The easiest way for LeBron James to be named the MVP of the NBA Finals would be for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the series. But even if they lose to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6, there are still more than a few people who feel LeBron should win the award anyway.
On Tuesday, LeBron said he would not be happy about being named the MVP of the series on a losing team.
“I wouldn’t feel good about it at all,” he told reporters, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “Because at the end of the day, I’m here to win a team prize, and that’s to win a championship, not an individual prize.”
LeBron’s numbers during the Finals are eye-popping. He’s averaging 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists while playing 45.6 minutes per game. He has recorded two triple-doubles and scored 40 or more points in three of five games.
The last player to win the NBA Finals MVP on a losing team was Jerry West in 1969, when his Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. In a poll of NBA players and executives, Dirk Nowitzki told ESPN’s Chris Broussard that he doesn’t think it should happen again.
“For me, it’s got to be somebody from the winner,” Nowitzki said. “That’s how I always viewed the MVP, even though LeBron is playing from another planet and he’s singlehandedly keeping the series close. I’ve always believe the MVP has to come from the winner.”
Nowitzki mentioned Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala as potential candidates from the Warriors, and we tend to agree. Iguodala has been a difference-maker in the series, especially when Warriors coach Steve Kerr started him over Andrew Bogut in Game 4 and Iguodala led the way with 22 points in a pivotal win.
While the infamous comment LeBron made after Game 5 indicates that he thinks very highly of himself, we doubt he would be excited about winning another Finals MVP without a ring to go with it.
