By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Provided the Miami Heat don’t storm back and with three straight wins in the Orlando bubble capture the NBA championship, the Los Angeles Lakers will return to the top for the first time since 2010. Their 17th championship seems likely given the fact that a 3-1 lead carries an all-time 34/35 success rate in NBA Finals.
Moving on to the Finals MVP award, two Lakers easily jump out, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. James, 35, seems to be positioned slightly better and closer to being named MVP potentially for the fourth time in his career.
In 2012 and 2013, James earned the Finals MVP nod attached to the Heat. He notched his third in 2016 upon returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He can become the first player to land the award with three different teams coming to the conclusion of the 2020 postseason.
So far against his former team, James is averaging 27.8 points, 11 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals per contest. A possibly closing-out Game 5 follows Friday.
His competition stems from Davis. The 27-year-old big is punching his way through his first NBA Finals run being effective on both sides of the ball. Stats-wise, he has produced 25.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1 steal per game.
Michael Jordan with six to his name will still highlight the list of multi-time recipients of the NBA Finals MVP award. However, James can solely occupy second place leaving behind him three-time winners, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, and Magic Johnson.
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