The NBA announced that for the first time ever they will have MVP awards for each conference finals winning team. That means the Western Conference winner will have an MVP award as well as the Eastern Conference. Let’s look at who should be the top candidates for this award in each conference.
Eastern Conference – Larry Bird Award
The East is still up for grabs as the series is tied 2-2 between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. If the Heat were to win the series, the award would undoubtedly go to Jimmy Butler. There really is no other candidate for the Heat as Butler has carried the team.
For the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum is the favorite if they win the series. Again, there is no real other candidate besides maybe Jaylen Brown depending on how he does in the last two or three games.
Western Conference – Magic Johnson Award
The West is a little more decided already. Golden State looks like they will win it after going up 3-1 and heading back home for their next game. While Steph Curry seems like the easy choice here, some people have said Andrew Wiggins deserves it. He has made a huge impact on both ends of the court and is averaging nearly 20 points per game in the Western Conference Finals.
If Dallas somehow pulls off the series win, Luka Doncic would be the clear-cut choice for the award.
Lebron James Side Note
Just think how many of these conference MVP awards Lebron James would have won. Lebron has made it to 10 NBA Finals so far in his career and would have likely won the award for nine or ten of those teams. The only other player considered from those teams may have been Dwyane Wade on the Heat.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stephen_Curry_vs_Washington_2016.jpg
