Today was a massive day for Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks as he was officially crowned with his second-straight NBA MVP award. Giannis was dominant throughout the regular season as the Bucks posted the best record in the entire league. Unfortunately, things didn't exactly go to plan in the postseason, however, the MVP award is based on regular-season play only, so it makes sense that he was crowned with the accolade.
On ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith spoke about the MVP race and how he got to cast his own ballot. As he explained, he ended up voting for LeBron James instead of Giannis, for a myriad of reasons. Smith explained that the Western Conference is much more difficult than out East, which was a point in LeBron's favor. He also feels as though LeBron had to overcome a lot this season, especially with the death of Kobe Bryant. LeBron showed a ton of leadership qualities, and the Lakers have bought in.
In the end, LeBron finished second in MVP voting although he had his fair share of first place support. Regardless, LeBron and the Lakers are still in the playoffs, while Giannis is back home. As far as metrics are concerned, that's really all that matters.