What do you consider the most underrated MVP season in history

[NBAplayoffs2001]

For me, 1982-1983 Moses Malone.

[kennethgriffin]

kobe in 2006

[LoneyROY7]

2011 Derrick Rose.

[navy]

Did they have to win?

Derrick Rose and Steve Nash twice.

[BlkMambaGOAT]

Kobe 2013

[Im Still Ballin]

Lebron 2012.

He won MVP, FMVP, championship, All star, All 1st team defense, All 1st team, 2nd in DPOY, Won olympic gold, averaged nearly 30/10 for the playoffs, being down in 3 different series (record) while Bosh, a main contributor 18/9 player and only quality big injured. Answering back with arguably the GOAT playoffs performance in Boston game 6, coming back from 3-2 down to win, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. Beat his #1 MVP rival on the grandest stage of them all, silencing ALL the critics winning his first ring. The amount of criticism and pressure the man was under was the most anyone in the NBA has had to face. This is one of the greatest MVP seasons of ALL time. It's very underrated. Context matters.

[riseagainst]

Lebron 2012.

He won MVP, FMVP, championship, All star, All 1st team defense, All 1st team, 2nd in DPOY, Won olympic gold, averaged nearly 30/10 for the playoffs, being down in 3 different series (record) while Bosh, a main contributor 18/9 player and only quality big injured. Answering back with arguably the GOAT playoffs performance in Boston game 6, coming back from 3-2 down to win, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. Beat his #1 MVP rival on the grandest stage of them all, silencing ALL the critics winning his first ring. The amount of criticism and pressure the man was under was the most anyone in the NBA has had to face. This is one of the greatest MVP seasons of ALL time. It's very underrated. Context matters.

everyone considers that his best, most successful season, how is it underrated?

[Roundball_Rock]

Rose. A lot of people act as if he did not even have a case for MVP that year. Who would you put over him that year? LeBron on the Heatles with an inferior record? Howard on a 52 win team? Rose won that MVP in a walk at the time. This isn't a case like Nash where the voting was close.

If there was any doubt about Rose's MVP worthiness it should have been erased in subsequent seasons. They went from the best record in the league in back-to-back years with him to 45 and 48 wins. Their offense went from #11 and #5 to #28 and #30.

[DMAVS41]

Rose. A lot of people act as if he did not even have a case for MVP that year. Who would you put over him that year? LeBron on the Heatles with an inferior record? Howard on a 52 win team? Rose won that MVP in a walk at the time. This isn't a case like Nash where the voting was close.

If there was any doubt about Rose's MVP worthiness it should have been erased in subsequent seasons. They went from the best record in the league in back-to-back years with him to 45 and 48 wins. Their offense went from #11 and #5 to #28 and #30.

Rose was the clear cut MVP of the regular season.

The only guy that had an argument was Dirk, but Dirk missing 9 games and the Bulls finishing with a better record than the Mavs ended any real chance he had.

Rose should have been MVP...just like he was.

[Fudge]

2014 Kevin Durant

[MP.Trey]

Chris Paul 08... oh wait.

I'd have to look more in depth to give a real answer. Should make for interesting discussion though.

[Milbuck]

2003-04 Kevin Garnett.

24/14/5/2/2
55% TS
29.4 PER
112 ORTG
92 DRTG
.272 WS/48
RS Net On/Off: +20.7
PO Net On/Off: +26.7

I would take 2004 KG over any PF ever except prime Duncan.

[riseagainst]

2003-04 Kevin Garnett.

24/14/5/2/2
55% TS
29.4 PER
112 ORTG
92 DRTG
.272 WS/48
RS Net On/Off: +20.7
PO Net On/Off: +26.7

I would take 2004 KG over any PF ever except prime Duncan.

:bowdown:

too bad he wasted his prime playing for the crappy Minnesota Timberlakes.

[Rocketswin2013]

Chris Paul 08... oh wait.

