NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 05: NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson speaks during the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Player of the Year press conference prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

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George Gervin (R) (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images) /

NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect: 15. George Gervin 1977-78

Bill Walton has become one of the most lovable sports figures in the world. His whacky outfits and effervescent personality have made him much watch television when he calls college and NBA games. But, no matter how much of a great person he is, Walton should have never won the MVP award during the 1977-78 season.

Like always, MVP voters seem to tie the best overall record to the award. With Walton leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 58-24 mark, he was given the league’s most valuable player trophy after putting up averages of 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Now, by no means were those pedestrian numbers but George Gervin had an unbelievable year. Gervin hung 27.2 points a night on defenders to go along with 5.1 rebounds, all while leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 52-30 record.

Despite getting the bulk of his points on the outside, Gervin shot a better field goal percentage than the MVP winner, 53.6 to 52.2. Gervin also had significantly higher win shares, checking in at 12 compared to 8.4 for Walton. In fact, more than 11 players had higher win shares than Walton that season. But, of course, that doesn’t matter. Voters simply locked in on the overall record of the Blazers and blindly handed Walton the award.