Western Oregon Journal

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Lebron James is the best player in the NBA.  Shaquille O’Neal is the most dominant player in the NBA.  And guess what? Neither of these superstars will win the coveted Most Valuable Player award.

The race for MVP comes down to two players: Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers and Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns.

Iverson stepped up, and is the sole reason the 76ers earned the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.  Not only did AI lead the league in scoring with an average of nearly 31 points per contest, but he also distributed the ball just as efficiently, finishing the season third in assists, averaging eight a night.  Iverson wasn’t just a threat offensively; he also led the league in steals, picking the pocket of NBA foes nearly two and a half times each time he played. 

And playing is something AI did a tremendous amount of this season.  Iverson played in 75 games, missing only seven, and averaged 42.3 minutes a game, meaning he sat on the bench a grand total of 5.7 minutes per contest (The only player who averaged more minutes a game was King James in Cleveland).

            Yes, Steve Nash did have a dream season.  Nash averaged 15.5 points per game and an eye-popping 11.5 assists per game.  Nash also led his team to the best record in the NBA with a 62-20 record, 33 wins better than last year’s squad that was Nash-less.  But look at the help Nash had around him:  Amare Stoudemire broke out, averaging nearly 23 points a night, and Shawn Marion (21.3 ppg) and Joe Johnson (20.3 ppg) continued where they left off after the 2003-2004 campaign.  Sure, Nash is a big reason why the aforementioned players have prospered, but credit needs to go to the individuals mentioned above as well for the Suns’ success. 

Another big part of the Suns’ turnaround is head coach Mike D’Antoni.  D’Antoni knew what type of players he had, and implemented a run-and-gun offense aimed at using the strengths of his athletes.  The plan worked perfectly, and Nash happened to be the catalyst for the league’s highest scoring offense. 

James and O’Neal (of the Miami Heat) also had tremendous seasons on the court.  James averaged 27 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game and 7.2 assists per game.  Sadly (through no fault of his own), the Cavaliers missed the playoffs for the second straight year under King James’ reign.  As good as James was this season, no player will ever win the MVP playing on a team that didn’t make the playoffs (fair or not fair, that’s the way it is).

O’Neal had a great season, too, but he is not worthy of the award.  He only averaged 23 points per game, not even in the top 10 for the NBA this year.  He also only grabbed 10.4 rebounds per game, nearly two less than his career average.  Many would argue that O’Neal didn’t need to score or rebound to be effective.  This may be the case.  But how can a man who admitted himself that this year was “Not one of my better seasons” win the MVP? He can’t. 

James and O’Neal were good, but James’ team didn’t make the playoffs, and O’Neal had one of the worst seasons statistically of his career.

Back to Iverson.  He had to do it all this season, and he did so and then some.  Iverson had little help around him and took beatings night in and night out, taking the ball to the rim.  Iverson, despite standing about 5-10 and weighing a meager 165 pounds, throws his body around as if he were the 6-8 Tracy McGrady.  Iverson was double teamed, triple teamed and fouled hard, but he never surrendered.  Iverson had his best season to date as a professional and already has won an MVP award (2000-2001).  Iverson played harder, better and with more heart than anyone this year.  Since his team let him down in the playoffs, I hope the voters pick him up and recognize his achievements in the off-season by anointing Iverson as the 2004-2005 NBA MVP.

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