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Andre Iguodala and LeBron James were the only vote-getters for Finals MVP

By Jonathan Bass

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) talks to the media after winning the NBA Finals MVP after game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) talks to the media after winning the NBA Finals MVP after game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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LeBron James and Andre Iguodala were the only two players to receive votes for the NBA Finals MVP award.

Here’s an interesting tidbit in all of the washout from this year’s NBA Finals: only LeBron James and Andre Iguodala were mentioned on the ballot for series MVP. The award, which was voted on by 11 members of the media, would eventually go to Iguodala with seven votes; James received the other four. Below is a breakdown of the tally.

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On one level it’s somewhat surprising that Steph Curry didn’t receive a single vote, given that he was the regular season’s Most Valuable Player. Also, based on box score alone his numbers were much better than Iguodala’s (more points, assists, steals and only .6 fewer rebounds per game).

However, throughout the course of the series Iguodala proved a steadying, veteran hand for the Warriors. He started out the series shooting a scorching 75% in Game 1, and never dipped below 45% in any contest. Curry was all over the map – from 57% to 22% and all points in between. Also, Curry appeared to take a while to get revved up. He was abysmal in a Game 2 loss and didn’t come alive in the Game 3 defeat until the 4th quarter of a blowout. Game 4 is when he found footing, and Game 5 was the “MVP performance” everyone, save Cleveland faithful, had been waiting on.

Iguodala’s move to the starting rotation in Game 4 was the catalyst for Golden State’s triumph. Once Steve Kerr decided to go with a small-ball lineup, there was nothing Cleveland could do to counter. Heavy minutes and a shortened bench caught up with the Cavs, and Golden State blew right past them. Iguodala’s trophy is based on intangibles as much as it is statistics. A sharp move by a well-informed voting panel.

As for the debate about LeBron: there’s definitely one to be had. He was part Atlas, part Sisyphus throughout the entire series. In parsing the award, nobody was more valuable than James. Cleveland wouldn’t have taken two games, let alone been close in any contest had he not played. And yet, when the series is over, what is the real difference between winning two games or zero? The only numbers that matters are the four losses. He had a monster series, but was on the wrong end of the stick yet again.

The takeaway from this ballot appears to be: to win the MVP award you must be the most consistent player on the winning team throughout the course of the series.

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