Finals MVP Debate

With the Finals almost finished and Golden State looking to close out the Cavs in game 6, the issue of Finals MVP has become quite the discussion. ASSUMING the Warriors win the championship, who deserves to win the MVP trophy?

Steph Curry has only JUST hit his groove, putting up a 37 point effort to take a 3-2 series lead. But before game 5, he was a shell of his regular season MVP form. His struggles included a 3-13 three point shooting night (NBA Finals record low) and also being out-hustled by a backup guard from Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDVo9sf2K0

Many argue that Andre Iguodala should be given the Finals MVP trophy for his initial versatility off the bench followed by his efficient production when shuffled into the starting lineup in place of Andrew Bogut. His defence on LeBron, while not the same as Leonard last year, has been a substantial improvement over the lackluster Klay Thompson and inferior Harrison Barnes.

There are whispers of history repeating itself; a player on the losing team winning the Finals MVP trophy. The last time it happened was 1969, when Jerry West took home the trophy for the Lakers despite going down to the Boston Celtics.

My argument about what MVP actually means was actually my first post for my blog. I look at the overall value and contribution of the player to the team. My definition is as follows:

"The overall contribution and production of said player to his team in comparison to how the team would have performed without him. Usage and the roster MUST be taken into account in order to attain a better perspective of his accomplishment and overall value."

So by that definition, the obvious choice for Finals MVP is LeBron James. His production has been through the roof to say the least (read: two triple doubles so far). He became the second player ever in NBA Finals history to post a 40pt triple-double in a LOSS and has dominated the series in general. Take LeBron out and you're stuck with a heap of role players who can't hit a shot without a player creating space for them. The only exception to that rule would be J.R. Smith who can get a shot up from anywhere. I'm not one for stats but when LeBron is off the floor, the Cavs shoot 22% from the field. That is downright ridiculous.

I don't think a legitimate case could be made for a Warriors player to win the MVP but heck it already happened once this season. Why not twice?