The opposing argument though is that similar to winning the league MVP, isn’t the award meant to go to the series’ best player?  There is no rule that says the award must go to a player on the winning team, so does that not mean that the award should go to the best player regardless of their teams result?  When looking at several MVPs at the past, are their accomplishments diminished because their team did not win it all?  Derrick Rose did not carry the Chicago Bulls to the Finals when he won the award in 2011.  Neither did Kevin Durant for the Thunder last season.  The Thunder last year were also not the number one seed in the West despite the phenomenal play by Durant.

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As we approach the end of what has been an amazing NBA Finals, has James done enough to merit the MVP?  By the numbers it would certainly appear so.  His two triple-doubles and visible effect on the opponents defense should be taken into account.  Steph Curry by comparison has not played abysmally, however has only had one game over 30 and in Game 2 was held to 19.  Iguodala’s highest scoring game was Game 4 with 22 points.

If you’re grading the series by which player has helped their teammates more, the man from Akron is ahead in that statistic as well.  Curry has 30 assists over the course of the series.  James has had 44.

All of those numbers should also be viewed through the prism that he has provided such numbers without his vaunted back-up in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

It’s a shame that the series is quickly approaching the close, but both teams will have one final chance to have the last word.  After the basketball we’ve seen the last week, it’s going to be a declarative one.