Lakers are only 16-7 vs Eastern Conference. East has more legit contenders. Raptors/Sixers/Celtics/Heat/Pacers is a tougher field to deal with than pretenders like OKC, Utah, and Houston.
At the top of the conferences, yes. I’ll take top 6 East teams over top 6 West teams all day. Who wouldn’t?
Btw, I looked it up. John Stockton averaged 10.5 apg at 35 and made it to the NBA Finals. Made it to Finals again at age 36. No MVP for him.
I think Giannis is the odds-on favorite to win. In fact, I was mildly surprised that a lot of analysts consider it a fait accompli. I thought sentiment would have LeBron in a closer race. My expectation is that the voting won't be all that close. Giannis by a pretty large margin, LeBron the clear #2 and then some group of players fairly close to one another. I'd also pick Giannis. LeBron's had a remarkable season, especially considering his age, but Giannis is pretty clearly the best player in basketball now, especially when you factor in defense. If you swapped Middleton (Milwaukee's second best player) with Anthony Davis, the Bucks would be far and away better than the Lakers.
They already are far and away better than the Lakers. Is LeBron the Lakers best player? AD is third league wide in PER. LeBron is like 9th. There’s also an argument that Doncic had had a more impressive season than LeBron.
So are you saying Giannnis shouldn’t get MVP because he’ll have many more opportunities? That Lebron should because he’s 35 and won’t? Sure sounds that way.
I know exactly what you're saying, both Dan Patrick and Charles Barkley think the Blazers are going to take out your Lakers in the first round. Oh and I think LeBron should be MVP. The narrative that Giannis is currently better is out of line. I think LeBron would beat Giannis one on one and there is no question that LeBron is the better team player or better at elevating the game of those around him. The idea that Giannis is a versatile defender and that makes the difference is also bogus because, HELLO, LeBron is the most versatile defender in the history of the league and still can guard anyone at any position on switches or as the primary defender. So how is Greek Freak the best in the game? The other notion I can't get behind is that because LeBron has AD he has a better team than Giannis. Outside of AD the Lakers have a very piecemeal roster (which is why the Blazers will beat them in the first round) whereas the Bucks have a very cohesive rotation with more depth and a lot more guys that are a lot more well rounded as defenders and shooters and playmakers, as opposed to the "specialists" the Lakers rely on.
Giannis’ stats are better by a mile (7th best PER all time) and his team has won more games. It’s an open and shut case. LeBron maybe used to be the best defender. Not anymore.
It's not in the vicinity of an open and shut case. Come on man, seriously? LeBron's defense hasn't fallen off. Even if Giannis' defense is more flashy that doesn't make it more effective. Giannis' statistics are pretty phenomenal this season but so are LeBron's. On offense LeBron can stretch the floor a lot better than Giannis, he can obviously distribute the ball at a level so far beyond that of Giannis that it is a huge advantage for Lebron, and both guys finish very well inside both driving and posting up. On defense while both guys can defend everywhere, LeBron is definitely better against guards than Giannis but Giannis is a better rim protector and Giannis' numbers would tell you he is the better rebounder. The thing that also has to be taken into consideration is that numbers don't tell the whole story. While Giannis is on a more well rounded team, he is the one and only go to guy whereas LeBron defers to AD a lot, he lets AD get rebounds that LeBron would get if AD weren't there, AD scores a lot on possessions that are AD's meaning LeBron doesn't get a touch. So the stats are misleading. Again, I think LeBron would beat Giannis one on one and there is no question that he is the better team player both in skills and in intangibles like leadership. I think LeBron is the MVP but I won't ruin my credibility by saying it's an open and shut case... it's not a run away by either guy and to say so really does make you sound silly.
I guarantee you the voting won’t be close. Giannis’ season has been one of the best of all time and his team won more games. It will be near unanimous.
