Fansided

Win or lose, LeBron James favorite to win NBA Finals MVP

By Jeff Glauser

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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This just in: LeBron James is good. So good that he may win MVP of the Finals even if his team loses.

Yes, we’ve had this discussion before. This time last year, in fact, with the same ridiculously talented player with the same two teams playing with the same stakes on the line.

That time, the Golden State Warriors’ fourth scoring option, Andre Iguodala, garnered the honor, despite shooting a paltry 36 percent from the free throw line. Kudos to whomever won a ton of cash on that one.

Meanwhile, James miraculously carried his injury-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers squad nearly singlehandedly to six games while posting video game statistics: 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.3 steals.

According to Kurt Badenhausen at Forbes, this year is no contest, regardless of the outcome.

In addition to being in rare company for his consecutive 40-point outings, his per-game numbers may be more impressive than last time: He leads both teams during the Finals in scoring (30.2 points), rebounds (tied with Tristan Thompson at 11.3), assists (8.3), steals (2.7) and blocks (2.2). All while facing the pressure of being on the brink of elimination twice (just the third team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals) and overcoming the absence of Kevin Love (wait, he’s been playing?).

There is a precedent for a player for a losing team to win the MVP, albeit quite rare. It has occurred just one other time in the NBA: In 1969 when Jerry West did it for the Los Angeles Lakers after losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

The odds overwhelmingly have James winning his third Finals MVP award tonight, despite his Cavs being 5-point underdogs — the only candidate where a bettor would need to put down more money than they’d win (-260).

Related Story: Why LeBron serves to be MVP, win or lose

Either way, the tide has shifted since the beginning of the series, when most sportsbooks had two-time defending regular season MVP Stephen Curry as the consensus favorite to take home the prize.

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