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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) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 2: Isaiah Thomas #3 listens to LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 2, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 2: Isaiah Thomas #3 listens to LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 2, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

1: Lebron James

Why he shouldn’t be MVP:

I’m flipping around the “should” and “shouldn’t” for this round because I think it’s important for you all to understand why Lebron James deserves the top spot at this point in the season.

Yes, he is a flawed candidate. With exception of the 13-game winning streak from earlier in the year, he has been utterly unconcerned with defense. His “best-in-career” numbers from about a month ago have slipped to “almost-best-in-career.”

The biggest case against Lebron is that his team has somehow already had two terrible streaks, and we’re barely halfway through the campaign.

The Cavaliers are just 3-7 over their last 10 games, and they had a similarly bad streak back in November where they also went 3-7. Lebron James is the leader of his team, and he deserves blame for his team’s struggles.

They have extended low-effort stretches, and Lebron is known for low effort in the regular season. It is absolutely fair to blame him for leading poorly by example.

Why he should be the MVP:

The Cavaliers have the sixth-best record in the NBA. How can that be true in light of those aforementioned, ugly streaks? Because Cleveland also owns the most impressive streak in the NBA this season, an 18-1 streak.

Lebron’s numbers speak for themselves. 27-8-9 on a 64% True Shooting Percentage. But as we know, he owns the most impressive streak in the NBA, the best individual performance of the season (a 57-point thrashing of Washington), and probably has the second-worst supporting cast of anyone on this list (behind Giannis). Iman Shumpert, Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose and Tristian Thompson have all missed extended time with injuries.

Best of all, he represents the highest “passing grade” of our precedents test. His team has one of the best records in the league. He hasn’t missed a single game (everybody else on this list has missed at least two). And we all know that — if anything — Lebron will only improve come postseason time. His play is more than validated.

Lebron is a flawed candidate.

Must Read: Cleveland Cavaliers: Evaluating their team halfway through the season

Without a doubt, he will need to play better in order to take home the MVP. But at this point, Lebron has the best case. He deserves to be number one, even if by default.