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Comparing the NBA MVP finalists: Who has the edge?

Matt Eppers
USA TODAY
LeBron James is a four-time MVP, while James Harden is the favorite to win his first.

The championship has been won and the draft is in the books. The finishing touches on the 2017-18 season come Monday night at the second annual NBA Awards show from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.

The league will announce the winners of the season's individual awards, with Most Valuable Player the crown jewel. The awards were voted on by a panel of media members before the start of the playoffs.

James Harden, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were announced as MVP finalists in May. So who has the edge among the trio of superstars?

Harden is the presumptive favorite to win his first career MVP after finishing second in voting last season behind Russell Westbrook. Harden was also second to Steph Curry in 2014-15. James is a four-time MVP who would tie Bill Russell and Michael Jordan for second-most all-time with a fifth. Davis is a defensive stalwart whose all-around game fully bloomed to put him position for his first MVP.

Compare the finalists' 2017-18 résumés:

James Harden

  • Averages: 30.4 points, 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals per game
  • Shooting percentages: 44.9 overall, 36.7 three-point, 85.8 free-throw
  • Unanimous First-team All-NBA

Harden quickly shut down the preseason worries about playing alongside Chris Paul and won his first scoring title while leading the Rockets to a league-best 65-17 record. With Paul helping shoulder the play-making load, Harden took his isolation game to a new level and led a high-octane offense that averaged just over 15 three-pointers a game.

LeBron James

  • Averages: 27.5 points, 9.1 assists, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals per game
  • Shooting percentages: 54.2 overall, 36.7 three-point, 73.1 free-throw
  • Unanimous First-team All-NBA

In his 15th season, James put together perhaps the finest all-around performance of his career. James led the Cavaliers in total points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals while playing all 82 games for the first time and leading the NBA in minutes.

Anthony Davis

  • Averages: 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 steals per game
  • Shooting percentages: 53.4 overall, 34.0 three-point, 82.8 free-throw
  • First-team All-NBA and First-team All-Defense

Davis staked his claim as the best all-around big man in the league with a season that rivals the greats of the game. He became just the fourth different player to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals a game, according to basketball-reference (since blocks and steals were first recorded in 1973-74). The other three are in the Hall of Fame: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.

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