J.R. Smith says LeBron James is the real NBA MVP

If it were up to Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard J.R. Smith, LeBron James would be the MVP this year and every year, for that matter.

After a blowout victory over the Detroit Pistons in the second-to-last game of the regular season, Cleveland Cavaliers‘ guard J.R. Smith was interviewed and claimed that LeBron James should win this year’s MVP and it’s apparently not that close.

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

The new Cavs’ role player has seemed to have a good relationship with James ever since joining the team and he apparently has his back when it comes to the MVP race.

No, Smith wouldn’t vote for Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Stephen Curry or Anthony Davis, he would vote for his own teammate who took a team of superstars and solid role players and carried them to a 52-win season — something to be expected of this talented Cavs team.

Forget the fact that Westbrook has recorded 11 triple-doubles this season and might even lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs without fellow superstar Kevin Durant. Forget that Curry makes highlight reel plays every single night, making defenders look silly for trying to guard him all while breaking three-point records for the best team in the league. Forget Harden’s all-around solid play for the injury-ridden Rockets. And don’t even think about Anthony Davis taking over as the NBA‘s best big man this year and leading the underdog Pelicans to a possible playoff berth.

Apr 8, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Cleveland won 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

After you forget all of those players and the accomplishments they have had this season, then you could probably argue that LeBron is deserving of the NBA MVP Award.

“Who? The real MVP?” Smith said in the postgame interview. “There’s a lot of speculation about who should get the award, but we all know who the real MVP is.

I mean, the numbers, what he does for teams. You see one year removed from a team like Miami — and they probably won’t even make the playoffs — to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since he left and then, all of the sudden, we’re a 52-win team. So, I don’t think you can do that with anybody else that’s in our league right now.”

Sure, that argument that he left the Heat and they won’t make the playoffs is a solid one, but any team that loses a superstar and has been aging with Dwyane Wade often injured as well as other star Chris Bosh suffering an injury all year will be lucky to finish with 35-plus wins.

As for the Cavs becoming a 52-win team, any team who has LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love should make the playoffs and get at least 50 wins a hundred percent of the time.

Is LeBron the league MVP? To anyone but Smith, no. Is he the Eastern Conference MVP? That’s more likely. Even if he does make plays like this:

"LeBron bounces behind-the-back to Mozgov under the basket for the #AssistOfTheNight! http://t.co/silxDXzuTZ— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2015"

Also, our very own Mark Carman said this same thing days ago.

More from FanSided

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers

J.R. Smith says LeBron James is the real league MVP

By Connor Muldowney | Apr 14, 2015

If it were up to Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard J.R. Smith, LeBron James would be the MVP this year and every year, for that matter.

More from FanSided