With the Los Angeles Lakers hoping to avoid their third straight loss in a Game 1, their star player and leader LeBron James may have a little added motivation going into tonight’s start of the Western Conference Finals.
The NBA announced their last individual award of the season on Friday as Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the league’s Most Valuable Player award for the second straight season. Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA while averaging career highs in scoring and rebounds. But it was not unanimous as many were campaigning for in the regular season.
LeBron James was 2nd in the MVP voting, receiving 16 1st votes. Houston’s James Harden finished 3rd in the voting. For James, finishing 2nd in the MVP voting after being named 1st Team All-NBA is yet another marker of his excellence in coming back from the most severe injury of his career in 2018-19.
However, James might not see it that way after leading the NBA in assists and averaging 25 points a game. Not to mention the fact that he’s playing in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals while Antetokounmpo has already been sent home. Lakers fans likely are hoping it lights an extra fire under him heading into tonight’s Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets.
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