LeBron James doesn’t have to look further than the Los Angeles Lakers locker room to see why he didn’t beat out Giannis Antetokounmpo for this season’s NBA MVP award.

He has a 6-10 teammate with a 7-6 wingspan who is athletic, skilled, talented, has handles, can score, rebound, defend – and showed Sunday night he can hit a game-winning 3.

Anthony Davis nailed a buzzer beater to give the Lakers a stunning 105-103 victory to put the Lakers up 2-0 on Denver in the Western Conference finals in the Orlando Bubble.

Game 3 is Tuesday. 

How can James be considered the league’s most valuable player when he’s playing beside someone who can do it all – and then some.

Like James, Davis made first-team All-NBA, but also earned All-Defensive first team and finished second in the defensive player of the year voting to Antetokounmpo.

By the way, Davis got my first-place vote for league defensive MVP.

Can’t have a teammate that complete a player and win NBA MVP, too.

Antetokounmpo doesn’t have anyone in Milwaukee who comes close to being as talented and skilled as Davis.

Sorry, LeBron.

People figured it came down to James and Antetokounmpo for league MVP, but I asked Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams last month how much of a case could be made for Davis being the best player in the league.

Three seconds later, Williams decided not to touch that hot take.

Not even with custom-made oven mitts.

“Gosh, you’re not going to pin me in that hole and have other players mad at me,” Williams said. “I have no idea. I think all those guys are great. I hope they play poorly against us. That’s my answer and I’m sticking to it.”

Figured Williams would be an ideal person to ask since he coached Davis in his early NBA years, but no worries, coach.

Charles Barkley knows the deal.

During halftime of Sunday’s game on TNT, Barkley said Davis should be “the best player in the world,” but doesn’t have the killer instinct like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

No one in the league has that like those two did, but winning back-to-back MVPs is a strong case for Antetokounmpo to be considered the game’s best player.

The again, the “best player” narrative has shifted more in James’ favor in large part because Antetokounmpo fell way short of leading Milwaukee to the finals.

James voicing his displeasure with the lopsided first-place voting for this year’s award has contributed to that shift as well.

James Harden deserves to be in the conversation, too. He’s the most unguardable player in the game today, but don’t forget about Kevin Durant, who didn’t play this season due to an Achilles injury.

Before getting hurt, Durant was looking to win a third straight NBA championship that would’ve likely included a third consecutive finals MVP award.

Call Golden State a super team, but Durant was the Superman of those star-studded Warriors. Now in Brooklyn, Durant is set to reestablish himself and one of the game’s best.

Between Antetokounmpo, James, Durant, Harden and Davis, Durant may very well be the closest to having the “killer instinct” like Jordan and the late, great Bryant.

Barkley has also repeatedly said the Lakers will only go as far as Davis takes them.

Los Angeles is two wins away from returning to the finals for the first time since 2010 after Davis posted back-to-back 30-point games against the Nuggets.

If the Lakers win it all next month in the bubble, James will have a chance to become the first player in league history to win finals MVP with three different teams – unless his teammate who is tall, athletic, skilled, can score, rebound, defend – and hit a game-winning 3 – takes the award.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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