Merry Christmas from King James Gospel to you! Christmas is a special day in the NBA season, with five marquee games for fans and their families to enjoy. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t one of the ten teams this season, but given their dominant play are almost certainly in line to return to the Christmas Day stage next season.
For now, we can focus just on the Cavs and what they have given their fans this year. It has been a remarkable season, one where fans can shake off the malaise of being a Cleveland Browns fan and otherwise enjoy what watching a successful team looks like. Let’s look at the three gifts that the Cavs have brought us this year.
A Cavaliers Christmas Gift No. 1 – An MVP Candidate
LeBron James was a perennial MVP candidate for the vast majority of his career. That includes winning two of his four MVP award in Cleveland, bringing home the trophy in 2008-09 and in 2009-10. When he returned to the Cavs in 2014 and ultimately brought home a title, he finished in the top-4 in MVP voting all four seasons.
Donovan Mitchell is not at LeBron’s level, but he is absolutely the best player this team has had since LeBron James left and is firmly in the MVP discussion this season. There are a number of amazing candidates, and the sheer depth of the field means Mitchell is unlikely to ultimately win the award, but he will receive votes and appear on the ballot. That’s an impressive feat on its own, and Mitchell has been a blast to watch, exceeding expectations by joining this team and elevating them to new heights.