King James Gospel
Fansided

Midseason NBA MVP Top Five: Who will seperate from this field of flawed candidates?

By Jason Timpf

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walks off the court after their 104-101 loss to the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 30, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walks off the court after their 104-101 loss to the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 30, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 29: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks at Stephen Curry #30 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Staples Center on November 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 29: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks at Stephen Curry #30 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Staples Center on November 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

4: Kevin Durant & Stephen Curry

Why they should be MVPs:

Bonus candidate. I put both Durant and Curry here because they have remarkably similar cases to be made. Both are solidified as top-five players in the league, both are playing phenomenally well and their team has the best record in the NBA.

Curry came back from his ankle injury with a ridiculous five-game stretch. He went for 35-6-6 on .57/.53/.90 splits. He’s as good as he’s ever been. Durant is having his third most efficient offensive season, ever, and is second in the NBA in blocked shots. These are MVP-level numbers from both guys.

More from King James Gospel

Why they shouldn’t be MVPs:

Twenty-two. That’s how many times Durant and Curry have failed to take the court for their team this season due to injury. This isn’t entirely their fault, seeing as the Warriors have been extraordinarily cautious with bringing them back. But that is the biggest perk when it comes to having two former MVPs on your team. You end up with the best record in the league anyway. As we saw with both Durant and Lebron James last year, the voters will penalize you for not being available.

But even with the injuries set aside, the biggest case against these two is the overwhelming talent that permeates their roster. The Warriors are 12-4 in games without Curry over the past two years. They have gone 25-6 in games without Durant, counting the playoffs. The Durant case is particularly strange, seeing as 25-6 represents an 81% winning percentage, which nearly matches the 82% mark the Warriors have put up since Durant came to Golden State. Yep, they’re just about as good with him as they are without him. This is not an MVP characteristic.