James won the first MVP in 2009. How strong was he? His efficiency was comparable to Jordan. He was second in data history.

When James is about to start another new season in his career, we have to lament that such a veteran still maintains strong fighting spirit and outstanding competitiveness at such an age. And throughout James' entire career, he has contributed countless classic moments and memorable season performances to us.

One of the most representative seasons is definitely not in the 2008-09 season, and James won the first MVP trophy in his career. So how strong was James that season? Let's review it together!

Personal data: Top League, comparable to Jordan

First of all, let's start with personal data. James averaged 28.4 points (2nd in the league), 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He can be seen on both sides of the offense and defense. In terms of shooting percentage, his overall shooting percentage remained at 48.9%, while his three-point shooting percentage was 34.4%. In that season, James was the strongest player in the team, with scoring, rebounding and assisting all ranked first in the Cavaliers.

He became the first player to average at least 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game in a single season since the Cavaliers founded. In terms of field performance, James has won 15 triple-double data this season, which is the first in the league and shows his comprehensive personal strength. Moreover, he completed wonderful finals several times, leading the Cavaliers to win continuously.

And in terms of advanced data, James is the first one. His efficiency value reaches a terrifying 31.7, and this data is only slightly lower than historical stars like Chamberlain and Jordan. His efficiency value is more intuitively displayed in the Cavaliers' performance. When James led the team to play, the Cavaliers ranked first in the league. When James rested, the Cavaliers' efficiency dropped directly to the third-last goal. It can be said that without James, the Cavaliers were the worst team in the league.

In terms of other high-level data, his winning contribution value (19.3) and substitute player value (10.2) rank first in the league, further demonstrating his irreplaceableness to the Cavaliers.

Leading the team: First in the league, creating history

From the moment James joined the Cavaliers, he was recognized as all the basis for the team building. But the management has never been able to attract strong enough teammates for James in terms of signings. In the 2008-09 season, James only had players like Mo Williams, Big Z, and West, and the entire team could be said to have no strong combat power. In the east at that time, there were Magic led by Howard and Celtics led by the Big Three.

But even in a bad hand, James still led the Cavaliers to perform phenomenally. With his help, the Cavaliers achieved the best record in history of 66 wins and 16 losses in the regular season, successfully surpassing the Celtics and the Magic, and achieving the league's first record.

Competitor: Historical Level

After talking about the basic situation of James and the Cavaliers, let's take a look at his main competitors on the MVP road at that time. The first is Kobe from the Lakers. He averaged 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists that season, leading the team to the best record in the West, and his record was only 1 win and the Cavaliers. However, in terms of advanced data, James is still very ahead of him.

Wade averaged 30.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game during the season, but the team's record at that time was very different from the Cavaliers, and the Heat did not even get 50 wins.

As the inside behemoth at that time, Howard averaged 20.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. With the defensive end, he helped the Magic achieve a good record of 59 wins and 23 losses. It can be said that the three of them have the record and team performance, and they are absolutely strong, but unfortunately they met James who showed his peak performance, and all the data and performances are completely at a far-reaching level.

Playoffs: Evolving all the way, comparing with Legend

After leading the team to the league first, he created a historical record and won the first MVP trophy in person, James's eyes naturally locked in the playoffs stage. Throughout the playoffs, he averaged 35.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, and his efficiency value reached a terrible 37.4, which directly achieved a qualitative leap compared to the regular season. The efficiency value of 37.4 is second only to the 39.0 created by Olajuwon, ranking second in NBA history.

In terms of performance in each round, he averaged 32 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the first round against the Pistons; in the second round, he averaged 33.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.5 steals against the Hawks; when he arrived at the stage of the Eastern Conference Finals, he completed the finals and helped the Cavaliers win hard. In this round of the series, he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8 assists; and even scored impressive data of 44 points and 49 points in a single game. Unfortunately, both fists could not beat the wolves, and the Knights were eventually eliminated by Magic and missed the finals again.

Finally, in that season, James won the MVP and was selected for the best team in terms of personal honors; he led the team to create history, won the league's first place, and successfully reached the Eastern Conference Finals.