Image via Complex Original
LeBron James is a back-to-back NBA champion and league MVP. In the last few seasons he’s cast off any doubt that lingered about his inability to win the big game, and make his teammates better around him. This season, while trying to defend both his NBA title and the tag of league’s best, James is averaging 26.9 PPG and 6.5 APG, and he has the Heat just two games back of the Pacers in the East. However, there are many who have anointed this season as the Year of the Durantula. Kevin Durant is on pace to win the scoring title averaging 31.9 PPG this year, and despite the extended absence of Russell Westbrook, he has the Thunder just one game back of the Spurs for top spot in the West. We took a look inside KD and LeBron’s seasons from a number of standpoints both on and off the court, using data both quantifiable and not, to come up with a definitive choice for the 2013-14 NBA MVP. Take a look at the reasoning, form your own opinion, and constantly ask yourself, KD vs. LeBron: Who’s the League’s MVP?
LeBron is an MVP on both ends of the floor.
While LeBron James has always been a solid scorer, 27.5 PPG for his career, his versatility lies in his willingness and effectiveness to go hard at both ends of the floor. LeBron will take it to the rack on offense, but also be the first dude back to swat away what looks like an easy deuce off the break. You can't teach hustle, it's one of those x-factors that analysts talk about when they're discussing such things as, MVP races. The numbers back up James' case for supremacy on the defensive end as well, though, especially when compared to Kevin Durant. LeBron has made five All-Defensive First Teams compared to Durant's zero. Thirty and 40-point games are great, and they definitely put your team in a position to win. However, the record has shown that to be the most valuable of players, and win the big games in May and June, defense is a necessary part of the game.
People are Tired of Seeing LeBron at the Top
LeBron James has won four of the last five MVP awards, and is looking to make it a three-peat this season. Aside from KD being a worthy recipient of the award, what makes his case even stronger is that people get tired of seeing the same dude on top year in and year out. We also know that LeBron has no shortage of haters, so those folks will be out in full force campaigning for a changing of the guard. When you factor in that Durant is in pole position to win the scoring title, averaging 31.9 PPG this season, and his assist game has suddenly become noticeable, it seems like the year for a top spot swap.
LeBron's Career-High and Franchise-Record 61-Point Performance
We know the MVP award is supposed to be given based upon an entire season's body of work, but we'll be damned if voters aren't guilty of short-term memory like everyone else. That's why LeBron's record-breaking performance couldn't have come at a better time. A time when KD's stretch of 12 30-point games came to an end, with a win in Miami ironically enough, and a time when everyone was ready to anoint a new king of the court. We know LeBron has slid a bit since his 61-point performance, but those games were against the Spurs, Bulls, and Rockets. Everyone stumbles a bit over the course of 82 games, even the reigning league MVP. The bottom line is that in a hotly contested MVP race, it only helps your case to set a career and franchise record along the way.
KD is Edging LeBron in PPG This Season, and That's the Way It's Always Been
Averaging just shy of 32 PPG this season, Kevin Durant winning the scoring title is looking like a sure thing at this point. It would be the Durantula's fourth scoring title of his career, as well as his fourth in five years. LeBron has just one scoring title to his name, awarded for the 2007-08 season when he averaged 30 PPG playing for the Cavs. Defense may win championships, but scoring is what drives the league on multiple levels. The casual NBA fan wants to watch run-and-gun ball that leads to a jam or a swish on the offensive end, and KD and his Thunder are very good at producing such displays. More viewers equates to more loot for the Association, so it's not difficult to see why KD's scoring prowess makes a stronger case for MVP than you might have thought.
The People Like a Winner, and LeBron's Heat Look Like Favorites to Repeat as Champs
After not winning a ring since 2006, The Miami Heat are now looking to make it three in a row against the likes of KD and any other challengers. And who are we to bet against them? We've heard the Wade argument that he's getting older and won't be able to bring it during crunch time that late in the season, well, we have two theories for that. One, until we see Flash actually unable to perform in a playoff series down the stretch, he averages 23.7 PPG and 5.2 APG for his playoff career by the way, we're not ready to call for his retirement. Two, Wade does perform below par in the postseason and LeBron puts the Heat on his back to capture a third straight title. Either way, both of those scenarios would probably end with the King retaining his MVP crown.