I'd have to look more in depth to give a real answer. Should make for interesting discussion though.
I was gonna say this:oldlol:

[Artillery]

kobe in 2006

First round exit to Steve Nash(the true MVP winner). Choked a 3-1 lead and proceeded to quit on his team in game 7.

[L.Kizzle]

David Robinson 1995.

People overlook this year because of how Hakeem dominated him in the 95 playoffs. That shouldn't take from D-Rob. Hakeem was on a mission that season and the Admiral just happened to be in his way.

[Legends66NBA7]

74/75 Bob McAdoo.

Maybe the most underrated player ever.

[kennethgriffin]

First round exit to Steve Nash(the true MVP winner). Choked a 3-1 lead and proceeded to quit on his team in game 7.

if we start taking away mvps based on premature exits. wouldnt we have to strip 2 of lebrons?

2002 duncan?

2007 dirk?

2010 lebron?

2011 rose?



considering kobe took kwame and smush to the playoffs and made them look like actual nba players. i'd say kobe deserved more than just the mvp that year

how about the top civilian honer possible...

[GrapeApe]

74/75 Bob McAdoo.

Maybe the most underrated player ever.

Damn, had to look that up but 35/14 :bowdown:

[houston]

KG of course

[SouBeachTalents]

Hakeem's 1994. He won MVP & DPOY, and to top it all off he carried arguably the worst supporting cast to ever win a title while completely dominating Ewing to win Finals MVP

[ILLsmak]

Ai ofcourse.

-Smak

[jlip]

Magic 1987.
The '87 Lakers is often in the conversation of the greatest teams ever, but rarely is Magic's peak ever in the "top peak" conversations. I know that MVP is a regular season award, but his domination in the '87 Finals (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241681) was GOAT level.

[Nowitness]

Karl Malone's second.

Up there with Cowen's as the best season destroying the competition.

[K Xerxes]

David Robinson 1995.

People overlook this year because of how Hakeem dominated him in the 95 playoffs. That shouldn't take from D-Rob. Hakeem was on a mission that season and the Admiral just happened to be in his way.

Absolutely. It's a real shame that so many people remember his career by that one series, but he had all of the physical attributes and skills that the top centers in history had. Athletic, great defender, capable scorer. Perhaps his leadership and mental strength let him down when it came down to it, but he put up a great MVP season that year.

[Psileas]

Magic 1987.
The '87 Lakers is often in the conversation of the greatest teams ever, but rarely is Magic's peak ever in the "top peak" conversations. I know that MVP is a regular season award, but his domination in the '87 Finals (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241681) was GOAT level.

I'll say his MVP in '89 is the most underrated one, since some think he "stole" this from Jordan, a view with which I disagree, as I've written in the past. Statistically, not only did he come the closest to averaging a TD once again, he shot a career-high and league leading 91.1% from the FT line and started taking multiple 3's, also posting a career-high (still only an average percentage, 31.4%, though he smashed this figure one year later, with a way above league average of 38.4%). And still led the Lakers to the 2nd best record in the league.

[KevinNYC]

74/75 Bob McAdoo.

Maybe the most underrated player ever.

In 1973 Tiny Archibald outscored everyone in the league by 4 points and dished out 3 more assists a game than the next nearest player and he came in third in the MVP voting.

PPG Leader: Tiny Archibald (34.0)
APG Leader: Tiny Archibald (11.4)

He led the league in like 11 Categories that year.

[SexSymbol]

Rose 2011
Iverson in 00 or 01

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

2003-04 Kevin Garnett.

24/14/5/2/2
55% TS
29.4 PER
112 ORTG
92 DRTG
.272 WS/48
RS Net On/Off: +20.7
PO Net On/Off: +26.7

I would take 2004 KG over any PF ever except prime Duncan.
This except peak KG is the best PF ever
he won the MVP voting by the biggest landslide at the time IIRC

[KD35Brah]

Kevin Durant 2014.

