LeBron James is currently putting on one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Cavaliers trail the Golden State Warriors 3-2 with elimination a legitimate possibility in Game 6.
There’s been much debate about it, but whether the Cavaliers win or lose, James is the only rational option for Finals MVP.
Jerry West set the precedent for this seemingly blasphemous statement by winning Finals MVP in 1969. The Los Angeles Lakers lost that series in seven games to the Boston Celtics.
West won the award by averaging an obscene 37.3 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds and was, by far, the best player on the court during that series.
Fast forward to 2015, where James is averaging an even more ridiculous 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.2 3-point field goals made per game. He has three 40-point games, a pair of triple-doubles and has scored 39-plus points in all but one appearance thus far.
James has done this with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao all sidelined for the rest of the season.
West, who was undeniably deserving, won the award with Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain by his side. They didn’t play as well as they were expected to, but their presence existed.
Chamberlain grabbed 25.0 rebounds per game in that series, albeit while shooting 37.5 percent from the free throw line.
James is playing with a cast of role players who, with every passing game, his detractors attempt to talk up. Matthew Dellavedova has become a borderline household name, even garnering praise as the player who, “Truly,” deserves Finals MVP.
That conversation ended when Dellavedova scored 15 points on 5-of-23 shooting between Games 4 and 5.
Timofey Mozgov was labeled as a rising star for scoring 28 points in Game 4, but posted zeros across the board—sans one steal, two fouls and two turnovers in nine minutes—in Game 5.
No player does it alone, but James has shouldered as big of a workload as anyone before him—if not bigger.
James is averaging 45.6 minutes per game during the 2015 NBA Finals. That includes 50 minutes in Game 2 and at least 45 in Games 1, 3 and 5.
Whether it’s accepted as truth or not, no player on either team has played a bigger role in their team’s pursuit of glory as James.
If this weren’t LeBron James we were talking about, there likely wouldn’t be opposition here.
Stephen Curry was a virtual non-factor for half of the series. He shot 5-of-23 in Game 2 and offered too little, too late after an otherwise dreadful Game 3. His numbers look great for Game 4, but much like Game 3, he scored most of his points once the rout was on and the pressure was off.
Andre Iguodala was the front-runner for Golden State through four games, and rightfully so. He played superb defense on James and was the source of positive offense, but shot just 2-of-12 at the line in Game 5.
Golden State still won that game.
James struggled in Game 4, but even then he put up 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. It’s bigger than numbers, but what James is doing in the 2015 NBA Finals is close to unparalleled.
Truthfully, James winning the award would be the ultimate compliment to the Warriors.
That may seem like a cop-out, but it’s an acknowledgement that Golden State has made it this far as a team. Curry deservedly won regular season MVP, and he’s turned things around as a scorer in the Finals, but the Warriors have won and lost as a unit.
To give Finals MVP to a single player would improperly illustrate just how balanced an effort this has been.
For instance, Curry has the numbers, but Iguodala has been the catalyst for just about everything positive Golden State has done thus far. Klay Thompson has shined as a scorer, but has also made brilliant rotations defensively.
Even David Lee came in to provide vital minutes, saving the Warriors’ stagnant offense in Game 4.
Thus, handing the Finals MVP award to the opponent would be the ultimate sign of Golden State’s solidarity.
If James collapses in Game 6 or a possible Game 7, and Curry or Iguodala absolutely erupt, the award could change hands. Even still, that would be an outlier in this series.
If the series stays true to form, however, there is no rational way around this: LeBron James has been the Finals MVP, and there isn’t a rational way around it.
Next: Do the Cleveland Cavaliers have a secret weapon for Game 6?
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