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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LeBron James and Kevin Durant (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

NBA: 25 players who should have won MVP in retrospect: 23. Kevin Durant, 2011-12

At first, fans were strongly under the belief that they would have no choice but to rewind old NBA clips and watch the Drew League all year long. The relationship involving the players and the owners grew more and more contentious. The animosity spilled over into the 2011-2012 season and a lockout threatened to wipe away the entire year.

Just when everything looked extremely bleak, both sides finally came to an agreement and real basketball ensued. LeBron James walked into the truncated season as the favorite to walk away with the MVP award. Some of that, in part, was due to the growing notion that he was robbed of the award the previous year by Derrick Rose.

Like many predicted, James was outstanding. He put together his typical stat line of 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists on 53.1 percent from the field for a Miami Heat team that went 46-20. James ran away with the award, taking home 85 first-place votes to Kevin Durant’s 24. When we look back, the wrong man was crowned MVP.

Durant edged James in several categories including points 28.0 to 27.1, rebounds 8.0 to 7.9, blocks 1.2 to 0.8 and his Thunder team won one more game than the Heat. James, of course, would go on to takedown Durant in the NBA Finals, adding salt to his wounds.