By: Pedro Heizer

It’s been a while, but here are the latest rankings. There is a new player up top!

Biggest Rise: Dwyane Wade

Biggest Drop: Carmelo Anthony

The post Race To MVP appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.

By: Pedro Heizer

The first quarter of the season is in the books and Crank Up The HEAT is ready to unveil the first MVP Race. Players’ plus/minus is based on where they finished last season’s CUTH MVP Rank.  4/5 players were in it last year, and aha! There is a new captain on top.

Check em’ out!  And make sure to comment and tell us what you think.

The post Race to the MVP [Week 1] appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.

By: Pedro Heizer

According to the Associated Press, Miami Heat forward LeBron James has been named the 2012 NBA Most Valuable Player. The Miami Heat and the NBA will have a formal announcement Saturday at 1 p.m. at the American Airlines Arena and LeBron will also be handed his third MVP trophy by Commissioner David Stern on Sunday prior to the Heat’s second round opener versus the Indiana Pacers.

LeBron had one of his best all-around seasons to date averaging 27.1 points per game, 6.2 assists per game, and 7.9 rebounds per game.  According to STATS LLC, LeBron is only the fourth player to have those totals in at least two different seasons, joining Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek and Larry Bird.

LeBron also joins the list of all-time greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone as the only players to have won three or more MVP awards during their playing career.

After taking his talents to South Beach, LeBron stated that the chances of him winning a third MVP were throw out the window because he joined Wade and Bosh in Miami and that personal awards were not his motivation anymore.

“When we decided to come together our Most Valuable Player chances kind of went out the window,” James said about his and Wade’s chances of ever winning an MVP award. “I think they classify it as an individual award. They look at it like the less help you have, the more numbers you have then the better chance for you to win that award.”

Regardless of what LeBron said last season, his accomplishments on the court this season were too great to go unnoticed, ”LeBron has been unbelievable,” guard Dwyane Wade said before the playoffs began. ”He’s done it at both ends, every night, offensively and defensively.”

Other players that made a run at MVP this season were Oklahoma City superstar Kevin Durant who has won the scoring title three years in a row, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul who has turned a laughingstock team into a playoff contender, and San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker who single-handedly led the Spurs to the best record in the NBA despite everyone doubting the aging team.

LeBron’s MVP will be the first in Heat franchise history, although Heat assistant coach Bob McAdoo won the award once as a player with the Buffalo Braves back in the 1975 season.

The NBA MVP trophy is named after Maurice Podoloff, the league’s first commissioner.

“LeBron, to me, is the favorite every year,” Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. “The years he doesn’t win it, it’ll usually be because people are just tired of voting for him. Statistically, if you go all-around game, I don’t know how you don’t vote for him every year.”

Soon after news broke of James’ third MVP, the twitter and facebook world blew up. Fans posted tweets and statuses congratulating James and calling him the “best player to ever play in the NBA”.

Does LeBron winning his third MVP truly make him the best player to ever play in the NBA? I don’t believe so.

NBA greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 MVPs), Michael Jordan (5 MVPs), Bill Russell (5 MVPs), and Wilt Chamberlain (4 MVPs) all have something James doesn’t, championship rings.

Another Miami great has had the same situation, Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl ring, and although Marino was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, he was not the greatest one to ever play.

I am certain he will win his first championship this season but, crowning him the best player ever is premature. LeBron is on the right track though, that’s for sure.

The post Unstoppable Force: LeBron James Wins Third MVP in Four Years appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.

By: Matt Blue

Ready. Set. Go! It’s time for another edition of Crank Up the HEAT’s race to the MVP. It’s time to make some serious changes. It’s time for change that we can believe in. This is not going to be the same ole MVP rankings. That would be way too boring. So without further ado, let’s take a look at who has increased their chances of being crowned the NBA MVP for the 2011-2012 season.

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