Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ matchup with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA play-in tournament, LeBron James shared his thoughts on the 2021 NBA MVP race. Who does he think should win it? The superstar of his upcoming matchup…none other than Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, not Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who has solidified as the consensus choice.
Part of LeBron James’ rationale behind Stephen Curry being his pick for the 2021 NBA MVP is the classic perspective of ‘who had the best season’ and stated how he’s ‘played the best basketball all year round.’
“For our paths to continue to cross in our careers is pretty unique and pretty cool,” LeBron James said. “Our paths have been crossed again. It’s always been a level of respect that’s even beyond the game of basketball, the way I feel for Steph. Just look what he’s done this year. Everybody counted him out this year. Everybody saying now that Klay is hurt, can Steph lead a team on his own, can he carry a team into the postseason, can he keep a team afloat, he’s done that and more. If you’re looking for MVP, if Steph is not on Golden State’s team, what are we looking at? We get caught up in the record sometimes instead of just saying, ‘who had the best season that year?’ And Steph has had, in my opinion, the best season all year. Obviously I don’t think Steph is going to get [the MVP]. … That’s another conversation. But in my eyes, he’s played the best basketball all year round.”
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The level of play that Stephen Curry has managed to provide the Warriors this season has been nothing short of spectacular. He finished the regular season posting averages of 32.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while going 48.2% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc. However, Nikola Jokic led his Nuggets team to more wins and is also having an incredible season.
The Lakers and Warriors will ultimately be competing for the final two spots in the Western Conference playoff picture. The winner of Wednesday’s matchup in the NBA Play-In Tournament will hold the No. 7 seed and will face the Phoenix Suns in the first-round. The loser will have the take on whoever comes out in the No.9/10 matchup, which will be either the Memphis Grizzlies or San Antonio Spurs.
With how well both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been playing, it’s difficult to envision the Warriors failing to come away with a win against the Lakers. However, Los Angeles will also have LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup and that’s always a tough matchup, even if LeBron is still working his way back into form.
It will be fascinating to see the Lakers and Warriors face off in the NBA Play-In Tournament. That’s part of the excitement of this change to the playoff process – seeing two teams who otherwise wouldn’t have faced off have to compete for a spot.
