Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James has received a first-place MVP vote from Cavs beat writer Jason Lloyd, and he has explained the reason behind it.
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While James has even insisted that he would vote for himself, it is widely expected that the race will come down to Stephen Curry or James Harden being crowned the MVP.
The Golden State Warriors star is the clear betting favourite to land the award, but Harden has certainly made a strong case this year as he has ultimately carried the Houston Rockets with Dwight Howard sidelined for much of the campaign.
However, there are still those that believe James should win a fifth MVP award, as he played an influential role in transforming a losing team into a championship contender with his return to Cleveland.
The Cavs have undoubtedly benefitted from having an overall stronger roster with the likes of Kevin Love also joining, but James has had the biggest impact and has led the team to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
That is enough for Lloyd to cast his vote in favour of his local man.
“Maybe I’m the only writer in the country who doesn’t get swept up in the Curry/Harden debate and votes LeBron No. 1. That’s fine. I’m ready for whatever scrutiny comes with it. I laid out a couple of weeks ago why I believe James is still the MVP of this league and I’m not wavering now,” he wrote in the Akron Beacon Journal.
“He lifted an entire franchise and region with his return. He took a team going on its third coach in as many years, with the worst overall record the past four years, a dysfunctional locker room and a hands-on owner and (eventually) steadied it all. Not to mention Kyrie Irving’s development playing alongside him.”
James has certainly been a fundamental part of the Cavs’ success this year and he continues to be a leading player in the league. However, this year he has ultimately been outdone by both Curry and Harden who have been responsible for two of the best records in the league and have done so with some sensational numbers.
LeBron will potentially win multiple MVP awards before he retires to add to his collection, but this year is not his year and Curry deserves it more.
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