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LeBron James versus Kevin Durant for NBA MVP

18th April, 2012
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LeBron pulls the face we all pulled when we heard about Kevin Durant. (AP Photo/El Nuevo Herald, David Santiago)
Expert
18th April, 2012
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3149 Reads

As the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA regular season comes to an end, attention will turn to the playoffs, along with the end of season awards.

By far the most highly regarded accolade is the Most Valuable Player trophy, which is awarded to the season’s best player.

This year, it’s essentially become a two-horse race. In the red corner is the Miami Heat’s much maligned but even more talented LeBron James, gunning for his third MVP trophy. In the blue corner, young Oklahoma City Thunder scoring machine Kevin Durant.

Who will take home the trophy is anyone’s guess.

Many journalists and fans have noted that Durant may win the award because there remains residual resentment towards LeBron James and ‘The Decision’ to join the Miami Heat two seasons ago.

However, such thinking is an incredible insult to Durant and the season he has had. Far from being a default choice for LeBron haters, Durant has built a legitimate case to win the award in his own right.

Should Durant win the award, it would be disgraceful for there to be any metaphorical asterisks next to his name. Make no mistake, if Durant wins the award, he will deserve it.

On the flip side, no one could begrudge James the win. He is a brilliant basketball player who has a large effect on every game that he plays in. Whether you love him or hate him is irrelevant. He’s a great player, and arguably the best in the league.

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MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular season, with a panel of journalists each voting for their top five players.

Each first-place vote is worth ten points; each second-place vote is worth seven; each third-place vote is worth five, fourth place is worth three, and fifth place is worth one. The player with the highest points total wins the award.

It will shock you little to know that I don’t get a vote, but if I did, this is how I would rank my top five players:

5th place: Chris Paul
Paul’s rickety knees ensure that he can’t go all-out all of the time, which hurts his otherwise strong case for the MVP trophy.

The league’s best point guard is the epitome of a leader, and does whatever is necessary for his team to win.

While the LA Clippers upgraded their playing roster significantly this year, it was the trade for Paul that saw them become one of the best teams in the West, and they’ll return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06.

Paul is a winner, but he’ll have to be content with first team All-NBA honours this year, because there were four players who deserved the MVP trophy more.

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4th place: Kobe Bryant
The Black Mamba found the Fountain of Youth this season. Either that, or his mysterious trip to Germany in the off-season for a non-traditional medical procedure was well worth the effort. Either way, Bryant claiming the scoring crown at age 33 was a bit of shock.

Bryant actually would have polled higher if not for the fact that he didn’t actually shoot a great percentage from the field, and was essentially a volume scorer, rather than an ultra-efficient offensive weapon.

But regardless, Kobe deserves credit for keeping the LA Lakers relevant, despite a year of massive upheavals and changes to the roster.

3rd place: Kevin Love
If the Minnesota Timberwolves had qualified for the playoffs, then Love would have been a legitimate contender for MVP honours. As it stands, when your team fails to make the post-season, you cannot really be deemed valuable.

But that doesn’t mean Love doesn’t deserve to at least get third place.

With his unique skill set of being a deadly three-point shooter, and a monster on the boards, Love is a real handful for opponents. He’s also been clutch for the T-Wolves, winning a few games on the buzzer, or sending others to overtime.

2nd place: Kevin Durant
Durant has really stepped up to be a leader this year, a point best illustrated by his relationship and co-existence with teammate Russell Westbrook.

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The only person in the world who thinks Durant and Westbrook are equals is Westbrook. However, the 23-year-old Durant realises that his Oklahoma City Thunder can only win if Westbrook feels like he’s a leader of the team.

Durant’s ability to share the limelight and the shots with his All-Star teammate has been extremely unselfish and mature. It’s shown great awareness, and an ability to sum up how to get the best out of a teammate, and the team overall.

It’s meant that the Thunder have one of the best records in the league, and are primed for a trip to the NBA finals.

Throw in Durant’s amazing ability to deliver in the clutch, something James is yet to master, and you can make a very strong case for Durant to win his first of many MVP trophies.

1st place: LeBron James
The physical freak has had an unbelievable year. Again.

Averaging 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and just under one block per game, James stuffs the stat sheet every time, and has become an elite defender.

While question marks remain about his ability to deliver at the end of games, with James yet to shed his ‘choker’ tag, the truth is that he’s also responsible for a large percentage of Miami’s 43 wins, which sees them in the top four in the league.

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James is not perfect, but should he deliver a championship to Miami, he’ll be pretty close. Whilst Durant has had a fantastic season, and the Thunder and Heat’s team records are almost identical, James has better statistics, is a much better defender, and has a positive effect in almost every game he plays.

LeBron James is my selection for the 2012 NBA MVP.

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