The NBA MVP award has been the most talked about topic in sports. Russell Westbrook and James Harden are the two candidates for MVP, as they both have had past seasons. Many people have split down the middle on who should win the MVP award, as people define MVP differently. What is an MVP, what goes into determining who the MVP is? There are a lot of questions around the three-lettered acronyms, and nobody has a definite answer. There are three Definitions people choose their MVP by, some mixing them into one or just going with one definition.
Most Valuable to their Team
The definition some people use that is the most technical is that the MVP should be given to the player that is the most valuable to their team. That description is cut and dry, as it takes into consideration the impact a player has on their team and how the team would fair if he weren't on it. If we were to use this definition of NBA every season, LeBron James would win every time. Every team he has been on wouldn't look half as good if he wasn't on there, as he is a once in a generation type of player. This is the most literal term and doesn't give the excitement of choosing an MVP because the award winner is decided before the season is even started. People from the media and players wouldn't have fun debating or talking about the MVP if this definition was used.
Even though this is the black and white, people don't like this MVP because it is too literal. But it is the definition that represents the name of the award correctly.
Most Wins for their team
The definition that has been used for MVP for years has been the player that has contributed the most wins to their team, which leads to good seeding for the NBA playoffs.
A good example of this definition is when Bill Russell beat Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson for MVP simply because he led his team further in the season. This MVP definition would be harder to determine in today's NBA as there are so many star players on NBA teams that nobody would truly know who the MVP is.
For example, the Warriors had the best record in the NBA, and if we were to use this definition of MVP who would win.
Would Curry win and three-peat, would Klay Thompson win? Draymond Green and Kevin Durant could even get votes for MVP if we use this term. Wins do matter in the MVP race, but this shouldn't be the only determining factor when deciding an MVP.
The Best Season
This term people use define the MVP as the player with the best season. This could be debated more, as the NBA has many stats that can tell us if someone had a high season. But it can be complicated to decide as well. Is leading the league in points the best season? Is having the most highlight plays the best season. Is having the most posterizing dunks an MVP-worthy season. This vague definition can cause confusion amongst the voters, and they might end up giving the award to someone simply for having the most highlight plays, or just the top scorer in the NBA.
The best season definition of the MVP is the vaguest and the most confusing out of the three.
The MVP award won't ever have a concrete definition, as people define MVP differently. The might value wins over straight value, or they would give the player with the best season the MVP and not take into account wins. Someone might say value and wins go hand in hand. People use parts of these three definitions to decide who should be MVP. Some people only use one. If people can put these three definitions together and be logical and honest, the MVP will be a simpler process.
But debating is fun, and people like to prove their case, and they will never get away from that because that is what makes money in the sports world and starts debates on social media.
This MVP race has made people define what the MVP is in their eyes and that enough sparked great discussions. The world isn't perfect and neither will the definition of an MVP, especially in the NBA.
