Sorry America- LeBron is Still the Best

I get why America loves Steph Curry. He's nice. He's a good dad. He wasn't the #1 overall pick. He's really good at basketball. His team is the best team in the league, and has one of the best rosters of all time. He won a title.

LeBron James is still both better and more valuable than Curry.

I know, you hate LeBron James. So did I when he went to Miami. I hated the ESPN hype, the potential for "super-teams" to dominate for an indefinite period, and that he predicted seven titles. I wanted Dirk and the Mavs to beat them, I wanted Durant and Westbrook to beat them, I wanted the Spurs to beat them- both times. I was anti-LeBron, right up until last season's finals. Then, he made a fan of me.

LeBron James is not a better shooter than Curry. That's about it though. Better passer? LeBron. Better rebounder? LeBron. Better at running the point for his team? LeBron. Better defender? LeBron in a landslide. Very few players in the history of the game were as complete of a basketball player as the man who has lead his last five teams to the NBA Finals. LeBron does everything, and he does almost everything better than anyone else on the planet.

Steph Curry does deserve his MVP for this season. He had a record breaking season for a record breaking team. He causes nightmares for opposing teams. He is always there in the big spots to hit the shots for his team. In the manner that we currently vote for an MVP, Curry was the best candidate from the best team. He deserves his award.

He's on a team that had two other candidates though, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. He plays on a team who's fourth best player is Harrison Barnes, and who brings an All-MVP caliber defender named Andre Igoudala off of their bench. The Warriors have the best roster in basketball. They are an incredible team.

If Steph Curry had missed this season, the Warriors would have still contended for the title and been a top three seed in the Western Conference. If LeBron James had missed this season, the Cavaliers might have contended for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. LeBron plays a #1 assignment on the defensive end and leads his team on the offensive end. Curry is charitably average on defense. If we're talking purely about value here, LeBron James is simply the most valuable player in basketball. I don't know that his team will beat the Western Champions, nor do I think he should have won the MVP based on the criteria we typically use now. I'm just stating the simple truth- LeBron James is the best and most valuable player in basketball today.

Sorry to rain on the parade, America.