National Basketball Association

Le-Best Foot Forward

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 3:58 p.m. ET

Something odd happened last season, and for a moment, it changed the course of the NBA.

LeBron James didn't lead his team to the playoffs. And from that moment forward, the NBA world thought that the LeBron era was finished.

Has ever a larger group of people been wrong about a single topic?

James is on a tour de force this season, and it was punctuated by his latest two performances.

In wins over Milwaukee on Friday and Sunday over the Clippers, LeBron looked like a vintage version of himself.

This is that Tikky-Tok thing, for reference:

And with that, everything is back to normal: in year 17, LeBron is still the game's best, and the rest are still looking up.

We agree on most of what you're saying, Unc. Most of it.

Despite his weekend masterpieces...

...we're still not sure LeBron is the MVP.

Well, just think about it: how many years, dating back to when LeBron entered the league in 2003, has he been the best player in the NBA?

James lovers might say 15, and James haters might say 10. But no less than 10.

Next question: how many regular season MVPs does LeBron have?

Considering who he is, the four that he's won doesn't sound like a lot, meaning that him being the best player in the game rarely translates to him winning the NBA's most prestigious award.

Yes, James clearly outplayed his East Coast rival and MVP favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday.

And then he clearly outplayed his in-town rival Kawhi Leonard on Sunday.

However, he's been outplaying the games best for years on end.

Since LeBron has been in the league, the MVP award has been won by the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and James Harden, all of whom are incredible, once in a generation-type talents.

But has any of them ever been considered better than LeBron?

LeBron is held to a different standard than his contemporaries, and that's just the way it's always been.

Not saying it's fair, but it's real.

Friday's win over Milwaukee definitely moved LeBron closer to Giannis in the MVP race, but the voters will look at the entire season. That win will not be as prominent in a few weeks, when the dust settles and the Bucks finish the season winning 70 games or close to it.

LeBron, you are that guy.

But you've been that guy forever.

And that guy isn't always the guy to win the MVP...at least in your case.