Kevin Durant the value pick for NBA Finals MVP
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LeBron James is the favourite to land this year’s NBA Finals MVP title but at 5/2 and with the Miami man being outshone by one of his rivals in the regular season there is better value elsewhere.
LeBron, as expected, has had a stellar campaign thus far, leading the Heat to the playoffs with an average points haul of 27.1 per game, shooting at .567 from the field.
However, these stats put the former Cleveland Cavaliers man at third on both lists for the regular season and while Miami’s likelihood of reaching the finals boosts his chances of landing the title for a third straight year, LeBron is wary of the challenge KD poses, recently singing his praises for the regular season award.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, James said:”I think KD has had one heck of a season.
“If he’s rewarded with the MVP, it would be great. It would be awesome for him, for his family. He’s played MVP-type basketball.”
Durant also led the Thunder to the postseason with ease – doing so for large parts of the season without being able to rely on the injured Russell Westbrook – and is quoted at prices of 1/50 to land the regular season version of the award.
As such, it is perhaps surprising to find him at 6/1 with Ladbrokes to pick up the same gong for the final series.
The Thunder star tops the regular season scoring charts with an average of 31.9 and while consistency has been the key to his season, two scores of 50+ highlight that KD can light a game up too.
Although he ranks 27th for field goal percentage, Durant still boasts a stat of .504 meaning both he and LeBron can be relied upon to sink at least half of their shots.
The Thunder’s billing as 4/1 fourth favourites for the title, goes some way to explaining KD’s odds, but if Oklahoma make it to the final, which is a fairly safe bet, is stands to reason that LeBron will again be outshone by his rival.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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