[球員資訊] MVP候選人

MVP race

1. LeBron James, Heat
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder
3. Chris Paul, Clippers
4. Tony Parker, Spurs
5. Kobe Bryant, Lakers

James has spent the last two months methodically squashing any and all arguments against him winning his fourth MVP award in five years. Though I selected Durant as MVP at both the first-quarter and midseason marks, James has swallowed whole the possibility of such dissenting opinions.

For starters, the Heat have re-established their supremacy. They are an NBA-best 47-14, own a nine-game lead in the Eastern Conference and have won a franchise-record 18 consecutive games. Arguments for the best player on a team with a better record — a la Derrick Rose in 2011 and Durant earlier this season — have been neutered.

Judged solely on a player-to-player basis, no one can compare to James — not even Durant, who is in the midst of an impeccable season himself. James is averaging 26.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.7 steals. He has a 31.2 Player Efficiency Rating (PER), the sixth straight season he’s topped the NBA in this metric. He’s shooting career highs of 56.2 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point range. His string of six consecutive games last month with at least 30 points and 60 percent shooting was sensational, but it wasn’t all that far away from his day-to-day standard.

One can’t help but marvel at James’ incremental improvements — shot selection, post game, comfort level in defending anyone on the court — and wish more of his peers took the pursuit of perfection as seriously as he does. According to NBA.com, the Heat are five points per 100 possessions better on defense and 11.4 points per 100 possessions better on offense when James in on the court compared to when he sits. He does it on offense, he does it on defense, he does it every night (he hasn’t missed a game) and he does it for the league’s premier team. Voting for James again is boring, but he’s forced everyone’s hand.

Durant headlines a strong list of candidates for second place. The sixth-year forward is heading for his fourth scoring title in a row and, even more remarkably, is still tracking toward the 50/40/90 shooting club while on pace to launch more than 1,400 shots. Continuing at that volume from the field and accuracy with his two-point shooting (50.5 percent), three-point shooting (41.4) and free-throw shooting (91) would put Durant in a club with only one other man: Larry Bird, who did it in 1986-87 and ’87-88. Durant’s Thunder join the Heat and the Spurs as consensus title favorites, and he ranks second to James in PER with a career-best 28.6.

LBJ應該贏得MVP
，最好的球員，最好的效率，最好的記錄!