Cleveland already preparing for excuses?

[LilRip]

What about Steve Nash? Derrick Rose?

MVP voting has little to do with best player status, although one of the league's best players always wins the MVP award.

Not saying that the MVP is always the best player and neither am I discounting Lebron's skill but I really thought Durant was a better player last year.

And what Steph has been able to do this year is just silly. Maybe his team enabled him to do all that but still, it's ridiculous what Steph is doing out there. Is he rebounder that Lebron is? Definitely not. But Lebron is nowhere near the shooter Steph is.

--

For Finals predictions, I expect GSW to destroy the Cavs. Lebron will do everything he can, naturally, and I expect about 2 big games from him. 1 of those big games will likely end in a convincing win and the other will probably end in a close loss. Just a feeling.

[Moranis]

What about Steve Nash? Derrick Rose?

MVP voting has little to do with best player status, although one of the league's best players always wins the MVP award.

Not saying that the MVP is always the best player and neither am I discounting Lebron's skill but I really thought Durant was a better player last year.

And what Steph has been able to do this year is just silly. Maybe his team enabled him to do all that but still, it's ridiculous what Steph is doing out there. Is he rebounder that Lebron is? Definitely not. But Lebron is nowhere near the shooter Steph is.

--

For Finals predictions, I expect GSW to destroy the Cavs. Lebron will do everything he can, naturally, and I expect about 2 big games from him. 1 of those big games will likely end in a convincing win and the other will probably end in a close loss. Just a feeling.

Curry is better from 3 and the line, but James does have a higher 2 pt FG% and gets to the line a heck of a lot more.  They generated virtually the same amount of assists (and have an identical AST%).  James scored more points though.  James got more rebounds and blocks.  Curry with more steals and slightly fewer turnovers though does foul at a higher rate.  Defensively they aren't close.

James is not only better than Curry, he had a better overall season. 

[Donoghus]

James is not only better than Curry, he had a better overall season.

MVP voters would say otherwise & convincingly too.

[celticsclay]

My guess is this was designed like this for one of three reasons:

Option A:  Lebron is the face of the franchise; AV has been around the longest; Love is a key free agent; or

Option B:  AV and Love aren't going to play in the Finals, but the Cavs want to reinforce that they're still a big part of the team; or

Option C:  The Cavs are trying to be "inclusive" and market to blacks, whites, and Latinos by including a player of each heritage

For whatever it's worth, Irving, Shump, Delladoeva, and J.R. Smith are the Cavs' twitter background image

I am not saying this isn't possible, but the concept of B had me laughing out loud. Like a non-fan black person would see lebron and think "hey they have a black player, I think maybe I'll watch the finals!"

[celticsclay]

My guess is this was designed like this for one of three reasons:

Option A:  Lebron is the face of the franchise; AV has been around the longest; Love is a key free agent; or

Option B:  AV and Love aren't going to play in the Finals, but the Cavs want to reinforce that they're still a big part of the team; or

Option C:  The Cavs are trying to be "inclusive" and market to blacks, whites, and Latinos by including a player of each heritage

For whatever it's worth, Irving, Shump, Delladoeva, and J.R. Smith are the Cavs' twitter background image

Option D:  They have more than one banner:

(Though if there was only one, I'd go with Option C).

Is that haywood? If it is that is ridiculous. That is like putting Eddie Curry on a banner when he was with the Heat. He had 35 points and 29 rebounds... total this season. It is like mocking him.

[GratefulCs]

Mozgov should be miffed

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

James is not only better than Curry, he had a better overall season.

MVP voters would say otherwise & convincingly too.

MVP voting is largely a popularity contest. As much as I love Curry and have issues with LeBron, there's no doubt in my mind that Curry was the flavor of the year with voters, with Harden being the second-most-popular flavor. Both of those things could change next year, while LeBron will most likely continue to be the best/most dangerous/most skilled (overall) basketball player.

[celticsclay]

Mozgov should be miffed

There has to be a few more banners right? If you put up marion, andy v, haywood and miller where are players like Delly and Mosgov that are actually seeing minutes for the team and playing key roles.

[Donoghus]

James is not only better than Curry, he had a better overall season.

MVP voters would say otherwise & convincingly too.

