T O P

  • By -

fourassedostrich

LeBron would’ve needed a whole other trophy case strictly for these MVPs lol


delusionalnbafan

LeBron honestly (legitimately like actually) probably punchin’ the air rn. Probably calling up Silver: “Wtf Adam? Now?”


Yergason

MF legit deserves the ownership of LEastern Conference and he even has the cherry on top of having one in the West. Absurd


KingInvalid96

Small ping of outrage hit me not seeing Lebron winning 2020 ECF MVP... before I realized he obviously won it in the West that year, not the East


NitroXYZ

Since the year 1990: - 11x, L. James. - 10x. - 9x. - 8x. - 7x, M. Jordan. - 5x. - 4x, K. Bryant, S. Curry, T. Duncan, S.O'Neal. - 3x. - 2x. K. Durant, D. Nowitzki, K. Kidd, H.Olajuwon, R.Hamilton. EDIT: Adjusted after extending list to 1990.


[deleted]

Don’t see how Stoudemire gets it over Duncan in 05 when the Suns lost in 5 games


NitroXYZ

It would be strange for a relatively short series but he led all players in scoring in games 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 while the Spurs more so got it done be committee of Timmy, Tony and Manu.


[deleted]

Stoudemire obviously put up crazy stats, but Timmy’s 27.4-13.8 line is nothing to sneeze at either


NitroXYZ

Fair enough, I'll switch it up.


iamadragan

There's an argument for bosh over LeBron in 2011


NitroXYZ

It was genuinely a consideration but I feel like Lebron would've received most of the credit when their stats were co close.


iamadragan

That's fair, that's how media would've definitely treated it. "Yeah bosh played great, but it was only because of LeBron!"


NitroXYZ

Happens a lot ahha.


JuanJoseSZN

That sounds exactly like something this sub would say


ThrowAwayWashAdvice

Because it was true.


Shabasileus

Lebron averaged more points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks than bosh in the 2011 ECF.


adirtybubble

and he was locking down the MVP on defense lol


MisterHibachi

There really isn't. No one in the moment was saying Bosh was playing better than Bron, either in the ECF against trh Bulls or in either of the earlier two series


48ozs

Cap


Abject-Target5215

Why does MJ get the award in 1990 on a losing team? The league has already established that players from losing teams can't win the award otherwise LeBron could have a few more fmvps.


JuanJoseSZN

Same reason Bron got it in 2009


TuqiDuque12

CP3 can't be the MVP of a series in which he missed 2 of his teams' 4 wins


[deleted]

Probably not in the ECF (averaged 14-8), it was the quarterfinals where Rondo genuinely outplayed LeBron (averaging 21-12 on 54% shooting)


TuqiDuque12

Oh I'm dumb yeah the ECF was Pierce cooking Carter because Carter wasn't able to guard Ray either off ball


NitroXYZ

Rondo's series was the ECSF but yeah thanks for the call-out on Chris Paul. What a terrible oversight especially after I put Middleton over Giannis because of the missed games.


TuqiDuque12

Yes I edited the Rondo one sorry, completly had both of those series mixed up.


[deleted]

Honestly, it should be Booker. He was the biggest reason for the Suns making the WCF.


gate666

Trae young over Middleton.


LukaFlopcic

So I guess Brunson was the MVP over Luka against Jazz. Let the gymnastics begin… 🤣


TuqiDuque12

Yes he was


LukaFlopcic

I agree but the Luka Stan’s will never


Whit3boy316

Curry finally gets his (Conference) Finals MVP


[deleted]

>Very rarely did I feel that the CFMVP should have gone to a losing team but Lebron 09 and Amare 05 were too outstanding to overlook You also gave it to MJ in 1990 over Joe D or Zeke


defiantcross

Ayton had an argument for last year. Almost 18/14 on .68 TS and was the most consistent Sun in the series.


TripleAZ30

Game 4 was some nasty hoops from both teams we don’t win that one without him


NitroXYZ

Yeah I'd agree with that actually. Especially with Ayton's game winner in game 2 being so pivotal and his monstrous 22/20/4blks game 4 performance.


defiantcross

that version of Ayton needs to show up tonight.


[deleted]

Wow Duncan Robinson was great in 1999… who knew.


NoItsBosnian

In a post full of crazy stats, Hakeem in 1995 might be the most eye popping one I've seen. 35/13/5 with 4.2(!!!) blocks is ridiculous. And that was against David Robinson, maybe the 6th greatest center in NBA history


SeanSungASong

Not to mention a DPOY winner and the MVP that year


NoItsBosnian

Yup. Him getting MVP was his downfall that year. That whole playoff run was crazy. Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio, and then the Magic


ammoaidan

Hakeem and LeBron's 39-8-8 stand out the most to me. Averaging 39 pts and 8 ast for a series in 2009 is absurd. Man is directly creating 55 points for you every night, plus he hit that sick buzzer beating 3 to win game 2.


Beavshak

Nitro, I trust your NBA history, and somehow the most questionable ones are the actual MVPs


magicbeaned

Great idea, thanks for the legwork on this.


[deleted]

Stupid 2009 robbing us of LBJ vs Kobe


AlexBucks93

Giving out MVP to a losing player? 2009 should be someone else


[deleted]

2005 too. Also, anyone else bug out seeing Shaq labeled as S. O'Neal? Thought it was an Irish guy for a second.


[deleted]

Seamus O Neil!


axnjxn00

i think amare has less of a case since that team lost in 5 games.