KD Leads the League With 10 40+ Point Games
KD has won three out of the last four scoring titles, but he's never produced a stretch run like he has this season. The Slim Reaper leads the league with 10 40-point games this season, double the amount of second place Carmelo Anthony, and five times the amount of one LeBron James. We explained why scoring is so important as far as winning individual basketball games, and helping grow the NBA's viewership, but this is some historic shit right here. If Durant can muster the feat just twice more this season, he'll join Michael Jordan and Moses Malone as the only players to record 12 such games in a single season since the merger. What's that sound? Is it the MVP trophy slipping through the fingers of LeBron?
LeBron Has the Better Nickname, and Always Will
A lot of talk has been made this year about Kevin Durant and a new nickname, or lack there of. Well, whether you want to call him KD, The Durantula, Slim Reaper, or...The Servant, nobody wants to call him The Servant, none of those are better than The King. The King is simple, yet commanding, and until someone stops LeBron from winning the NBA title and the MVP award, it's also very apropos. We just can't see Durant uprooting LeBron in this category in the near future, and that goes a long way in deciding dominance and value. The Servant? Really, Durant? We didn't think so.
The Servant's Run of 30-Point Games Remained in Tact in Miami, and He Got the W
Rattling off 12 straight games of at least 30 points in the middle of the season, including a dominating win in Miami, is exactly the type of thing people will look back to should Kevin Durant be crowned MVP. Durant became the first player since McGrady in 2003 to accomplish the feat of at least 30 or more points in 11 straight games in a season, and just to give it a little more historical context, the shot-clock era record of such games is 16, held by Kobe Bryant. KD sees LeBron's 61-point career-high and franchise-record performance, and raises it a run of 12 consecutive games with 30 or more points. Did we mention the Thunder won 11 of 12 during this stretch as well?
While KD's Sneaker Sales Rose Significantly, He is Still Looking up at LeBron
KD and LeBron have a great history of footwear battle on the court, and because we believe the MVP award should encompass life both on and off the court, we took a look at how KD and LeBron stack up against one another when it come to sneaker sales. While Durant's signature shoe jumped 400 percent from $35 million to $175 million in sales in the US in 2013, he still fell short of the NBA's leading shoe salesman. The Nike LeBron 11s reached $300 million in domestic sales, and the King once again reigned supreme. The shoe sale comparisons could offer a metaphor for this season's MVP race, KD has certainly closed the gap but he's hasn't quite knocked LeBron off his perch.
The Durantula Has OKC Near the Top in the West, Despite Russell Westbrook's Absence
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been without the services of the high-flying Russell Westbrook for nearly two months during the regular season, but with a quick glance at the standings you wouldn't even know it. Despite missing his fellow superstar, Durant took his game to the next level this season and had the Thunder top in the West for a solid stretch. They currently sit one game back of the Spurs for top spot, but you get the point. Russell Westbrook averaged 23.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 5.2 RPG, over the course of the 2012-13 season, just so you have an idea of how big of a loss the Thunder were looking at when Westbrook was out for an extended time this season. But that's what champions do, they rise to the occasion individually, and make everyone around them better at the same time. Durant's ability to do this makes a strong MVP argument.
LeBron Is the More Polarizing and Charismatic Figure
Love him or loathe him, and if you're Joakim Noah we don't even have to ask, LeBron James is that dude. He's so good, and he showcases an ability to takeover a game like no other, that no matter how much KD "narrows" the gap between the two, LeBron is always going to be in a class of his own. Who doesn't like Kevin Durant? We'll wait. The same cannot be said of LeBron, that's where the King is like MJ, Kobe, and so many greats who have come before him. James puts it all on his back and says I'll lead the way.
The Heat lose three in a row, albeit a rarity, who's taking the blame? It ain't Norris Cole and Birdman, we'll tell you that. Likewise, though, those who applaud James do so vehemently. There has been a ton of unwarranted hate towards LeBron over the years, and he's responded the best way possible, by winning everything in site. It's LeBron in the commercials, and LeBron's sound bites we hear on TV more than anyone, including Kevin Durant.
