The Eastern Conference Finals proved that LeBron James is the real MVP

If it was not already obvious, Game 7 on Sunday night proved who the true MVP of this league (once again) really is, LeBron James.

Yes, I am aware that the MVP award is based solely on regular season success. I am also aware that in all likelihood James Harden will in fact win the award this year. But is he really your MVP? Did he really have a more valuable season than LeBron James?

What James did in the two most crucial games of Cleveland’s season is remarkable. He played 94 minutes (out of a possible 96) and showed no signs of fatigue.

James also scored 46 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed nine rebounds in the first elimination game against Boston. Then James followed that performance up with a 35 point, 15 rebound, nine assist game.

In fact, all playoffs long, James has put Cleveland on his back and propelled them back to the NBA Finals. Buzzer-beaters, triple-doubles, 40 points games. LeBron has done it all.

With Houston up 3-2, the Rockets were in prime position to put away the defending champions. Granted, the Rockets were without their second-best player for the final two games with an injury.

But wait…LeBron dealt with the same situation. Kevin Love missed the majority of Game 6 and all of Game 7 with a concussion.

So without his all-star running mate, James still took it upon himself to get the job done.  With his back against the wall, James (yet again) silenced the doubters. In Game 6 and 7, James scored a combined 81 points and shot 51 percent from the floor as well as 53 percent (8-15) from beyond the arc.

Those performances can be summed up in one word, dominant.

Meanwhile, Harden, the MVP of his team, fell flat. Yes, he scored 32 points in both game 6 and 7, but shot just over 40 percent from the floor.  What was more shocking is that Harden shot just 6-25 (24 percent) from beyond the arc. Yikes.

All series long, Harden chucked up one three-point shot after another and largely missed the mark.

After shooting 5-9 from beyond the arc in Game 1, Harden shot just 20 percent (14-69) from deep. This stretch included a 0-11 performance in Game 5.

While Harden can get to the hoop and in turn get to the foul line, he largely stuck with the long-range shots. There was little deviation from his shot selection.

James on the other hand, can still get his points and affect the game even when he cannot get his shot to fall from the perimeter. There is not one single aspect of his game LeBron relies on more than the other.

An MVP should also be the calming voice in the midst of chaos. Harden, while a solid leader, is nowhere near James in terms of rallying the troops and defying the odds.

With the more talented team (granted against the tougher opponent) Harden and his running mates fell flat. James rallied his teammates and got the best out of them when Cleveland (and James) needed it most.

It is no secret James sometimes would hold back and take games off in the regular season to preserve himself for the playoffs. But this past year James did no such thing. LeBron logged minutes in ALL 82 regular season games.

What is even more impressive is that James scored nearly 28 points per game in the regular season. LeBron also dished out nine assists and grabbed nearly nine rebounds per game. For a player in his 15th season, with the type of miles LeBron has on his body, that is an incredible feat.

And even though he played all 82 games, James somehow is behind Harden in the MVP discussion.

But James will fall short of winning his fifth MVP trophy because Harden was the best player on the best regular season team. It’s as simple as that.

The MVP award is not what it used to be. Last season Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double and won the award. Well, Westbrook did the EXACT same thing this season and will likely finish outside the top 5 in MVP voting this year.

The eye test says LeBron is better than Harden. The stats say LeBron is better than Harden.

But Harden wins the MVP because he performed better with a better supporting cast?

LeBron took a cast of inconsistent teammates to the NBA Finals through an improved Eastern Conference. That’s who my vote would go to.

Next: Four lessons the Rockets taught us about the Warriors

Harden may be hoisting that MVP trophy at season’s end, but we all know who is the real MVP.