[SouBeachTalents]

Kevin Durant 2014.

:roll:

[fpliii]

This except peak KG is the best PF ever
he won the MVP voting by the biggest landslide at the time IIRC
:applause:

[T_L_P]

This except peak KG is the best PF ever
he won the MVP voting by the biggest landslide at the time IIRC

*Regular season. Production stepped down in the Playoffs.

So no, 04 KG is not the best PF ever.

My answer is still KG though. That's legit one of the three or four greatest regular seasons ever in my opinion.

[r0drig0lac]

rose and d-rob

[nathanjizzle]

Rose was the clear cut MVP of the regular season.

The only guy that had an argument was Dirk, but Dirk missing 9 games and the Bulls finishing with a better record than the Mavs ended any real chance he had.

Rose should have been MVP...just like he was.

no he shouldnt have. dirk was the real mvp that season.

[Legends66NBA7]

I don't even know how people can say players like 04 Garnett was underrated. It's often considered one of the best peaks in NBA history, so how is it underrated ?

[poido123]

Well I'd say rose because nobody outside of media and bulls fans thinks he deserved it.:(

[stalkerforlife]

Kobe 2013

This.

What he did with that depleted team and a quitter at C, at his age, was remarkable.

He TRULY was the MVP that season.

[Roundball_Rock]

no he shouldnt have. dirk was the real mvp that season.

After the playoffs. He wasn't a strong MVP candidate during the regular season. I think he finished 4th or 5th in voting.

[ArbitraryWater]

I'll say his MVP in '89 is the most underrated one, since some think he "stole" this from Jordan, a view with which I disagree, as I've written in the past. Statistically, not only did he come the closest to averaging a TD once again, he shot a career-high and league leading 91.1% from the FT line and started taking multiple 3's, also posting a career-high (still only an average percentage, 31.4%, though he smashed this figure one year later, with a way above league average of 38.4%). And still led the Lakers to the 2nd best record in the league.

Mind linking me to some of those posts? Or putting it together, short version or no?

[Dave3]

*Regular season. Production stepped down in the Playoffs.

So no, 04 KG is not the best PF ever.

My answer is still KG though. That's legit one of the three or four greatest regular seasons ever in my opinion.
How did his production go down in the playoffs? 24/15/5/2.3/1.3 is almost his exact statline from the regular season (24/14/5/2.6/1.5)...

He played well in the playoffs, and even made clutch 3 pointers for the Twolves in their series with the Lakers. And if it wasn't for Kareem Rush almost magically going 6/7 from 3 out of nowhere, they had a very strong chance to make the finals with the 7th game in Minnesota.

Like Legends said, his MVP season probably isn't very underrated considering how people hold it in pretty high regard, but saying his production dropped in the playoffs is revisionist history.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

How did his production go down in the playoffs? 24/15/5/2.3/1.3 is almost his exact statline from the regular season (24/14/5/2.6/1.5)...

He played well in the playoffs, and even made clutch 3 pointers for the Twolves in their series with the Lakers. And if it wasn't for Kareem Rush almost magically going 6/7 from 3 out of nowhere, they had a very strong chance to make the finals with the 7th game in Minnesota.

Like Legends said, his MVP season probably isn't very underrated considering how people hold it in pretty high regard, but saying his production dropped in the playoffs is revisionist history.

Kareem Rush's only legendary moment. Otherwise all the kid had was a turnaround jumper and a decent 3 point shot. Kid had way more potential than his brother, really didn't show it though. Honestly that 2004 Wolves team was pretty nasty. But my god, all the superstars on the Lakers took a huge step down that season. Those finals were painful to watch considering I lost a good amount of money betting on the 2004 Lakers despite them playing pretty bad through the playoffs :rolleyes:

[Pointguard]

Magic 1987.
The '87 Lakers is often in the conversation of the greatest teams ever, but rarely is Magic's peak ever in the "top peak" conversations. I know that MVP is a regular season award, but his domination in the '87 Finals (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241681) was GOAT level.
Yes, and basketball never looked better ever. Total team ball and the greatest orchestrator to amp it even more. People talk about ball movement, efficiency, and adjusting... this team had no rival. Magic took chances and made them work like cray.

