2013 NBA Finals MVP Award Odds and Picks: Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers: The NBA Finals MVP has been awarded to 28 different players since it was first handed out in 1969. Ironically, inaugural winner Jerry West remains the only player to receive the honor while playing for the team that lost in the NBA Finals. As a result, history says that the player that is going to take home the award in 2013 will almost certainly play for the winning team. History also says that the award will go to one of the stars from the winning side as their simply haven’t been many surprise winners. From Michael Jordan and his record six NBA Finals MVPs to the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and most-recently LeBron James, the award has been reserved for the NBA’s elite. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the players most likely to win the 2013 NBA Finals MVP Award along with a couple of sleepers that could buck the trend.
The Favorites
If the Miami Heat repeat as champs, it is hard to imagine any player other than LeBron James being named MVP. After all, he rolls into the NBA Finals leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steal and free throw attempts. Not to mention the fact that he is averaging 26.2 points per game while his next-closest teammate is averaging just 14.1 points per game. Basically, James is being asked to score a majority of the points, crash the glass, facilitate the offense and guard the other team’s best player.
He has quietly become the leader of the Spurs the past few years, and Tony Parker has looked as strong as ever in the postseason. He is leading the team with 23.0 points per game and is dishing out a team-high 7.2 assists per game. Parker has become the engine that makes the Spurs’ offense go, and he has a favorable matchup against Miami’s young point guards. If he consistently breaks down the Heat defense en route to a San Antonio championship, Parker will likely nab the second NBA Finals MVP Award of his career.
The Dark Horse
While he isn’t getting any younger, Tim Duncan had an excellent regular season and continues to produce in the playoffs. He is averaging 17.8 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds, and he has been a defensive force in the paint. Now, Duncan gets to take on a Miami frontcourt that just made Roy Hibbert look like Shaquille O’Neal. If San Antonio wins the series, and Duncan destroys Miami in the paint and piles up double-doubles along the way, the veteran could take home NBA Finals MVP honors for the fourth time.
Sleeper Specials
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich has already called Kawhi Leonard the future of the franchise, and the rising star could steal the spotlight from his big name teammates in the NBA Finals with his all-around play. During the postseason, Leonard ranks third on the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game, second with 8.0 rebounds per game and first with 1.6 steals per game. He is also shooting 56.5 from the field and knocking down 1.1 3-pointers per game. Leonard will also likely be guarding LeBron James in the series, and if he happens to make life tough for the Heat star while stuffing the stat sheet himself, he could be the surprise choice for NBA Finals MVP.
It is hard to believe the perennial All-Star and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade lands in the sleeper section, but anyone that has been watching the playoffs understands that he is a shell of himself. It appears he is pretty much playing on one leg, and it is taking a toll. Wade is averaging just 14.1 points per game, shooting less than 45 percent from the field and has cracked the 20-point mark just twice in 16 postseason games. However, Wade is battle tested and tough, and he managed a 21-point effort in Miami’s Game 7 win against Indiana in the Eastern Conference semifinals. If he can gut out a couple of clutch performances and hit a few big shots that lift the Heat to the title, Wade might just have enough gas left in the tank to win his second NBA Finals MVP.
Odds to win the 2013 NBA Finals MVP
Chris Bosh +2000
Dwyane Wade +800
LeBron James -250
Tim Duncan +650
Tony Parker +500
Field +1000
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