King James: 2008-2009 MVP
By Ricky Santana
May 5, 2009
On Monday Lebron James became the NBA M.V.P for the 08-09 season where he put up the following numbers: 32 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
Since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, James becomes the 7th player to earn rookie of the year and MVP honors in a career.
This year’s race to the MVP was a competitive 3-horse race between James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade that could have been a toss-up as any of these dynamic superstars could have walked away with the award.
One could argue for Wade who carried the Miami Heat, a team that won only 15 games last year, and single handedly led them into the playoffs as the 5th seed.
Kobe led his juggernaut Lakers into the playoffs as the # 1 seed in the West and second overall in the league. In Kobe’s case, one could claim the Lakers would have made it into the playoffs without Kobe, however, it is because of his phenomenal season that the Lakers have home court advantage throughout western conference games.
James earned his honors because of the spectacular season he had. A season in which he was compared to Oscar Robertson because of the monstrous numbers he put up. He led the Cavs to the best record in the league, home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and a dominant team that has been feared all year long.
Some say a series doesn't begin till the road team wins a playoff game and that is why James is as dominant as he is as he led the Cavs to a 39-2 record at home, and not to mention he also placed 2nd for defensive player of the year honors. That is one of the many ways he picked up his game this year with his ability to not only play on the offensive end, but also defensive end. Improvements in his game were his new found shot blocking ability and playing the ball, as well as improving that perimeter game as his which many said that was what he needed to improve most in order to take his game beyond that next level.
In his interview, James said countless times he'd rather have a championship as opposed to an M.V.P. award. Though he reiterated that it's a great honor to be recognized as the most valuable player to his team.
With an MVP award there will now be more pressure on James to win the title, especially after he guaranteed he would bring the title to a city which has been heavily cursed for years in all major sports. However, if he does what he promises to do, he would have cemented his legacy alongside the greats who came before him and go in the history books as one of the greatest to ever play the game.