[Mrofir]

Ultimately this discussion turns into "most disrespected mvp"


And as such Rose, Nash, and Dirk have to be in the picture. Their MVPs were deserved, they had more value to their respective teams than any other player had to other teams. No question.

[Choke94]

2003-2004 KG
Don't like the guy much,but that season his performance was epic!

[Dave3]

Kareem Rush's only legendary moment. Otherwise all the kid had was a turnaround jumper and a decent 3 point shot. Kid had way more potential than his brother, really didn't show it though. Honestly that 2004 Wolves team was pretty nasty. But my god, all the superstars on the Lakers took a huge step down that season. Those finals were painful to watch considering I lost a good amount of money betting on the 2004 Lakers despite them playing pretty bad through the playoffs :rolleyes:
It's crazy how on a team that had Payton Kobe Malone and Shaq, a rookie is what (potentially) won them a very tough conference finals series.

[Pointguard]

How did his production go down in the playoffs? 24/15/5/2.3/1.3 is almost his exact statline from the regular season (24/14/5/2.6/1.5)...

He played well in the playoffs, and even made clutch 3 pointers for the Twolves in their series with the Lakers. And if it wasn't for Kareem Rush almost magically going 6/7 from 3 out of nowhere, they had a very strong chance to make the finals with the 7th game in Minnesota.

Like Legends said, his MVP season probably isn't very underrated considering how people hold it in pretty high regard, but saying his production dropped in the playoffs is revisionist history.
It would be hard for KG to play harder than the way he did that year. He played every possession for the whole year with passion, intensity and vigor. One of the things you had to see. But as a KG defender here, I rarely hear anybody here say it was one of the best season's ever as it was said in this thread twice.

[Legends66NBA7]

How did his production go down in the playoffs? 24/15/5/2.3/1.3 is almost his exact statline from the regular season (24/14/5/2.6/1.5)...

He played well in the playoffs, and even made clutch 3 pointers for the Twolves in their series with the Lakers. And if it wasn't for Kareem Rush almost magically going 6/7 from 3 out of nowhere, they had a very strong chance to make the finals with the 7th game in Minnesota.

Like Legends said, his MVP season probably isn't very underrated considering how people hold it in pretty high regard, but saying his production dropped in the playoffs is revisionist history.

I think he was talking about advanced stats.

[T_L_P]

How did his production go down in the playoffs? 24/15/5/2.3/1.3 is almost his exact statline from the regular season (24/14/5/2.6/1.5)...

He played well in the playoffs, and even made clutch 3 pointers for the Twolves in their series with the Lakers. And if it wasn't for Kareem Rush almost magically going 6/7 from 3 out of nowhere, they had a very strong chance to make the finals with the 7th game in Minnesota.

Like Legends said, his MVP season probably isn't very underrated considering how people hold it in pretty high regard, but saying his production dropped in the playoffs is revisionist history.

It was his shooting mainly. I don't have the numbers right here, but it took a noticeable dip from what I remember.

That's not to say he didn't play like the MVP in the postseason. He did. But he didn't play like the best PF of all time either. :confusedshrug:

[fsvr54]

*Regular season. Production stepped down in the Playoffs.

So no, 04 KG is not the best PF ever.

My answer is still KG though. That's legit one of the three or four greatest regular seasons ever in my opinion.

Nikka went absolutely apeshit in the conference semifinals. That game 7 was godly.

[GODbe]

Kobe's 06 by far, but MVP's are a useless award regardless.

