LeBron James is campaigning for NBA MVP as the regular season hits the final two weeks.
The Cavaliers star told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he deserves the award over the likes of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
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“I would vote for me,” James said, per the AP. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."
James, 33, has played in all 74 of the Cavs' games this season, including their loss to the Heat in Miami on Tuesday. He leads the team in scoring (27.4 points per game) and assists (9.1 per game) and is second in rebounding (8.6).
On an advanced level, he's third in the league with a 28.6 PER, behind Harden and Davis; second to Harden with 12.6 Win Shares; and second to Harden with a 9.7 Box Plus/Minus. He leads the league with an 8.1 VORP (value over replacement player).
At the team level, Cleveland's offensive rating is 7.7 points per 100 possessions higher with James on the court than it is when he's off.
With James' overall numbers behind Harden's, James' best argument for a fifth career MVP would seem to be, "My team would be nowhere without me." Maybe he's counting on it swaying a few analytics-minded voters.
