Until recently, it seemed James Harden was running away with the MVP award. However, LeBron James has made a late surge to thrust his name back into the race.
LeBron James has been phenomenal for the past month and a half. James has stepped his game up to another level in pursuit of securing a solid playoff seed for the Cleveland Cavaliers. His elevated play has been the sole reason the Cavaliers have managed to remain two games ahead of the Philadephia 76ers.
Since February 7th, James has been averaging 30.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.5 assists per game. During this stretch, the Cavaliers have won 12 of their 19 games. This streak by the Cavaliers has been crucial in keeping them in the third seed of Eastern Conference.
Furthermore, this run by James has been filled with historical moments. First, James managed to break his personal career high for triple-doubles in a single season. James now has totaled 17 different triple-doubles this year. Nearly half of those (eight of them) came during this month-long stretch. In addition to this, James became the first player in NBA history to throw 17 assists in a game without a single turnover.
James has been nothing short of great during this time. However, this run has come in the last third of the NBA season. Does this mean it’s too late for James to shove his name back into the MVP conversation?
James Harden has been on fire all year. Harden is averaging 31.2 points per game and has lifted his Rockets team to the best record in the NBA. Aside from when he was sitting out due to injury, Harden has been consistently great all season. Meanwhile, James and the Cavaliers have had a fair share of poor stretches this season.
In conclusion, LeBron James’ chances of winning the MVP award are slim. It’s going to be difficult for a voter to award James for his last-second achievements. Especially when Harden has been playing consistently at a high level. Lastly, the fact that the Houston Rockets have 15 more wins than the Cavaliers will be the final nail in the coffin.
However, this doesn’t mean that this stretch by James should go unnoticed. James has shown us that even in year 15 he can still dominate the entire league whenever he chooses to.