Image Analysis

     The caption on this picture is very appropriate for these two superstars. In case you've been living under a rock for the past month or so, let me bring you up to speed on the basketball world. As of now, it is all about the two men in the picture above, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1960774-can-lebron-james-catch-kevin-durant-during-home-stretch-of-2014-nba-mvp-race

     Kevin Durant has been playing on another level since his all-star point guard Russel Westbrook has been out with a knee injury. Since the start of the new year, Kevin has scored 30 points in 12 consecutive games, led his team in assists and rebounding per game, and is scoring four more points a game than any one else in the league at 31.5. The OKC Thunder have been on a 10 game winning streak and have only lost five of their previous 20 games. Kevin Durant has eight 40 points or more games this season and five of them have came within the last two months. To put that in some sort of perspective, no other player in the league has more than three! Now these stats are irrelevant if his team is not winning the games that he is scoring all of these points in, but they are winning. They have the best record in the Association at 43-13, followed closely by the Indiana Pacers at 41-13. Kevin Durant has taken a head start at the MVP race and has no intentions of looking back or slowing down. More Importantly, he has taken his team to the top and hopes to keep them there.

      But LeBron James is slowly creeping up behind the "Slim Reaper" in the MVP race in the previous three weeks. On a side note, the Miami Heat have been to three straight NBA Finals and have played more basketball over the last three years than any other team by far. So they have the tendency to go into "cruise control" during the regular season. (With the East being so horrific this season, can you really blame them?) Not only has there team been described as cruising through the season but so has Lebron. Now I will be the first to admit that Lebron has not played to his normal standards this season for the most part. he has turned the ball over more than usual, he has not been in top notch shape physically like he normally is and his play on defense has been fairly average to say the least. But with all of that said, the man is still averaging 26.8 points on 57% shooting from the field, seven and seven. Recently, Lebron has been on a MVP tear scoring 30 points or more in six of his last nine games, including a fairly clutch game winning 3-pointer against the Warriors in Golden State.

     Because of the stats that these two have put up in the recent weeks and throughout the season, the caption of this image is most accurate. Only one of these players will win the MVP this season and just like the Hunger Games I believe that it will be a fight to the end and only one will survive.