KYRIE IRVING BELIEVES LeBron James should have been the NBA’s MVP in 2017-18, although he acknowledges James Harden was a popular choice.
Houston Rockets’ Harden was handed the award on Monday after helping his team to the best regular season record in the league, while basketball great James, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, finished second in the voting.
Harden scooped the award after a season which saw him average more than 30 points per game, with 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
Although Irving – once of the Cavs, now at the Boston Celtics – understands why Harden won, he would have gone for James after considering the statistics.
James, a four-time MVP, played 10 more regular season games, scored 60 more points, logged 320 more rebounds, made 117 more assists and shot almost 10 per cent more accurately than Harden last season.
“MVP is hard to gauge nowadays, because now you have the people’s MVP and you have the NBA’s MVP,” Irving told radio station Hot 97.
“I think the people’s MVP was definitely James [Harden], but the NBA MVP is definitely LeBron. If we’re talking strictly based off stats, he checks every mark.
“He’s incredible, he’s incredible.”
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LeBron is definitely the best player in the NBA this year. Harden puts up great highlights and is unbelievably skillful but not a better player this year.
@kevcrowley: is that why Curry wipes the floor with him in the finals… you know, the part of the season that matters?
@Jonathan Nolan: curry wasn’t even Finals mvp , and in the finals the last two years it’s been pretty much 4 v 1 with a bit of Kevin Love and Kyrie last year
@Jonathan Nolan: curry can blow hot and cold beteeen quarters and have Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson take over scoring. James played every minute nearly and has huge defensive responsibility on top. No comparison with Curry
@kevcrowley: every minute??!! Is that why he was on the bench or sitting at the side of the clock for 20 minutes per game 2 & 3?
@Aidan Holden: is that Curry’s daily for having a team around him?
@kevcrowley: bottom line is LeBum James only has as many rings as Larry Bird, yet he’s been in almost twice as many finals. The guy has skills, but he’s a chump. At the end of a career it’s rings that are the legacy, and LeBum will be hard pressed getting another one
@Jonathan Nolan: do you think calling him LeBum makes you sound smart and reasonable?
@Jonathan Nolan: well in that case a ‘chump’ is the 2nd greatest player of all time
@Jonathan Nolan: your opinion on basketball is complete rubbish I’ve seen all the top players in the league play live and LeBron is superior than every single one of them
Instead of calling people bums take the time to actually watch them play basketball in the flesh before you talk
Your opinion is complete rubbish
@Aidan Holden: after Larry Bird and Magic Johnson? Aren’t you forgetting about Jordan?
@Barry McCarthy: No, would be the answer to that one Barry. It’s just my opinion. He’s the most over hyped player in NBA history. You are entitled to your own opinion. Fair enough
@Jonathan Nolan: MJ number 1 LBJ number 2
Should’ve won it in 2011 but This year Harden was a fair choice
@Ruairi Doyle: in 2011 he wasn’t starting and averaged about 10 ppg what?
4-0 says it all. And LeBum was the one with 4 x L’s against his name at seasons end
@Jonathan Nolan: weird
@Jonathan Nolan: 4-0 says absolutely nothing since its REGULAR SEASON MVP.