LeBron James has dominated the NBA in the past few years, romping away with the league's MVP plum the past two years and leading the Miami Heat to back-to-back titles. Yet there is one award that James wants this year: the Defensive Player of the Year award.
James made his case for the said award after the Heat's 116-112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. During the game, James guarded every position- from center DeAndre Jordan to guard Darren Collison.
"That's why I should be Defensive Player of the Year," James said as reported by ESPN.com. "No one has ever done this before."
His coach Erik Spoelstra agreed with James' assessment, saying: "LJ displayed his entire arsenal defensively. Guarding 1-through-5, on the glass, in the post, on the perimeter. He even had one of his famous chase-down blocks, one that most players would give up on."
One of the highlights of that game came in the second quarter when James caught a streaking Collision from behind, blocking him in the process. Aside from guarding all five positions, James has also been cutting off opponents' passing lanes recording 11 steals in the past three games and 21 in the last 10 games.
It is easy to understand why James is interested in winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. After all, it is one of the few major awards missing in his trophy case. He has been the Rookie of the Year, MVP, All-Star Game MVP, Finals MVP aside from winning a host of Player of the Week and Player of the Month honors.
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