Three games in and we are technically less than halfway through the possible seven games the NBA Finals could offer.
But the series is all but over.
The fourth rendition of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors lacks suspense with the Warriors up 3-0, and this is the eighth time Steve Kerr’s Warriors have led 3-0 in a series. They went on to win all eight.
In fact, no NBA playoff team has ever lost after being up 3-0. The only suspense left and the only riveting narrative after J.R. Smith’s accounting error, is who will be named Finals MVP.
Stephen Curry said he didn’t care about MVPs when he texted Kevin Durant to reassure him the two could co-exist after their 2016 recruitment meeting in The Hamptons. Well, that theory is going to be put to the test as the two men compete for Finals MVP.
But the competition isn’t just a two-horse race. The best player in the series (and the planet) has arguably been LeBron James. James is playing so well he’s garnering Michael Jordan comparisons and having some contemplate awarding the Bill Russell trophy to the best player on the losing team.
James was the best player in Game 1, overshadowing Curry’s brilliance. Curry was the best player in Game 2, overshadowing Durant’s efficiency. And in Game 3, Durant made monster shots, overshadowing another well-rounded performance by LeBron.
Have a scroll through to look at their numbers.
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James is averaging 37.7 points, nine rebounds and 10.7 assists on 53 per cent shooting.
Curry is averaging 24.3 points, six rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 38 per cent.
Durant is averaging 31.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists on 56 per cent shooting.
It’s a dead heat and whoever plays the best in the potential series-ending Game 4 should be the MVP. But the delegates on each player’s side have already made their voices heard.
Here are the cases as to why each player is MVP worthy.
Stephen Curry
Curry is the “change” candidate. The avid golfer was the leader in the clubhouse after the cut but struggled in the third round.
Curry looked like he had MVP wrapped up.
Curry was shooting 50 per cent from deep after the first two games and averaged 31 points. Despite winning two regular-season titles and two NBA championships, the narrative that he had never been named Finals MVP loomed over the series.
In Game 2, Curry was involved in a season-high 40 ball screens and everything good the Warriors did went through him, especially torching Kevin Love. When Love guarded Curry in the first two games of the series, the Warriors averaged 1.55 points on those possessions.
The high water mark was Curry going off for 33 points and a Finals-record nine three-pointers in Game 2. In his breakout performance, he also added eight assists and grabbed seven of Golden State’s 41 rebounds.
“The guy is the best shooter probably in the history of the Earth,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said about the performance.
Well apparently, a pretty good shooter in his day himself, Kerr jinxed him as Curry looked like he couldn’t throw the ball in an Earth-sized basket in Game 3.
Curry misfired on 10 straight in Game 3, tied for the second-longest cold streak of Curry’s illustrious career. He finished 3-of-16 from the field for 11 points and 1-of-10 from three-point range. The last time a former MVP was that inaccurate in the Finals was Bob Cousy in 1960.
Curry salvaged the performance, though, with two late buckets and a pair of clutch free throws to help the Warriors secure the victory.
He’s still firing at 40 per cent from three-point range and there is a yearning to reward Curry for not previously winning a NBA Finals MVP during the Warriors previous title runs. Sentiment alone could help his case.
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Kevin Durant
Durant is the incumbent candidate. He was the Finals MVP a year ago when the Warriors won in five games.
This year is an encore of last season after dropping 30-plus points in each game versus the Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals. In 43 minutes of action, Durant scored 43 points on 15-of-23 from the field in Game 3 to surge into the MVP conversation.
In NBA history, only eight other times has a player put up 40 or more points, 10 or more rebounds and five or more assists on the road in the Finals. Durant scored on every Cavalier who played except for Tristan Thompson, who he didn’t have any attempts against.
Through all three Finals games this year, Durant is averaging 32 points on 56 per cent shooting, which includes 47 per cent from three-point range to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Durant bounced back from a sub-par Game 1 performance (where he still scored 26) to shoot the lights out, hitting 10-of-14 from the floor in Game 2 and 15-of-23 from the floor, 6-of-9 from deep, 7-of-7 from the foul line in Game 3. On the night, 12 of his 15 makes were contested and four were from beyond 30 feet.
To put that in perspective, Durant didn’t have more than one make from past 30 feet in any playoff game beforehand and no team has ever had four 30-foot makes in the playoffs.
Durant has also scored 25 or more points in his first 13 NBA Finals games, joining Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to do that.
The topper? Durant has now beaten James in 10 of the last 12 of their matchups.
“I’m sure LeBron wouldn’t accept that. I mean, he’s a winner,” Durant said at his media availability Thursday when asked about LeBron winning the MVP in a losing effort.
If Durant has his way, LeBron won’t have the option.
LeBron James
James has amassed a remarkable 34.5 points, nine rebounds and nine assists per game with little help from his teammates. His 51-point performance in Game 1 is still the signature moment of the Finals, but he still has zero wins.
Although the recency bias falls with Durant, James had a 33-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound triple-double in 47 minutes in Game 3.
What has become apparent is, unlike the Golden State stars, James can’t afford to not play well or even rest for his team to have a chance of keeping the game close, let alone win.
The subtext of Game 4 will be whether this is LeBron’s last game in Cleveland. He could make the occasion historical in another way if he becomes the first man since Jerry West to be named MVP of a Finals he didn’t win.
It will be tough for some voters to vote for him in a loss, especially if the Cavs get swept. Part of the reason Andre Igoudala won MVP in 2015 is because James stole votes from Curry. The steam for him to be a consolation MVP will pick up if James and company can push this series to five or even six games. But LeBron’s undeniable brilliance might be too good to deny him of the honour.
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