[Dave3]

It would be hard for KG to play harder than the way he did that year. He played every possession for the whole year with passion, intensity and vigor. One of the things you had to see. But as a KG defender here, I rarely hear anybody here say it was one of the best season's ever as it was said in this thread twice.
Absolutely it wasn't one of the best seasons ever. It's probably not top 3 for the decade, but like you said, it was very dominant and the intensity he played with was insane. He couldn't step it up anymore in the playoffs than he did in the season, because he put it all on the floor for seemingly every game during the season.

[T_L_P]

Nikka went absolutely apeshit in the conference semifinals.

Agreed. I remember watching games 6 and 7 and saying to myself the Wolves were gonna win it all.

I don't remember that series much, but was there something nagging Webber? He didn't play all that well.

[Dave3]

It was his shooting mainly. I don't have the numbers right here, but it took a noticeable dip from what I remember.

That's not to say he didn't play like the MVP in the postseason. He did. But he didn't play like the best PF of all time either. :confusedshrug:
His FG% dipped a couple percentage points, like almost every other player ever in the playoffs when the defense intensifies and you play the same team multiple times in a row and they get better at game
planning for you.

[T_L_P]

His FG% dipped a couple percentage points, like almost every other player ever in the playoffs when the defense intensifies and you play the same team multiple times in a row and they get better at game
planning for you.

His FG% went from .499 to .452. TS% went from .547 to .513.

Duncan's FG% in 03 went from .513 to .529. TS% went from .564 to .577.

That's why 03 Duncan is the best PF ever and 04 Garnett is not. He still dominated the postseason. He still played like the MVP. But it was not the best PF season ever, Playoffs included, which is what I originally contested. :confusedshrug:

[Dave3]

I think he was talking about advanced stats.
Maybe, but when I see 24/14/5 vs 24/15/5, even if the advanced stats are a bit lower, I don't see that as a guy's production dropping off.

[Dave3]

His FG% went from .499 to .452. TS% went from .547 to .513.

Duncan's FG% in 03 went from .513 to .529. TS% went from .564 to .577.

That's why 03 Duncan is the best PF ever and 04 Garnett is not. He still dominated the postseason. He still played like the MVP. But it was not the best PF season ever, Playoffs included, which is what I originally contested. :confusedshrug:
That part is fair (that it's not the best ever) but considering a guy's performance dropping off with identical stats minus decreased efficiency, would consider almost every single player in history as dropping off.

[T_L_P]

That part is fair (that it's not the best ever) but considering a guy's performance dropping off with identical stats minus decreased efficiency, would consider almost every single player in history as dropping off.

Yeah, my post was probably a little confusing. I honestly didn't think his raw numbers stayed practically the same, which they did.

Thanks for correcting me. :cheers:

[tpols]

I would say KG as well.. he had a peak comparable to duncan/kobe etc

[Legends66NBA7]

Agreed. I remember watching games 6 and 7 and saying to myself the Wolves were gonna win it all.

I don't remember that series much, but was there something nagging Webber? He didn't play all that well.

C-Webb had micro-knee surgery in 03 and only played in 23 regular season games in 03/04. The conditioning wasn't there and Webber was never the same player after that surgery.

[T_L_P]

C-Webb had micro-knee surgery in 03 and only played in 23 regular season games in 03/04. The conditioning wasn't there and Webber was never the same player after that surgery.

Oh shit yeah. Injury occurred in the 03 Playoffs, right?

Shame really. C-Webb was one of the most entertaining bigs ever.

[Legends66NBA7]

Oh shit yeah. Injury occurred in the 03 Playoffs, right?

Shame really. C-Webb was one of the most entertaining bigs ever.

Yes, during the Dallas series. If he doesn't go down, the Kings probably win the series.

[T_L_P]

Yes, during the Dallas series. If he doesn't go down, the Kings probably win the series.

Spurs - Kings conference Finals would have been nice. I wonder who wins that?

[Legends66NBA7]

Spurs - Kings conference Finals would have been nice. I wonder who wins that?

Would have been super fun.

Kings had the talent, but they also had a reputation for folding. I think the Spurs would still win in 6.