The Real MVP: Why LeBron’s value can’t be measured

It’s called the King James Gospel for a reason; there is simply no way to assess the true meaning of what LeBron James means to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the rest of the NBA for that matter.

LeBron James is still the undisputed greatest player in the world.  His statistics in a historic 3-1 comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors prove that.

Throughout his 13-year NBA career, the King has been the best player on the floor. That’s still the case, and the statistics prove it.

At nearly 32-years-old, James still leads the Cavs in scoring (25.5 points per game), assists (8.6 per game), and steals (1.4 per game). This kind of thing is not uncommon, as he has done that 11 times in 13 previous seasons.

This proves that the King does everything, and you can’t possibly quantify what he means for his team.  I am a huge fan of Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook; he’s the MVP of the NBA right now.

Nonetheless, few people will argue that he is in the same stratosphere of James.

According to StatMuse, the Cavs are 4-18 without James since he returned to the team before the 2014 season. The stats are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact of the greatest player of a generation, however.

Even with great players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on the floor, the Cavs had a really tough time dealing with a Detroit Pistons squad that is last place in the Central Division.

Despite Detroit having a solid young core, the Cavs should have pulled this one out. Uncle Drew and company  clearly aren’t the same without LBJ.

There was often stagnant offense which led to bad shots, in addition to a flat effort on defense.

Nights like this one further illustrate why LBJ is in a class of his own.  James is maybe the best in the history of the league at getting the most out of his teammates.

In the 2015 NBA Finals, James got all he could out of the talent around him.  The King put the Cavs on his back to take a 2-1 series lead before the wheels fell off.

That’s impressive with Matthew Dellavedova as his starting point guard, against the likes of Stephen Curry and a juggernaut of offensive firepower.

It was nothing short of an amazing individual effort.  Let’s not forget this statline:

ESPN reported from Elias Sports Bureau that LeBron accounted for 57.7 points per game in that series, whether that was his own buckets or assists.

To put that into perspective, that’s the most in the history of the NBA (yes, even more than Michael Jordan in the 1993 Finals).

Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that a guy like LBJ doesn’t come around often. You can’t possibly replace someone who can virtually play every position on a basketball court.

There’s a reason LeBron’s team is the headliner on Christmas, and so many other times throughout the NBA season.  It’s stuff like this, where he jams all over  Draymond Green. (Thank God he wasn’t kicked!)

I mean even NBA fans of other teams hate when LeBron’s not playing.  This game was the latest reminder of the superstar he truly is.

He wears many hats: floor general, team GM, player-coach, main scorer, defensive stopper, you name it.  Throughout that Christmas Day game, you saw the whole array.

He was getting his guys involved, but also got his team back in it with a 16-point third period. There were a few key steals as well.

LeBron’s playmaking is infectious.  His defensive tenacity in big moments drives his teammates to sell out, too.

Kyrie had so many big steals down the stretch, and LeBron’s championship mentality is stamped all over that. Conversely, Irving didn’t set the tone on defense in Detroit.

Part of it is due to it being the second game of a back-to-back, and I get that. Regardless, the whole team looks different when their leader isn’t out there.

For a player that gets as much criticism as he has gotten in his career, there’s not a lot to complain about in regards to what James does in the win column on a nightly basis.

He ranks eighth in NBA history in total win shares, which measure the amount of wins a player accounts for.  This is generally calculated over the span of full seasons, to contextualize.

It’s the body of work that speaks for the greatness of James, but lately he’s really been dominant. James and teammate James Jones are the only players since select members of the 1960’s Boston Celtics to make six consecutive NBA Finals.

LeBron is going to hold numerous records when it’s all said and done, and he might just be in that conversation with “The Ghost.”  Regardless, it’s important that we cherish the time we have left watching this bad, bad man (gotta love ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith).

Based on what we looked like without LBJ, I don’t even want to think about what’s next. Hopefully there’s just more parades.

As the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone. Sorry Kevin Durant, but LBJ is the real MVP.

In LeGOAT We Trust.

Related Story: Cleveland Cavaliers' Christmas Day Victory Gets Them The Top Spot

Do you think LeBron James is the most valuable player in the league? Let us know your thoughts on the MVP race in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.