Kevin Durant or LeBron James: Who is leading the race to the MVP title? NBA Feature
As the season draws to an end, the race for the Most Valuable Player is heating up. The culmination of the shortened season is now just weeks away and that time of the year is upon us when the Most Valuable Player is selected.
This year has been a really good one for the NBA and the game of basketball as a whole. Many players have stepped up to the challenge and improved their game. All over the league, in every team, we find a player who is giving amazing
numbers and stats, night in night out. And at the same time, motivating and carrying his team on his shoulders. That is what the most valuable player, the most prestigious honour and laurel in the NBA, is all about.
This year’s race to the MVP has been a closely contested one. We have seen many players rise and fall up the ladder on many occasions. Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Dwight Howard and Dwayne Wade have all been closely
contesting the race. Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook lead the pack who broke in late into the race, but have become stronger as the season has progressed and put up amazing numbers to be in serious contention for the MVP prize. Players relatively unknown
before the start of the season such as Timberwolves forward Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge have had an amazing year to even be part of the race, considering the big names with whom they are contesting.
However, the race is narrowing down to 2 strong contenders for the MVP title, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and LeBron James of the Miami Heat.
Enough has already been said about James and whoever even remotely follows basketball will have heard this name. The King has been an MVP twice before and is a strong contender for the title this year again. LeBron James is averaging
26.7 points, 6.4 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this season. He has a season field goal percentage of 53.7 and a 3-point field goal percentage of 35.8%.
His statistics are even more impressive when you consider the fact that he is on the same team as Dwyane Wade and hence, gets to share the ball with Wade. James has been the catapult for the resurrection of the Miami Heat ever
since he was traded to them in 2010. For all his statistics, he is a strong contender for the MVP title yet another year.
His biggest competition comes in the form of Kevin Durant, a 6 foot 9 inch forward, who is the face of the Thunder. This is Kevin’s 5th year as a professional in the NBA and by far the most successful. He has been the
ingredient for change and the catalyst to success in the Thunder roster.
Durant is averaging 27.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He has a field goal percentage of 50.2% and a 3-point field goal percentage of 37.7%. Besides having amazing statistics, Durant has led the Thunder
to a fairytale season where they are currently ranked at the top of the Western Conference. He has inspired his team and motivated them to play far better than the expectations of the fans. No one could have thought that the Thunder would be the No 1 ranked
team in the West at this point of the season.
Statistically comparing, both Durant and James are very close to each other. Durant passed James in the KIA Race to the MVP Ladder last week and held on to his position this week. However, it is his ability to bring a mediocre
team to super star status and on track to win the NBA championship, which has people talking about him left and right.
LeBron is an exceptional talent, one of the finest to enter the NBA in recent times. However, it cannot be ignored that he is playing in a team filled with stars, from Dwyane Wade to Chris Bosh. In this aspect, I have to give more
credit to Kevin Durant and believe that he deserves the MVP more than LeBron James or any other player. The MVP award is not based on a player’s individual performance but his impact on the team and his input in helping the team achieve their goals. Kevin
Durant surpasses LeBron James in this aspect due to which I believe he should, and will be the season MVP.
There are still games to be played in the regular season and things can change in an instant. It will be difficult to decide the final outcome until all the games have been played and the regular season has ended. But the way things
are shaping up at the moment, Durant seems clear of LeBron in the race to the MVP title.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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