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NBA Awards Watch: Stephen Curry Is Going To Win MVP

By Gerald Bourguet

March 31, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring a basket against Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
March 31, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring a basket against Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

5. LeBron James

66 games, 36.3 MPG, 25.6 PPG, 7.3 APG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG, .490/.354/.715 shooting, 26.1 PER

Last week: 5 (⇔)

LeBron James is putting up a 26-7-6 stat line in his 12th season in the league. He redeemed himself in the eyes of even his staunchest critics with his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s the best player in the NBA and on the surface, it seems absurd that King James isn’t getting more MVP hype on that criterion alone.

But we don’t award the MVP award to the best player in the league every year; we award it to the player having the best season. So although it’s impressive as hell that LeBron has turned yet another former lottery team into a title contender (and at the age of 30, no less), there are a few key reasons he won’t win again.

For one, LeBron James has already won four MVP Awards. Like it or not, voter fatigue is a thing, although that’s not the chief reason King James won’t add another crown to his collection. No, the real reason is it took some time for LeBron and the Cavs to get their season started.

LeBron is as likable as ever, but Curry has so much more momentum on his side in terms of likability, team success, freshness and narrative. Curry is having his best season by far, one that could go down in NBA history as one of the best shooting seasons ever. We’ve seen better from LeBron in the past, and all this is a long-winded way of saying King James hasn’t been having the best season in the league compared to Curry or Harden (and possibly Westbrook and Davis as well).

Next: No. 4 - Russ