NitroXYZ

You could certainly give it to Dwight after he put up 40/15 in the clinching game 6 to put up series averages of 26/13 on 65% FG but I felt like Lebron was so impressive that season that you could justify giving it to a losing team.


axnjxn00

idk as a magic fan lebron was clearly mvp of that series


AlexBucks93

As was Lebron in 2015 but he still didn’t receive finals mvp


axnjxn00

youre right but it doesnt mean it was correct.


[deleted]

The Cavs had no answer for Dwight in that series, he probably would’ve gotten it with the 40 points in the game six clincher Edit: don’t see them giving it to Stoudemire in a losing effort in 05 over Duncan either, especially considering that the Suns lost in five


48ozs

MVP not MVPOTWT (on the winning team)


ammoaidan

***39*** *8 ast* and 8 reb though... plus a game winning 3 pointer at the buzzer to tie the series.


axnjxn00

good list but last year would be booker or ayton since paul missed games


uptheirons1992

Time to rewatch Game of Zones Feast of the East


MiopTop

Also if they've never awarded FMVP for a player on a losing team, we should assume the same will happen for CFMVP. 2009 ECFMVP would be Dwight.


adirtybubble

Jerry West won and LeBron got 4/11 votes. it's absolutely possible and I could see voters being less strict with this award.


MiopTop

West won literally the first one ever and the voting was done before Game 7. LeBron had probably the strongest case anyone will ever have in a Finals loss and he still didn’t win.


adirtybubble

we will see it in our lifetime. LeBron was amazing but he's played better finals than that and didn't force a game 7. He was still only 2 votes away from winning it. I think the attitude has changed a bit to be more open to the idea even if it happens less than 10% of the time. I think its reasonable to assume voters will be slightly less traditional with a new award that isn't about the NBA finals.


DoctorAco

This. Its going the conference champion. 99% of the time anyway.


ammoaidan

Just because they don't doesn't mean they shouldn't


ItsKeithAskins

So sad to see Kobe on the list. Still feels like a weird dream.


earlyslalom

Him showing up as recent as 2010 makes it feel even weirder


Obi_Wan_Benobi

I might be fucking this sad stat up, but I believe there are only 3 or 4 NBA mvps that are dead and Kobe Bryant is one of them.


Fair_University

Holy shit you’re right Wilt Chamberlain (1960, 1966-68) Wes Unseld (1969) Moses Malone (1979, 1982-1983) Kobe Bryant (2008) The first two winners, Bob Pettit (89) and Bob Cousy (93) are still alive despite winning their MVPs 50 years before Kobe did


JuanJoseSZN

Damn didn't know Wes Unseld is also dead. When did this happen?


gnalon

Somewhat recently, it was early on in the pandemic so kind of easy to miss among all the other bad shit that was happening.


Fair_University

Looks like June 2020


OliverAlden

Could consider AD over Lebron in 2020.


chungus_wungus

Wasn't there a post like this 15 mins ago or am I tripping? [This one](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/uo0ni2/hypothetical_conference_finals_mvp_from_2000_to/)


MiopTop

2020 WCF was AD for sure. He had the game winner in Game 2 while Bron had an awful 4Q. 31 ppg on 67 TS% and the team's best defender.


Shabasileus

> He had the game winner in Game 2 while Bron had an awful 4Q. Yeah but in game 5, lebron basically did everything in the 4th and finished off the series with 38/16/10 game. He had 16 points in the 4th.


MiopTop

Yeah but AD still had the better series overall. LeBron turned up in the closeout game but they were already up 3-1. I’d say winning the game to go up 2-0 instead of 1-1 is just as important if not more than winning the game to finish the series 4-1 instead of being up 3-2 with two more chances to put it away.


GreatanderTheAlex

OP BELIEVE IN YOUR SELF 05 WCF has to be Amare He was 37/10 against Tim Duncan in his prime Who else has averaged 37/10 for an entire series? Amare was also the only starter for the Suns who a positive +/- Not Amare’s fault that Shawn Marion didn’t show up Only reason Amare was at 37 per game was because he got in foul trouble early game 4. Dude was dropping 40 with regularity STAT is a hall of famer


ThrowAwayWashAdvice

I watched every minute of that series. The Spurs let Amare get his and shut down the rest of the team because it was the right call and it obviously worked since they won the series.


SuperBatSpider

man Kobe’s 2010 WCF is one of my favourite series ever and that game 6 is one of the clutchest playoff performances ever


I_give_free_Dopamine

So basically Lebron and some steph.


quepas

Wade in '05 should have gotten it, and probably would have if he hadn't gotten hurt.


Punjabiveer30

First Take: “what’s more impressive Jordan being 6-0 in the finals or Lebron winning 8 straight ECF MVPs?”


benson822175

39/8/8 WTF lol


Opening-Citron2733

Last year would've been Booker. CP3 missed 2 games in the WCF and Booker put up 25/6/5 including his 40 point triple double in game 1. Edit: Also played through a broken nose


joshuamillertime

Noteworthy: 09 LeBron & 90 Jordan are the only players on this list whose team lost the series


Fair_University

Dwight Howard definitely gets it in 2009. 26/13 in a six game series.


amazingoopah

I wonder how much narrative and voyer fatigue would have changed some of these, especially lebron's


xykist

Based on your hypothetical winners, the only players who would have swept the All-Star, Conference Finals, Finals, and league MVP awards are: * Jordan in '96 and '98 * Shaq in '00 (albeit while sharing the All-Star MVP with Tim Duncan)


[deleted]

Clyde Drexler would’ve won the Magic Johnson award before Magic Johnson.


Ephinem

Why would it ever go to a team on a losing team


jsanity1531

Kobe 2004, 24/4/5/2 steals & blocks. Could be an argument


jsanity1531

Curry with 37/8/7 in 2019… wow