LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant: Who Deserves MVP Award?

May 8th, 2012 by Ethan Sherwood Strauss Leave a reply »


With LeBron James running away with the individual statistical battle, opponents of his MVP campaign have been forced toward other topics. My colleague, Will, is one of those refugees, relying on conceptions of heart and clutch to bolster his pro-Kevin Durant spiel.

This is not to say that such a preference is invalid or wrong—I'm just more inclined toward the tangible. If I had my druthers, MVP would always go to the most individually productive player, regardless of storyline. 

But the MVP race does not conform to my whims, and thus is highly susceptible to narrative influence. Derrick Rose won last year because people were shocked by the Chicago Bulls' ascent. In retrospect, that MVP selection may have been more emotional than logical.

Not every debate has an obvious "stats" answer. When it's too close to call, that's when I employ the subjective. This year, LeBron James was just too far ahead of everyone else for that to happen. 

Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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