Back in 2013, when LeBron James was a part of one of the best teams we’ve seen in a while down in Miami, one voter refused to let LeBron make history. Well, technically, he may not have exactly refused, but he voted for Carmelo Anthony instead of LeBron. His comments back then were more on the conservative side.
“It’s probably a writer out of New York that didn’t give me the vote,” James said during Sunday’s award ceremony at AmericanAirlines Arena. “I know the history between the Heat and the Knicks. So I get it.”
“I tried harder to win Defensive Player of the Year than I did MVP,” James said. “That’s my goal. Coach (Erik Spoelstra) had me guarding every position. We’ll try again next year.”
Fast forward to the present, and now Stephen Curry has made history by becoming the first ever unanimous MVP. Meanwhile, LeBron, of course, was asked what he thought about this achievement and he did say that Curry deserved it, but he still thought that he should be the one who was the first unanimous MVP.
Via Chris Haynes from Cleveland.com:
“I was heated,” James said when I asked him. “But I knew all along [I wasn’t getting a unanimous vote]. I just knew it.”
“It just pushed me harder,” James said. “That’s all. It motivated me further.”
An even more motivated LeBron is something that the Western Conference does not want to see when it comes to the NBA Finals. Everyone has seen what a motivated LeBron James can do when he went into Miami and went on a rampage after losing in the Finals during their first season together. He has the ability to just flat out dominate his opponent, and with all the sweeps that the Cavs are pulling off, his team will be healthy as well.
So, a motivated LeBron, a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, and a coach that they’re actually kind of listening to can spell trouble. Sure, the Warriors are also on their own path of destruction with hopes of proving to everyone that last season was no fluke, but there are also many personal battles and dedications to the city of Cleveland that LeBron has to take care of. Now, LeBron also has to prove to everyone that he deserved a unanimous MVP decision before Curry did.
A Finals rematch will be along the lines of a Batman v Superman type of fight, but, this show will actually be a good one.
