Assuming the Lakers win, which one of them should be crowned Finals MVP?
I get that saying it’s a toss-up might seem like a cop-out, but I really do think this could come down to which one of them plays better here on out.
Put it this way: If we were to score the Finals through four games as though it were a fight, it would be 2-2 between Davis and James. Davis was the Lakers’ best player in Game 1 and Game 2, whereas James was quite clearly their best player in Game 3 and Game 4.
Now, Davis hurt his case a little with his performance in Game 3 – he scored 15 points and the Heat outscored the Lakers by 26 points in his 32 minutes on the court – but he made up for it with his performance in Game 4.
Not only did he knock down a clutch 3-pointer to end the Heat’s hope of making a late push…
…he took on the assignment of guarding Butler following his historic 40-point triple-double in Game 3 and slowed him down.
Ultimately, both James and Davis have been incredible. James carries a bigger load offensively, leading the Lakers in scoring, rebounds and assists, but the Heat still haven’t had an answer for Davis and he’s been a monster defensively. This really could go either way.
Carlan Gay (@TheCarlanGay): LeBron James is averaging 27.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists on 54.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from 3, and it feels like he’s having an average Finals run. That’s the standard we hold him to, which is absurd.
LeBron continues to make the extraordinaire look ordinary. It wasn’t until I looked up his stats that I realized he was enjoying another incredible postseason. The Lakers haven’t needed the offensive explosion we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him in the playoffs with Anthony Davis there to carry some of the offensive burden, but that shouldn’t prevent us from rewarding LeBron for his sustained excellence.
I’ll admit if it wasn’t for Davis’ subpar Game 3 I would have said him, but that’s how thin the margin is for these Finals MVP votes. LeBron’s been consistently better throughout and deserves the honour again.
Juan Estévez (@JuanEstevez90): Even though he wasn’t himself in Game 3, I’m convinced that Davis has been the Lakers’ most important player in these Finals.
Offensively, LeBron has the advantage. It’s close, but he has the edge. But when you factor in the other end of the court, I think the scales tip in Davis’ favour. Game 4 was a very clear example of this, with Davis being the most dominant player on the court despite scoring “only” 22 points.
The statistics do not quite do Davis justice when it comes to how valuable he is defensively. His rebounds, blocks and steals tell some of the story, but they don’t take into account how many actions he blows up simply by being in the right spot or how many shots he alters around the rim.
Davis’ postseason has been extraordinary by all accounts, even coming up big in the clutch a number of times, and the Finals has been no exception.
Benyam Kidane (@BenyamKidane): Anthony Davis was out in front for the award after two games, but I’ve got to roll with LeBron James here.
Not discounting Davis’ phenomenal play on both ends of the floor, as illustrated by his job on Jimmy Butler in Game 4, but when you take a step back, LeBron has been controlling every facet of the series to date.
As Carlan mentioned, the bar we set for LeBron is on another level and through four games, his numbers are more than worthy of Finals MVP. However, what puts him over the top for me is his impact on his teammates.
In addition to giving his team 27.8 points per game, the 35-year-old has created 94 points off of assists through four games, generating open look after open look, while effortlessly controlling the pace and tempo of each game.
When you add in the fact that his production has largely remained the same win or lose, that type of elite consistency is hard to ignore.
Like my colleagues have mentioned, LeBron James has been more consistent and leads both teams in points and rebounds but I believe Davis has been the ‘most valuable’ player of the Finals. When he’s got it going, the Lakers look in command and win.
First two games, he dominated by averaging 33.0 points and 11.5 rebounds, being the difference maker as the Heat simply had no answer for his size. In Game 4, he sealed the game with clutch plays on both ends. More importantly, it was the Lakers’ adjustment to put him on Butler in Game 4 that seemed to bother the Heat’s offense.
James and AD have played nearly the same number of total minutes through the four games but the Lakers’ net rating is +7.2 when AD is on the floor while with James on the floor, that number is at +3.3. The off-court net rating numbers are evident of the impact. When AD is off the floor, the Lakers’ net rating is -2.7 while it sits at a huge +9.0 when James is off the floor.
By no means, I’m I implying that AD is a better player than James or anything along those lines but specifically, for this Finals series against the Heat, AD is ‘more valuable’.
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The past weekend of football was all about the favourites.
The favoured teams went 13-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread in the NFL. In college football, the three most teams bet at the BetMGM Sportsbook in terms of number of bets and money all won and covered. All three were favourites.
Trends of the Week
The three most bet college teams that won and covered on Saturday were Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Penn State, Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State and Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan. Penn State has now lost seven straight home games as underdogs. The Nittany Lions were up 10-0 in the first quarter and were 3.5-point favourites at the time. The Buckeyes won 17-10.
In the NFL, the three most bet teams in terms of number of bets and money were the Washington Commanders (-4) at the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions (-2.5) at the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. the Miami Dolphins. All three teams won, but only two of the three covered the spread as Buffalo beat Miami 30-27.
When it came to the players with the most bets to score a touchdown on Sunday, only two of the five reached the end zone — Chase Brown (-125) and Taysom Hill (+185). David Montgomery (-140), Brian Robinson Jr. (+110) and AJ Barner (+500) did not score.
Upsets of the Week
The biggest upset in the NFL was the Carolina Panthers coming from behind to beat the New Orleans Saints 23-22. New Orleans closed as a 7-point favourite and took in 76% of the bets and 79% of the money in against-the-spread betting. The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen following the loss. They have now lost seven straight games after starting the year 2-0.
Arguably the biggest upset in college football was South Carolina beating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 at home. Texas A&M closed as a 2.5-point favourite and took in 59% of the bets and 58% of the money.
NEW YORK – Washington Capitals left-wing Alex Ovechkin, Carolina Hurricanes centre Martin Necas and Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
Ovechkin had a league-leading five goals and nine points in four games.
The 39-year-old Capitals captain has 14 points in 11 games this season, and his 860 career goals are just 34 shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Necas shared the league lead with nine points (three goals, six assists) in three games.
Crosby factored on seven of the Penguins’ eight total goals scoring four goals and adding three assists in three appearances. The 37-year-old Penguins captain leads his team with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this season.
Crosby and Ovechkin, longtime rivals since entering the league together in 2005-06, will meet for the 70th time in the regular season and 95th time overall when Pittsburgh visits Washington on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