KD Is the MVP According to Social Media Analytics
According to a recent study that analyzes social mentions of LeBron and KD on sites like Twitter, the MVP race isn't even close. After a filtering of content and searches to really get down to how people view the two superstars with specific regards to the MVP race, the results show that Durant had a total of 34,159 or 86 percent of mentions on sites like Twitter, for MVP. LeBron came in at 5,459 or 14 percent of the mentions. Durant also won a similar social media matchup during the All-Star game involving the #1on1durant and #1on1lebron. Since 2010, one ballot for MVP voting has been cast online by fans, and while it's only one ballot, a race this close is certain to come down to smallest of details.
Durant's Numbers are up, but Lebron Still Leads the Assists Game
Supporters of Durant's MVP push will look to the fact that KD's assist numbers are up from 4.6 APG last season, to 5.6 APG this campaign. This appeared to be a huge reason in previous seasons as far as putting LeBron ahead of Durant in the MVP race, playing to the fact that James is a better all around player and KD is just a scorer. Well, while Duran't assist numbers may be good from a personal standpoint this season, LeBron has quietly gone about his business of continuing to dominate by dishing out a high number of assists for a superstar. James is averaging 6.5 dimes per game this season, and when you compare the two stars for their careers, it ain't even a contest. LeBron and Durant are averaging 6.9 and 3.4 APG, respectively, for their careers.
Kevin Durant Is No Longer Just a Scorer
As talented as Kevin Durant has been since he first entered the league in 2007, he turned a corner this season as far as his all around game is concerned. His assist numbers have taken a steady jump over the last four seasons, and he's notching a career high in that category this year, despite the extended absence of Russell Westbrook. KD has always been a prolific scorer, but even those numbers have gone up as he's notching his highest ppg total of his career. He's also set records with his season streaks of 30-point games, and is leading the NBA far and away with 10 40-point games this season as well.
Beyond the numbers, though, Durant seems to finally be embracing the media and off the court circus that surrounds a league MVP. He's publically stated that he's tired of playing second fiddle to LeBron in everything that matters, while reiterating that he's out there purely to win for the team. An MVP's sentiments if we've ever heard them.
Assist Numbers Aside, James Brings Out the Best From His Teammates
Through assist numbers we've showed how LeBron literally gets his teammates involved. But what's difficult to quantify is the intensity and attitude that Lebron has developed and instilled in the current Miami Heat squad. Dwyane Wade has always been a superstar, but he only won one championship with Shaq in 2006 before LeBron arrived. We're just saying. LeBron has brought and developed something that makes his teammates want more. It's his efforts on both ends of the floor that inspire teammates to get back and help out on someone else's assignment. It's his desire to win that makes a guy like Norris Cole have the confidence to knock down the open corner three, or pushes Chris Andersen to grab a rejection at one end and a dunk at the other. LeBron takes the plaudits for wins, and deservedly so, but he's also the first dude the media slam when it's not going right for the Heat. Such is the price of greatness.
Conclusion: The King Will Retain His Crown
We've seen Kevin Durant elevate his game this year in terms of numbers, marketability, and all around play. He's been faced with the test of missing a fellow superstar, and up until this point he's passed with flying colors. He's confronted his exasperation of always coming in second to LeBron, and proven through his words and his play that he's doing everything he can to change that. KD has reached new scoring milestones for his career, carried the Thunder through the drags and fatigues of an 82-game season, and is ready to make a run at the crown of the Miami Heat.
But that's just it; it's the Heat, and speaking more to the point, LeBron James' crown to lose. While KD has upped his stock, what has LeBron done to devalue his? LeBron has reached career accolades of his own during the 2013-14 season, and has his Heat within striking distance of the Pacers in the East. The King is still winning in terms of categories such as shoe sales and endorsements, and while KD has missed Westbrook this term, Bosh and Wade have been shadows of themselves at times this season. With just about 20 or so games left to play this season, Durant will probably win the scoring title, but that will be it as far as silverware is concerned. LeBron and his Heat will push in these final 20 games, as they've come accustomed to doing, and start their short second season en route to a third consecutive NBA title. Winning back-to-back titles and creating a winning culture is what an MVP does, and until that ends, neither should the view that LeBron James is the NBA's MVP.
