For Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, the time for calling this MVP race could very well be upon us. With just a month to go in the regular season and the Heat on a what could be a season-defining 24-game win streak, James appears to have an insurmountable lead over the competition.
For Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, the time for calling this MVP race could very well be upon us. With just a month to go in the regular season and the Heat on a what could be a season-defining 24-game win streak, James appears to have an insurmountable lead over the competition.
The players chasing him, from Kevin Durant to Tony Parker toKobe Bryant, simply have not been able to keep up the maniacal pace that James and the Heat have set. Be it because of injuries, shooting slumps or any other of a wide variety of issues, the other contenders simply haven't been able to match the ridiculous season James has assembled.
"Anyone that votes someone other than LeBron first on their [MVP] ballot needs to have the privilege taken away," said an Eastern Conference assistant general manager. "His team is on a [24-game] win streak and he's playing on a an entirely different level than any other player in the league right now. How anyone can dispute his claim to that trophy is beyond me. You have to give him credit, there wasn't much more he could do after the way he carried them in The Finals last season. And yet here he is, leading his team on the chase for that 33-game win streak record."
Just so we're clear as to how remarkable this Heat streak is, understand that seven teams in the league -- Phoenix, New Orleans, Minnesota, Detroit, Orlando, Charlotte and Cleveland -- have fewer wins on the season than the Heat have during their streak.
As remarkable as James has been all season, he still has plenty of critics who argue that he gets an inordinate amount of credit for the success of a team that also includes All-Stars in Dwyane Wadeand Chris Bosh. James and Wade join Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only set of teammates with top 10 spots in the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder.
James, of course, isn't caught up in the details of the MVP race. Like everyone else affiliated with the Heat, his attention right now is focused on the streak, and rightfully so.
"I am a historian of the game. I know the history of the game," he said earlier this week. "I know almost all the teams that have come through the ranks. To be sitting in second place right now, with so much that this game has given to our fans and everything, for us to be there, doing it the way we want to do it, it means a lot."
The Next Five: Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets; Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors; Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
Current Rankings:
| Rank | Status | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | LeBron James |
| 2 | -- | Kevin Durant |
| 3 | -- | Kobe Bryant |
| 4 | -- | Dwyane Wade |
| 5 | -- | Chris Paul |
| 6 |  | Ty Lawson |
| 7 |  | Carmelo Anthony |
| 8 | | Russell Westbrook |
| 9 | | Marc Gasol |
| 10 | | James Harden |
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