NBA

Curry vs. James: NBA's Most Valuable Player

LeBron James showed a grand display of self-confidence at a press conference last night after conceding victory to the Golden State Warriors in NBA Playoffs Game Five.

“I mean I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world. It’s simple,” he told reporters.

Is James being cavalier, or is he truly the NBA’s most valuable player?

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It turns out there are two effective ways to measure a player’s value on the court. One is PER, or player efficiency rating, which looks at statistics, like points, rebounds and assists to figure out a player’s numerical value.

The other is RPM, or real plus-minus, which shows how a team performs when a certain player is on the court.

For the 2014-2015 season, James’ PER was a score of 26 ranking him number eight in the league. The Warrior’s Stephen Curry ranked number three with a PER of 28.

When it comes to RPM, when James was on the court his Cleveland Cavaliers were up eight-and-a-half point, placing him third best in the NBA. Each time Curry left the bench, his team was up 9 points, the best performance in the league.

The case for Curry is quite strong, but there is one catch: If you look at performance in the post-season, the scale tips toward LeBron.


According to ESPN, James’ efficiency numbers provided a pop worth 6 wins for Cleveland. Curry comes in second place with 5.4 wins for the Warriors.


In other words, Curry rules the regular season, with James ruling the playoffs so far.


But only one of these basketball mega stars is walking away with a ring.

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