The MVP award, in any sport, is always something that is heavily debated, and for good reason. The 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player will surely go down that same path, no matter who walks away with the trophy. This race seems to be down to just two participants, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Cleveland’s LeBron James.

Cavs not all-in on LeBron?

If you ask most NBA fans, it seems James Harden has the inside edge in winning the 2018 MVP. The Rockets star leads the league in points per game with 30 and is third in assists at 8.8 per contest. Yes, it seems that most folks believe that the award is Harden’s to lose.

Well, that is most people who don’t live in Ohio - or play for the Cavaliers.

According to a Cavaliers Nation report, LeBron James was voted by the majority of his teammates as the league MVP, but not everyone was onboard. Someone on the Cavaliers voted for James Harden over LeBron. Someone is a traitor!

The Nation indicated that ESPN’s Dave McMenamin posted a link on Twitter that showed the results of several possible NBA award winners as voted on by 13 Cavaliers players. The whole process began this way.

ESPN conducted an anonymous poll with the Cavs players Wednesday to see how they would vote for the six major awards. None of the results ended up showing a clear-cut unanimous winner in any of the fields - including the MVP.

While 12 out of 13 isn’t bad, you have to wonder who was the player that chose Harden over James? Like him or not, one thing does work against James every season when it comes to MVP voting, he is too good. That may sound funny, but James’ success may work against him, kind of like Tom Brady in the NFL. When you are an above average performer season after season, fans, and possibly other players, start to lean towards someone, even if it is just out of human nature.

That theory certainly doesn’t mean that Harden isn’t deserving because he is, but it actually may have a bit of truth to it.

In 2017-18, James’ averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists per contest. Those numbers are among the league’s best and should get the voters attention.

Vegas odds

While LeBron has a great case to claim the MVP, James Harden is the overwhelming favorite to win.

According to Oddsshark, Harden is listed at -290 to take home the award. James is second, but in terms of odds and money, it is not even close.

Here is a look at the top contenders to claim the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player award.

  • James Harden -290
  • LeBron James +275
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo +1400
  • Stephen Curry +2000
  • Kevin Durant +2000
  • Kyrie Irving +2000
  • Russell Westbrook +2200
  • Anthony Davis +2500
  • Chris Paul +3300
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