The regular season is almost over, and I see five candidates for the 2015 Most Valuable Player award: Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, James Harden and LeBron James. Below are my MVP predictions, from least likely to win to most likely.
5. Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
Talk about a breakout year. Davis has been a game-changer for New Orleans and almost single-handedly has his team only one game out from the No. 8 seed in the super-competitive Western Conference.
Unfortunately Anthony has two things working against him: injuries and losses. His 12 missed games and the Pelicans' 33-28 record will overshadow his numbers (24.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.8 BLKPG) and the defense he's played this season.
4. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
James is always in the MVP discussion, but 2015 won't be the year he wins his fifth award. Cleveland has been on a roll since mid-January, and much of that credit should go him. His stats (26.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.8 RPG) and his stifling defense - especially his willingness at age 30 to still guard a team's best player regardless of position - prove James is still the best basketball player in the world. The fact he's still making such an impact on games with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on the floor speaks volumes.
But all that won't be enough this year. The MVP race this season is too deep. I just can't see him receiving the majority vote when there're new faces in the race doing equally as big things for arguably less talented teams with better records.
3. James Harden (Houston Rockets)
What Harden has done this season for Houston, especially with Dwight Howard sidelined for more than a month, is nothing short of amazing. His ability to seemingly score at will is a big part of why the Rockets are almost always in contention to win a game, and his defense - compared to last year, at least - has improved.
This season has solidified his reputation as a star, and his numbers (26.9 PPG, 7.0 APG, 5.8 RPG) suggest he's become a better all-around player. He'll win the scoring title at the end of the season, but this isn't his year for the MVP award.
2. Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Westbrook has played well since returning Nov. 28 from his hand injury, but he's been on fire since the All-Star break ended. He's literally the only reason why the Thunder are still in playoff contention without Kevin Durant. Even more impressive, Westbrook somehow leads the league in scoring - not to mention his four straight triple-doubles, which hasn't happened since Michael Jordan did it in 1989 - despite defenses almost exclusively game-planning for him.
Westbrook has literally willed his team to victories, but I don't see him winning it at the end. His staggering numbers (27.0 PPG, 8.2 APG, 7.0 RPG) and accomplishments without Durant make him the 2015 MVP in my eyes, but I think the 14 games he missed in November will be his undoing in the eyes of the media members who vote on it.
1. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Curry is your 2015 NBA MVP. He has the two most important credentials when it comes to the media-voted award: The numbers (23.8 PPG, 7.8 APG, 4.4 RPG) and the wins (47-12). He's had a few of the requisite signature moments this season where he's completely taken over a game, and he's managed to stay healthy and play in every single game but one.
The MVP is determined by points. But for the purpose of this article, these are the chances I give to the aforementioned players of winning the award: Curry (55%), Westbrook (25%), Harden (10%), James (9%) and Davis (1%).
