Darkhorse MVP Candidates

Mar 4, 2014

So last night some guy with a face mask dropped 61 points in the NBA. For a while now him and this rather lanky character were the top two in the running for the MVP race. Since Mr. face masks explosion last night its pretty fair to say that the NBA MVP will definitely be one of those two fellas. Those two guys are 2-time NBA champion and 4 time NBA MVP LeBron James and 3 time NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant, who is looking to capture his first NBA MVP award.

There can be a strong case made for both of them. LeBron has won the award the last two years. If it wasn’t for Derrick Rose blowing up the scene James would  have won 5 straight. This season he and the Miami Heat sort of just went through the motions during the first half of the season.  James was still getting his same beast stats but it just wasn’t the same. Now after the all-star break the Heat decided they want the top spot in the East so LeBron is going beast mode. Last night he dropped 61 on a great defensive team in the Bobcats.

Kevin Durant on the other hand has been playing out of his mind since Russell Westbrook got hurt. Durant played like the alpha male he should be and dominated the league. Durant was dropping buckets on anybody who stepped up and versified his game to new heights. He wasn’t only scoring but now he’s defending, rebounding and passing at elite levels too. Now that Westbrook is back will Durant slow down?

Now that those two are out the way lets take a look at the other guys who are deserving but won’t win.

Paul George:

He’s the best player on the team with the best record in the NBA right now. Well actually the Pacers have had the best record all year so yeah George has been putting in work. George right now is the 3rd best player in the league as well as the 3rd best small forward. He’s averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assist on the season. George puts on a show with his explosive dunks and clutch buckets. PG24 is the man right now and deserves some credit for his great play this season.

Tony Parker:

If you ever wonder why the Spurs are so good every year a lot of it has to do with this guy. Tony Parker is just that damn good. He gets to the basket with ease, has trick moves for days and has developed a decent jumper too. People like to take the easy way out of not watching the Spurs because they claim their boring but between Parker and Ginobili’s erratic play this team is pretty interesting. I don’t watch a lot of the Spurs because the results are very predictable, they win. Parker is averaging 17 points and 6 assist right now which isn’t mind blowing but if he plays your team you’ll see the impact.

Blake Griffin:

Say what you want about the Griffin but this guy has been a beast this year. He has become a legit go to option for the Clippers. Since coming into the league Blake’s numbers have dipped every season, but  this year he started to blow all those numbers out of the park. Right now hes averaging 24 points and 10 rebounds. The way he gets those 24 points though are whats so huge. He has developed a post game as well as a face up game. He doesn’t need a clear lane to get to the basket anymore and he doesn’t just dunk. Now hes finishing around the rim like a true big man by using all of that athleticism to get there. Oh yeah and shooting 70 percent from the free throw line isn’t that bad either.

Here are just a few guys I think have stood out this season but what do you guys think?