LeBron James' MVP Chances Could Become a Reality With Giannis Antetokounmpo's Injury

Let us be the first to say that LeBron James' dominant weekend, during which he toppled the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, did not immediately propel him to MVP favorite status over Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak still has LBJ beat in the majority of stats, including points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and the all-important player efficiency rating, or PER. Further, Giannis is a genuine contender to win Defensive Player of the Year.

HOWEVER, Giannis' concerning knee injury might just provide LeBron with the leeway necessary to stake his claim as the MVP favorite by the end of the season.

After a scary fall against the Lakers on Friday, Antetokounmpo was sent for a precautionary MRI, which revealed a minor left knee sprain. Though the injury isn't reported to be serious, the Bucks may contemplate load-managing their superstar the rest of the way until the playoffs.

And when you consider that Milwaukee has a 7.5-game cushion on the No. 1 seed in the East, why wouldn't the the team exercise extreme caution?

Enter LeBron, who reminded every basketball diehard that he's still the best player in the world by winning two primetime matchups against not only second- and third-best teams in the league, but two all-time great rosters.

Again, this suggestion is highly dependent on the extent of Antetokounmpo's injury and how the Bucks choose to manage it, but this weekend proved that the King's MVP chances could become a reality -- assuming he continues this level of spectacular play for the remainder of the regular season.