I am convinced that you could put LeBron James on any NBA team and they would be a playoff contender. He is one of the only players in the league that could be a player/coach if he wanted. James rules on and off the court. In the 2015 NBA Finals, LeBron single-handedly brought the Cavaliers to Game 6 where they ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors. He did that without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Fast forward to 2016. Cleveland found themselves down 3-1 without much light at the end of the tunnel. LeBron James came out in Game 5 and you could clearly see there was a different look in his eyes.
The games were over and LeBron just wanted to win, so that is exactly what he did. The Cavaliers won four straight games against a team that went 73-9 and only lost two games at home. That was a LeBron James that would not be stopped by anyone or anything.
2016-17 Season
This season was something special for LeBron. The four-time MVP did not post his best numbers for points per game, but he did break his personal best in rebounds and assists per game. The numbers are outstanding and it has been one of the best seasons he has ever played. The passing alone has been ridiculous, LeBron is surely one of the most underrated passers in the game. It is like he has the force of Dikembe Mutombo with the finesse of Magic Johnson.
He has not received near the amount of attention he should have for that alone and it is never easy for a big man like him to pass like a point guard.
Noteworthy Statistics
LeBron finished the season on a very positive note career-wise. The Cavaliers forward scored a massive 1,954 total points this season. That pushed him from 11th to 7th on the NBA's All-Time scoring list.
He is now 1,473 points behind Dallas Maverick's Dirk Nowitzki.
Now, everyone knows Russell Westbrook has been the true Triple-Double machine, but LeBron wasn't exactly shy from the impressive feat. James finished the year with 13 triple-doubles, well behind Westbrook's 42, but this was a career high for him. On top of that, James became the third player to accrue 10 or more triple-doubles past the age of 32, right up there with Jason Kidd and Larry Bird.
On March 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers shattered the Golden State Warriors' record for most three-pointers made in a game. While this is basically a team stat, it is still astronomical that LeBron led the whole Cavs team with six of his own. Kyrie Irving who was in this year's three point contest hit five. An unforgettable team stat and a great personal stat bundled into one.
Last but certainly not least, LeBron James averaged 25 or more points this year. 12 other players also averaged 25 or more, so what is so impressive about it? Well, it was James' record-breaking 13th consecutive season averaging 25 or more per game! The only season LeBron did not achieve the stat was his rookie season. It has been an absurd career for one of the best basketball players of all-time, and this was yet another season to pad his Hall of Fame career.
Why LeBron will not win MVP
What a year for basketball. Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the season while breaking Oscar Robertson's record. James Harden became the first player in history to have 2,000 points, 900 assists, and 600 rebounds. And we are left with an amazing playoff race still ahead of us. The MVP race is as tight as it has ever been and there are so many options to choose from, sadly LeBron is not getting the consideration he deserves.
Obviously, there are other players who had a remarkable season and may deserve the MVP race more than others, but there is more to it. LeBron James has and has not won the award since 2013 when he won it four times in five years. At this point in his career, it is as if the league expects James to put up award-deserving numbers, so he gets overlooked and forgotten.
Despite LeBron James being the most impactful player in the league, he will not get the nod. Does he deserve the award over Westbrook or Harden? No, probably not, but it is the fact that nobody is even talking about the season he just had. Like I said, James is so good it seems like he is underrated and forgotten about. None of that even
Like I said, James is so good it seems like he is underrated and forgotten about. None of that even matters, however, because more important than the MVP award to LeBron is the ring the Cavaliers are fighting to defend this year. If he plays half as well as he played in last year's Finals, then the league needs to step aside because LeBron James is coming through and he won't stop for anybody.
