The 2013-14 NBA season has arrived, and so has talk of the next MVP.
While many continue to sing LeBron James’ praises, it’s time to usher in a new winner–Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant. King James may have two championship rings now, and a whopping four MVPs, but there are a few reasons why Durant should top James in the running this season.
Durant is more of a closer
Even the NBA’s general managers know that Durant is clutch. He was just voted to be the player who the GMs would trust with the final shot of a game. He was picked over some of basketball’s greatest players–Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Bryant has carried this title for years, but Durant has taken over the last two years. This encapsulates what the MVP is for a team. He’s the guy you want taking the most important shots, but also the guy that keeps the team focused on wins. James doesn’t even deserve a mention in this conversation because of the way he tanks in important games. We saw it when he was in Cleveland, and also in Miami.
Supporting cast
When it comes to MVP voting, Kevin Durant should have won the votes this past season, and if he performs the same as last season, he should win. Both teams need to be dissected before a conclusion can be made. LeBron James has two of the NBA’s best players–Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They may be passing their prime, but they still carry the advantage. They both know what it takes to carry a team alone, and Wade even brought the Miami Heat their first Final’s win. Both Bosh and Wade now have championship rings, and were an integral part of the series win.
Durant, on the other hand, has a completely different team. Durant has a much younger team that does not have guys who could carry the team by themselves, but he still puts up the numbers and takes the Thunder deep into the playoffs. Sure, he has Derek Fisher, who has won five championships, but he’s a clutch shooter that is aging. He doesn’t carry the power Wade and Bosh do.
Then Durant has Russell Westbrook, who is good but very young. He still makes critical errors and loses his composure during intense games. He doesn’t have the experience that James’ supporting cast has. He is also coming off of a knee injury this year and will miss some regular season games, so like years previous, Durant will be carrying this Oklahoma City Thunder team.
Durant tops the stats
Durant is the top scorer in the NBA with James trailing behind in third place. This shows how much value Durant brings to his team. James does have more assists, but that also means he has a stronger supporting cast to help him out. Durant truly does carry the Oklahoma City Thunder, and without him they would be desperate for wins.
These three things will give Durant the win
With LeBron James dominating the MVP voting, it seems he is Durant’s competition, and to top him he must do three things. First, Durant will need to find more players to pass the ball to that can make some shots. This will give the impression that he is well-rounded in his game, but also increase his stats on assists. Secondly, he needs to win every game against the Heat this season with numbers that top James’. And, finally, Durant will need to close out some games with the winning shots. Spectacular, game winning plays win votes.
With this in mind, there is no way Durant doesn’t top Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and all the other NBA greats to win the MVP Award for the 2013-2014 season. It’s KD’s season! Go Thunder!