Sitting in the home stipps arena game against the Hornets, LeBron James played 36 minutes and 30 seconds, 37 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, plus 1 steal and 1 block, filling the data column, dominating both ends of the attack and defense in a very "James" way, helping the Lakers successfully defend the home and win four consecutive wins.
After the game, Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, who was in a good mood, also used practical actions to teach everyone a small trick of not being traded every day. In an interview with ESPN reporter Dave McHainen, "Little Margo" praised and touted the team's big brother: "The regular season MVP is a very 'political' award. Common sense, LeBron should have at least eight, nine, ten Most Valuable Player trophies, and everyone knows that. ”
Kuzma's little mouth is like honey, but what he says is not unreasonable. Last season, James finished second in the MVP for the fourth time in his career, becoming a sparring runner. Although the Lakers have struggled to lift the 17th crown in team history, and Old Zhan has also won the fourth championship ring of his career as desired, the ownership of MVP has become his eternal pain. For a player of his caliber, the number of MVPs will affect the final historical status to some extent, but unfortunately, he has been "robbed" of this award more than once in the past decade. The famous Perkins just complained about LeBron last season, believing that he should be mvp more than alphabet brother.
In an interview with Usatoday's Matt Abbs, James made a similar point: "I believe I deserve more than four (mvps), but I'm not going to sit there thinking about it or crying about it anyway." It doesn't make any sense. After being named the regular season Most Valuable Player in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013, James' relationship with the award came to an abrupt end — though he was always on the roster. He is now in the process of pursuing a fifth MVP trophy, which will tie Michael Jordan and Bill Russell and one place behind Jabbar. It is worth mentioning that if James can be successfully elected MVP this season, then he will break the records of Jordan and Malone to become the oldest regular season Most Valuable Player, which is obviously of great significance.
"At my age, what I can do, what I've done all season and the energy I've shown every night at both ends of the pitch, that means a lot. For me personally, when my career has come to this stage, it is really incredible that I am still taking on such a challenge. ”
Due to Anthony Davis' Achilles tendonitis injury, the Lakers' hopes for the next decade have had to choose to hang high for most of the season. James, on the other hand, has had to keep adding his playing time and workload, averaging 34.5 minutes per game this season, similar to last season and once ranking first in the league after entering February. With his unremitting efforts, the Lakers are currently only 1.5 wins behind the Jazz at the top of the table, and although the team was once in a struggle, it finally got on track under the leadership of Old Zhan, and the Purple and Gold Army's record after the All-Star Game was 4 wins, without a single defeat. In 40 games this season, James averaged 25.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. As Rivers put it, he looks stronger than he was a decade ago.
Joel Embiid's injury seems to have given James a chance, a chance to break history and achieve his dreams. Although Harden and Lillard became rising stars in the new MVP candidate list, Jokic also maintained a strong output. But the Lakers' record will become a big trump card for James to compete, and a decade of stability is also a source of strength for him. Will "Taco Tuesday" win the fifth regular season Most Valuable Player trophy of his career? Should Jan stay in the playoffs, or is he in full swing in the regular season?