James Harden Will Win Mvp Again
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HOUSTON—James Harden commonly doesn't accept a propensity to pontificate about himself or his exploits on the court. Whenever he'due south questioned about basketball game, he'due south succinct, reserved, contemplative. He lets his game practise the talking.
And for the calendar month of December, information technology was record-breaking.
The NBA'due south reigning MVP scored 408 points, dished out 89 assists and pulled down 68 rebounds over his last 10 games.It was the virtually points, assists and rebounds logged over a 10-game span by any actor in NBA history. Just as impressive as those stats were, they weren't loud enough.
Perhaps bellyaching by the viral memes attacking his footstep-back jumper and various trolling comments proliferating the internet, Harden erupted with an impassioned argument almost securing back-to-back MVPs that sent a jolt through the league like a crack of thunder.
"Of form I should be in that conversation. I hateful, I receive a lot of hate, but it won't stop me from going out there and killing every single night, being that dog that I am," Harden said with a hint of rant last week. "You lot can proper noun a few other people that should be in the conversation. But realistically? It's coming back."
That was quite the quote from a role player whose sartorial whims speak louder than he does. Merely as the Houston Rockets (21-xv) begin their new year's day with a nationally televised game confronting the Golden State Warriors in Oracle Arena on Thursday, he opted for the assertion betoken.
"I need it. I need it for sure," Harden told Bleacher Written report'due south Volition Gottlieb when asked if he's hungry for winning another MVP. "And I'm going to get it."
At that place it is. One of Harden's resolutions for 2019 is earning another Maurice Podoloff Trophy.
But does he deserve it?
The judging guidelines for MVP are subjective and esoteric, but if the judges focus solely on numbers, Harden has an airtight case.
"He's by far the MVP," head coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Nobody does what he does on a nightly basis."
The Western Conference Thespian of the Week recorded his fourth triple-double of the season Monday night with 43 points, ten rebounds and thirteen assists in the Rockets' 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies and his eighth straight game with at to the lowest degree 35 points and five assists, passing Oscar Robertson for the record. He besides joined Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant every bit the 3rd player over the last 30 years to drib at to the lowest degree 400 points over x games.
With The Beard's dominant finish to 2018, Houston moved from 14th to 4th in the Western Conference.
"I don't know how you get whatsoever better than what he's playing," D'Antoni added. "Defensively, too. He comes upwards with steals, triple-doubles like it'southward cypher. So, yeah, he's playing at a different level."
Harden hit some other gear during the Rockets' recent x-1 run, averaging an eye-popping 39.vii points, 8.5 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 5.5 made three-pointers per game, but critics won't easily forget how the team started the season.
At the beginning of last month, only the Phoenix Suns had a worse record in the West. Houston started at eleven-14, and that grated at Harden, so he went to work.
"He comes in and does extra work," D'Antoni said. "He knew he had to accept his body to ane more level upwardly. He had to go into a amend rhythm. He's been playing a lot of one-on-one. He's been doing a lot of extra work in the weight room. He'due south been putting his time in. Manifestly, information technology's paying dividends."
Harden is averaging a league-leading 33.three points per contest, the highest scoring average since Bryant's 35.4 points per game in 2005-06. He'south also stepped forrard every bit a leader, making certain his teammates are as locked in as he is.
"He's making certain guys get extra work in later practice," Gerald Greenish said. "Making sure guys are focused on pregame. He does a lot of trivial things y'all probably don't see on camera."
Harden'due south array of three-pointers, Eurosteps in the lane, tomahawk dunks and crafty passes may come off as entertaining on photographic camera, but there'south something else that comes through just as clearly every bit the highlights: his high usage charge per unit.
At 37.4, he has the ball in his hands a lot, and that level of play can be exhausting and unsustainable. Will Harden get burned out from being a one-man evidence?
With Chris Paul sidelined long term with a hamstring injury and Eric Gordon out with a correct knee contusion, it's not surprising that the bat indicate went up in Space City and Harden had to respond the call with a Dec to remember.
Only as the season unfolds, his numbers will eventually come back to globe, and that's when the Rockets' record will come into play. Houston'due south climb dorsum into the playoff picture gives Harden the hot hand in the MVP race, but like last yr, it will come down to the team'due south final record.
Through all of the discretionary fog, the MVP ideally goes to the best player on the best squad. Past those standards, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks (26-10) is the top candidate, followed by Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors (28-11).
Harden was an like shooting fish in a barrel pick last season because Houston finished with the best record in the league at 65-17, and his numbers were off the charts. If he can lead his team to the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Westward past the time the voters have to make their option, he'll accept a legitimate chance at repeating.
Luckily for Harden, there appears to be bully parity in the league this year. There is no real ascendant team when considering records.
The defending champion Warriors take the fifth-all-time tape in the league, and the Boston Celtics have the 8th-all-time. Both teams were earmarked equally the favorites to brand the NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma Urban center Thunder are playing surprisingly well, so for now, everything is upwardly for grabs.
Another plus for the Rockets is they seem to take found the right mix of players.
Danuel Firm is found money, and Austin Rivers looks like a perfect fit for D'Antoni'south system. Houston is averaging 7.nine more made 3-pointers than its opponents since the 126-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on December. xiii and has out-rebounded opponents in vii of the last 10 games.
The Rockets take as well won close games and have taken a huge step defensively. They are 24th in defensive efficiency for the year at 111 but are 10th over the terminal 10 games at 107.8.
If CP3 gets good for you and Gordon recaptures his ability to knock down open threes, Houston could be poised to mirror the squad that everyone saw last flavour. That tin only amend Harden'southward chances at making good on his prediction.
"There's a lot of games left, but if he continues to play at this level, of class at that place is no argue on who is the MVP," Clint Capela said. "I hateful, we all see what he's doing. Everybody sees it. All he has to practice is proceed playing at this level every unmarried night, and he'due south the MVP."
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
Maurice Bobb covers theNBAfor Bleacher Report. Follow Maurice on Twitter,@ReeseReport.
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Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2813663-nba-mvp-why-james-harden-will-win-it-again