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    COLUMN: Who between LeBron and AD ought to be Finals MVP?

    Columnist Homer Sayson casts vote on who between 'Bron, AD should be Finals MVP
    Oct 9, 2020
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    CHICAGO - In the first NBA Finals appearance of his glorious, decorated eight-year NBA career, Anthony Davis is playing out of his mind.

    Through four games in this 2020 bubble championship series, the LA Lakers big man is tormenting the Miami Heat by averaging 25.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per.

    Even when he was still prowling as a famished, oft-injured Pelican from 2012 to 2019, The Brow had manifested tendencies as a utility big, a hybrid that can dominate on both ends of the floor.

    Which makes this ongoing exhibition of all-around excellence something we've already seen before. What is jarringly new, though, is how Davis has taken his shot-accuracy to the stratosphere of rarefied air.

    Despite having to deal with the discomfort of a wave of mixed zone defenses where Miami throws a plethora of warm bodies on him, Davis is shooting 60 percent from the field, making 40 of 66 baskets.

    He has been exceptionally judicious with his 3-point attempts, hoisting only 11 while swishing six. And he is immaculate from the free throw line, 17 for 17.

    On any other series, these kinds of numbers turn A.D. into an MVP.

    Not here. Not now.

    The Finals is LeBron James' playground. And this version of the Lake Show is his personal pageantry.

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    At 54 percent from the field (40-of-74), 36.3 from distance (8-of-22) and 71.8 percent from the stripe (23-of-32), LeBron's shooting efficiency is unlike A.D.'s.

    But James' averages are better across the board at 27.8 points, 11 rebounds and 8.5 dimes per.

    After publicly showing his disgust over what he felt was a slight in regular season MVP voting, LeBron is carrying out this season's ultimate mission with all the cliches imaginable.

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    Axe to grind. Bone to pick. Chip on the shoulder.

    Unfortunately for us who have nakedly rallied behind Fil-Am coach Erick Spoelstra, it's the Miami Heat who are taking the brunt of the King's vicious wrath.

    BONUS. LeBron has made a career placing individual pursuits behind team goals. Even his noisiest detractors, including this idiot here, can't dispute that.

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    He is out there mainly for the Larry O'Brien trophy. But I don't think he would mind getting the other shiny hardware, either.

    After all, the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award is an extraordinary gift that has only been previously given 31 times before, six of which went to Michael Jordan, the ghost LeBron is chasing.

    If he is indeed named Finals MVP, LeBron will be the first to do so with three different teams.

    Now that he is on the cusp of going 4-6 in the Finals, many will attempt to discredit that feat by arguing that his championship batting average is a mere 40 percent.

    Nonsense.

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      I'd rather illuminate the 10 times he reached the highest stage. And I'd rather shine a light on the fact that LeBron is 35 years old, has played in 1,523 regular season and playoffs games, and the odometer on his knees has reached a punishing 59,279 minutes.

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      As others in his 2003 draft class have fallen off the league like flies, how has LeBron maintained this level of superiority?

      LeBron James doesn't just deserve a fourth NBA Finals MVP trophy, he has earned a lifetime achievement award.

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