Which is more prestigious: Regular Season MVP or Finals MVP?

[cotdt]

Which is more prestigious: Regular Season MVP or Finals MVP?

My take is that when a team has equally distributed talent (ie. Boston Celtics 2008), there is not one dominant player, hence Finals MVP is NOT as prestigious as the Regular season MVP, as the Finals MVP is simply the hottest player for he series that is on the winning team. The regular season MVP would be the more dominant player in this case, but happens to lose due to having a weaker team overall. However, he is more valuable to his team's (perhaps 2nd place) success than the Finals MVP is to his team's (perhaps larger) success.

On the other hand, when there is a clearly dominant player on the team that wins the NBA championship, the Finals MVP means a lot more than Regular season MVP, because he carries his team to Championship victory, and that is the most valuable thing a basketball player can do. MVP isn't about the "best" player, but the most valuable one. MVP is a measure of how valuable you are to a team's success. After all, what value are you if you can't give your team wins when it matters the most?

[Crash]

Finals.

Regular season MVP has turned into a joke. it used to go to the player that had the best statistical year, now it goes to whoever the media "feels" will get it from the beginning.

Finals.

[kap]

well who chooses the final MVP?

but i'd say reg season, because you are the best out of around 450 players.

the final you are only the best out of 30 players.

[S13M]

Regular season, because that means you played at a high level in 82 games.

[cotdt]

well who chooses the final MVP?

but i'd say reg season, because you are the best out of around 450 players.

the final you are only the best out of 30 players.

Considering that all players in the playoffs have the opportunity to become Finals MVP by getting their teams into the Finals, the pool usually includes all the top players in the NBA.

[mamba24]

Regular season, because that means you played at a high level in 82 games.

Finals MVP...Yes you played well for 82 games..but there is no pressure...the game is called differently...less physical...the past 6 MVP's have not won a NBA title...and their teams were ranked top 3 in the NBA.

the finals pits the two best teams in a 7 game series...and the player who wills his team to victory is the mvp...

it doesn't necessarily make him the best player in the world like pierce stated...but i will agree...he was the best player of that finals and his team won.

Also you earn the finals MVP...the regular MVP is a joke....not saying lebron didnt deserve to win it...but it was decided he would win it in pre-season and he dropped off from the no1 spot only for one week....

cmon...CP3, was carrying a banged up squad, Dwight was playin well....D-wade was just nuts....he should have been the actual MVP...

i mean one of those guys could have had a spot once or twice....but it was lebron thru the year...and kobe made a cameo when they beat the celts and cavs in the same week....

man marketing...media sucks....Wade is the real MVP....screw the team record...his cast was crap compard to lebrons...

[VCMVP1551]

The regular season MVP has been tainted by some obviously bad choices like Iverson over Shaq in 2001, Nash over Shaq in 2005, Malone over Duncan in 1999, Malone over Jordan in 1997, Barkley over Hakeem in 1993 ect.

[cotdt]

The regular season MVP has been tainted by some obviously bad choices like Iverson over Shaq in 2001, Nash over Shaq in 2005, Malone over Duncan in 1999, Malone over Jordan in 1997, Barkley over Hakeem in 1993 ect.

Well regular season MVP is decided by the media, and they want to create their stories... what did you expect?

I assume that by being a valuable player, you're bringing some sort of value to your team, ie. success. If your team gets kicked out 1st round in the playoffs, that's NOT success.

[Meticode]

I don't know personally, but when people and media speak of MVPs they always bring up regular season. You only hear Finals MVP if someone won it recently or they are listing a list of accomplishments of a player.

[cotdt]

I don't know personally, but when people and media speak of MVPs they always bring up regular season. You only hear Finals MVP if someone won it recently or they are listing a list of accomplishments of a player.

During these playoffs after Lebron already won the Regular Season MVP, fans are still chanting "MVP" every time Kobe or Dwight goes to the free throw line. I could only assume the fans mean the Finals MVP and not cheering for Lebron.

[sonics0034]

The finals mvp

At the end of the day, it is about winning the whole thing. This is like comparing the team who has the best record in the regular season to the team who wins the championship. No comparison.

[Mikaiel]

Why is it even debatable ? Do you really think LeBron wouldn't trade his MVP for a Finals MVP for example ? I'm sure Malone would trade his 2 MVPs for one Finals MVP, without any hesitation.

During these playoffs after Lebron already won the Regular Season MVP, fans are still chanting "MVP" every time Kobe or Dwight goes to the free throw line. I could only assume the fans mean the Finals MVP and not
cheering for Lebron.

What they mean is "That guy right there is the real MVP".

[QuestFor17]

There should be an MVP for all of the playoffs, not just the finals. I remember Bill Simmons wrote about this, and he made a valid point. There are 3 rounds of playoffs that aren

[guy]

Regular Season. Finals MVP can go to anyone who gets hot for a week or two. It would be one thing if Finals MVP was Playoff MVP, but its not.

[niko]

There is no question regular season is more prestigious. Finals means you played well for 7 games, Regular season means you are the best player in the league arguably.

I think you are all answering the question as "which would you rather have" which is of course finals because it means you won the damn finals 99% of the time. The question is not that, it's WHICH IS MORE PRESTIGIOUS, and that is clearly regular season.

Let's say you LOST and won finals MVP. Which would you rather have? You need to take the winning the finals out of it.