ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst reviewed one of LeBron James’s most underrated campaigns with the Cleveland Cavs. After Cavs All-Star Evan Mobley recently matched James’ stat line, Windhorst revealed that in LeBron’s final season in Cleveland, he didn’t vote for him as MVP. It’s a decision he regrets.
Windhorst revealed his regret of not giving James an MVP vote, per ESPN’s First Take.
“One of my regrets is that in 2017-18, the last year LeBron [James] played in Cleveland, that I didn’t vote for LeBron for MVP… [James] Harden won the MVP that year, and I voted for him for MVP, and I do regret that vote because the longer I thought about it, the more I realized how great LeBron was in this season. He was 33 years old, the Cavs’ Kyrie had been traded, and they were the fourth seed. He played every single game that year: 82 games.
“He led the league in minutes. His stats were very good. He’s had better statistical seasons, but his stats were very good,” Windhorst concluded.
LeBron led the Cavs to the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 to clinch another appearance in the NBA Finals. Brian Windhorst also mentioned that James drained two buzzer-beaters, including one to clinch Game 7 of the opening round series against the Indiana Pacers and to win the Cavs’ second-round series against the top-seeded Toronto Raptors. Houston Rockets’ James Harden would win the MVP award in 2018.
After leading the Cavs to their first championship in franchise history in 2016, James would reach impressive feats that have been close to being matched by this year’s team. All-Star Darius Garland has the fourth-most 40-point games. He’s trailing his teammate Donovan Mitchell, for Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, and LeBron.
James averaged 27.5 points on 54.2% shooting, 9.1 assists, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 2017-18.
Evan Mobley pulls off LeBron James feat in Cavs’ win vs. Grizzlies
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Cavs All-Star Evan Mobley finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks in a 129-123 win against the Grizzlies. He also finished 10-of-20 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from deep. Mobley became the first Cavs player to reach those numbers since LeBron James, per StatMuse.
The Cavs’ historic run in 2024-25 continued as they became the first NBA team to clinch a playoff spot after Wednesday’s 127-107 win against the Miami Heat. The Cavs have held the best record in the league all season, improving to 52-10 with an 8.0-game lead on the second-placed Celtics.