MVP voting is largely a popularity contest. As much as I love Curry and have issues with LeBron, there's no doubt in my mind that Curry was the flavor of the year with voters, with Harden being the second-most-popular flavor. Both of those things could change next year, while LeBron will most likely continue to be the best/most dangerous/most skilled (overall) basketball player.

I'm not saying the system is perfect.  But what Curry & Harden did this season wasn't exactly chopped liver.  Sure, there was probably some Lebron fatigue going on but what those two guys did this year was pretty impressive. The votes seem to back that up.  I wouldn't say all of that was based on a popularity contest.  That would be disingenuous to the people who actually voted on the matter.  I'd say a decent amount of the bunch is pretty tied into the game.

I'd still take Lebron over Curry (or anyone else for that matter) if we're building a team in 2015.  Just that they're are plenty of people out there, & the voters back it up with the numbers in a convincing manner, that illustrate the notion of Lebron having a better overall season than Curry is simply not true. 

[Moranis]

Mozgov should be miffed

There has to be a few more banners right? If you put up marion, andy v, haywood and miller where are players like Delly and Mosgov that are actually seeing minutes for the team and playing key roles.

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/606149399350263809More banners. And more to come. is Tweet associated with the pictures.

[Moranis]

James is not only better than Curry, he had a better overall season.

MVP voters would say otherwise & convincingly too.

MVP voting is largely a popularity contest. As much as I love Curry and have issues with LeBron, there's no doubt in my mind that Curry was the flavor of the year with voters, with Harden being the second-most-popular flavor. Both of those things could change next year, while LeBron will most likely continue to be the best/most dangerous/most skilled (overall) basketball player.

I'm not saying the system is perfect.  But what Curry & Harden did this season wasn't exactly chopped liver.  Sure, there was probably some Lebron fatigue going on but what those two guys did this year was pretty impressive. The votes seem to back that up.  I wouldn't say all of that was based on a popularity contest.  That would be disingenuous to the people who actually voted on the matter.  I'd say a decent amount of the bunch is pretty tied into the game.

I'd still take Lebron over Curry (or anyone else for that matter) if we're building a team in 2015.  Just that they're are plenty of people out there, & the voters back it up with the numbers in a convincing manner, that illustrate the notion of Lebron having a better overall season than Curry is simply not true.

Yeah but Lebron is still the best player in the game and he is by a pretty wide margin.  I mean in 92-93 was Charles really better than Jordan or Malone better than Jordan in 96-97.  Barkley and Malone are great players and had great seasons, but they weren't better than Jordan.

The MVP is not the Best Player award. 

[LarBrd33]

Mozgov should be miffed

There has to be a few more banners right? If you put up marion, andy v, haywood and miller where are players like Delly and Mosgov that are actually seeing minutes for the team and playing key roles.

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/606149399350263809More banners. And more to come. is Tweet associated with the pictures.

That explains it.  Starters front-and-center... Mozgov probably gets his own banner.  JR Smith as well?

[celticsclay]

Mozgov should be miffed

There has to be a few more banners right? If you put up marion, andy v, haywood and miller where are players like Delly and Mosgov that are actually seeing minutes for the team and playing key roles.

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/606149399350263809More banners. And more to come. is Tweet associated with the pictures.

this isn't really something that is going to impact my day one way or the other, but i do honestly find it really comical that they are putting up haywood and miller, and presumably Harris. It is kind of like the little league mentality applied to marketing. I'm trying to imagine Eddy Curry or Adam Morrison on giant banners like this when their teams played in the finals. I hope they make one with Harris, Perkins and Delladova. That will be awesome.

[LarBrd33]

Lebron is still definitely the best player in the league.  Probably one of the 5 greatest players ever.  Golden State has what some believe may be a top 5 team of all time.   Would take a superhuman performance from James to beat them.  If anyone has it in him, it's James.  I think golden state will be too much though.

Probably meaning "not really but I'm going to say it" in this instance?

Probably meaning "I know who ends up dropping out of the top 5 of Bill Simmon's hall-of-fame pyramid and it makes me cry inside... so I'll say probably instead of definitely"   - LarBrd33

[Donoghus]

The MVP is not the Best Player award.

Exactly and people who think that Best Player = MVP are going to be disappointed time & time again.  I'd be hard-pressed to find people who genuinely felt Barkley or Malone were the better overall player than Jordan in those seasons.

You can have the best season & not be the best player in the game.  They aren't automatically coupled together.   There is an intangible & team related component to the award.