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The Golden State Warriors’ Andre Iguodala has won the NBA Finals Bill Russell MVP Award in what can never be considered a vote for the actual most valuable player.
First of all, credit to Iguodala, who earned the award after Golden State’s 105-97 victory over Cleveland in Game 6 of the NBA Finals series, in which he contributed 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in the ring-sealing game.
RELIVE THE ACTION WITH OUR GAME 6 LIVE BLOG
The award was always going to be controversial, given the way the series played out.
Iguodala played his first game of the season from the bench during the Finals and was tasked with guarding Cavaliers talisman LeBron James. He started zero of the 82-games of the regular season.
According to ESPN, Iguodala is the only player ever to win the Finals MVP having come off the bench at any point in a series.
The Championship winning Golden State Warriors put in a true team performance across the board with regular season MVP Stephen Curry never doing it on his own, and Andre Iguoala contributing at a high level.
Golden State Warriors Andre Iguodala jams on Cleveland Cavaliers’ James Jones (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
However – the Cleveland Cavaliers were completely led by LeBron James, who contributed the second highest percentage of team points in NBA Finals history, with 38.3% of team points. Just Michael Jordan in 1993, with a percentage of 38.4%, has ever contributed more.
LeBron James is the first player in history to lead both NBA Finals teams in points, rebounds, and assists – with 46 min per game, 36 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.
His statline average across the season doubled Andre Iguodala’s contribution – double the points, rebounds, and assists per game.
James led a team that finished without an All-Star point-guard in Kyrie Irving, point-forward in Kevin Love, starting centre in Anderson Varejao, contained two undrafted free agents – including Australia’s Matthew Dellavedova – and was led by a coach new to the NBA in David Blatt.
Convention appears to dictate that the award is given to “Best Player on the Winning Team” not the “Finals MVP” in terms of points, assists and rebounds.
Without a knock on the man they call Iggy, it’s likely we’ll look back on the MVP award find it hard to believe LeBron James didn’t win Finals MVP.
MVP ballot total from the league: pic.twitter.com/P8NQnLw4Yd
— Todd Dybas (@Todd_Dybas) June 17, 2015
Jerry West, 1969: 37.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 7.4 APG (won Finals MVP)
LeBron James, 2015: 35.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 8.8 APG pic.twitter.com/JUpf9rKnfC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 17, 2015
The voting lines will go down in history. Only four votes of 11 went to LeBron James, the rest to Iguodala. The only consolation is that Stephen Curry received no votes, in what would have been the end of judgment as we know it. Curry was typically deadly in Games 5 and 6, but offered little in the opening games.
LeBron played at the highest level ever seen to somehow find two wins for the Cavaliers against one of the best teams of all time.