Weirdo Fran Blinebury will vote Harden MVP. Y’all remember when sports illustrated refused to put Hakeem on the cover after the we defeated the Knicks? Then they had to rush a redo. Some areas dominate the narrative.
Other people have said this, but this site is becoming a cesspool of negativity. I'm sick of talking about how much other people hate/disrespect/frown on/disparage the Rockets. It isn't going to change and it takes away from actual Houstonians and Houston fans discussing rockets basketball. Ok, I'll get down off my high horse, but does this honestly not drive others on here crazy?
Yoyo for me you made a lot of good points towards the end. Regarding Vegas Odds: These things shift according to what people are putting their money on. If Giannis was that close to winning it, people would put more money on it. This is a live and changing thing, that's why I've said in other posts that I think the gap could be narrowed if the Bucks pull away as Harden's numbers dwindle. I honestly think Giannis needs to make a push numbers wise to make it happen. Vegas (aka gross amounts of people putting their money where their mouth is) agrees with me.. for now. But we both know things could change. Regarding the Bucks lack of hiccups: This isn't about what Giannis has dealt with, it's about the huge number of obstacles Harden's dealt with while maintaining his team's place in the playoffs. It's like you're not even open to the idea that Harden's team has faced adversity much less ridiculous adversity. In fact, while dealing with TONS of injuries that is beyond what even Yao or TMac dealt with.. Harden has us in the hunt. Unbelievable. Giannis hasn't been unbelievable.. he's just been second best on an unbelievably outstanding team this year. (They deserve coach of the year) Bledsoe/Brogdon/Lopez/Middleton vs CP/Capela/Tucker/Gordon Bucks have played: 273/285 games Rockets have played: 235/285 games This seriously effects team success. Especially considering Gordon and CP haven't seemed themselves at all this year while Brogdon looks like he's an effective batman and Lopez is fitting in like a very *healthy dream. Rockets also lost two players that helped win 65 while they came back with everyone but Parker and added a healthy Lopez. Bravo to their front office, but MVP again is not an award for front offices. It's for most valuable player. It's a team game and player injuries effect your team success and they're out of your control... Harden is doing EVERYTHING within his control. So is Giannis, but Harden is doing more with very little than Giannis could possibly do. His team scares me, but Giannis doesn't. Health scares me, but a healthy Rockets squad versus the league doesn't. So when I think of my personal MVP criteria, (Most contribution to a potential champion), it's still easily Harden even though I have a healthy respect for Giannis. Healthy respect meaning that I account for him in the playoffs heavily if I'm game planning defense. Ultimately he's weak in that he shoots 22% from three in a league where the three is BOSS. On his team it's boss. I write him off in playoff ball, I write him off in an unchallenged regular season. He's not the MVP.. not even close. At the end of your post, I couldn't agree more. Giannis reminds me of Harden a few years back exceeding expectations, but for me there was no All Time Great performance competing with him that year. I'd give Harden the MVP this year over that year that you're using to compare Giannis. I too would agree that Finals MVP is way better. Especially if we hoist what we all want.
The MVP will be easy to figure out just watch ESPN. they have like 75% of the votes. So gauge their temperature.
A) it aint gonna matter... it's not like its gonna come down to 1 or 2 votes... B) I cant believe Morey let this happen...
Via the Ringer: https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/2/20/18232513/nba-take-meter-stretch-run-lebron-lakers-durant 2. If James Harden averages 37 points per game, he’s the MVP. A. Tattoo the take on the back of my calf. B. As here for it as Luka is for Fortnite. C. Somewhere in the middle, like the Pistons. D. Barely believable, but enough to publish on The Ringer dot com. E. As out on this take as Anthony Davis is out on New Orleans. Chau: (A) The Beard will have to average more than 38 points per game in each of the Rockets’ final 25 games to break Michael Jordan’s modern scoring average record of 37.1 points per game, the most since Wilt Chamberlain in the ’60s. At a certain point, history overrides wins in the MVP race; for Harden to get his second consecutive trophy, he’ll have to cross the same threshold his former teammate Russell Westbrook did in 2017. Anything less leaves room for doubt. Tjarks: (C) As impressive as Harden’s offensive fireworks have been, a new King has risen in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best all-around player in the NBA outside of Golden State. This is his award to lose. It really doesn’t matter what Harden does if Giannis keeps this up. Uggetti: (A) If we’re going to give one player an MVP because of counting stats, like we did in 2016-17 with Westbrook, then we certainly should not deny another player a second straight MVP if he scores at a level that hasn’t been seen since Michael Jordan in 1986-87. With Chris Paul back and Clint Capela set to return from injury, Harden’s scoring will undoubtedly drop, but it will be hard to remember this season for something other than his scorching stretch. If he stays above 35 points per game, he should be the MVP. O’Connor: (C) I doubt voters will reward James Harden with the MVP when Giannis is leading the top team in the East and so many people find Harden’s isolation-centric season to be repulsive. I personally find Harden’s game to be innovative and beautiful, but Giannis’s case is strong. Kram: (D) The last player to average 37 points was Jordan in 1986-87, and Jordan lost the MVP race to a multipositional menace who averaged 24 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds per game on a 65-win team that clinched the league’s best record. So if Jordan is the Harden in this analogy, Magic Johnson is Giannis—a multipositional menace who’s averaging 27 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists per game on a team destined for 60-plus wins and the league’s best record. Harden might well win, but crossing the 36-point barrier to 37 isn’t itself going to secure the trophy for him. O’Shaughnessy: (C) A player has averaged 37 or more points in a season five times, and of those five, only once has that player won the MVP award: Wilt Chamberlain, in 1959-60. Chamberlain hit that mark four times (five, if you round up his 1963-64 season, when he averaged 36.85, and Oscar Robertson won MVP) and Michael Jordan once, in 1986-87, which ended with Magic Johnson’s first MVP award. But this generation is more likely to be blown away by what Harden (currently at 36.59 points per game) is doing; it’s been over 30 years since we’ve seen a scoring run like this, and never before have we seen such a barrage come via so many 3-pointers. Harden’s having a historic season, but a couple factors could stand between him and the award: The Houston media market won’t have one of the league’s 100 media award ballots because of the NBA’s decision two years ago to pull votes from team-run media; the Rockets, at 33-24, have a far worse record than the teams of other MVP contenders; and lastly, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks’ unicorn is adding 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals along with his 27-13-6 line, and he’s the make-or-break factor for a team with a 43-14 record that’s first in the East. Tough break for the Beard. Verrier: (C) I think it’s a travesty if we allow the stench of Westbrook’s win two years ago to diminish one of the greatest individual accomplishments in the past three decades of the sport. Having said that: (1) It’s improbable that Harden keeps up that historic pace, and (2) I don’t appreciate Harden’s recent attempt to frame his points binge as altruism. Hitting a 3 with 52.9 seconds left of an eventual 16-point win to extend your streak isn’t something you “just had to do because of our situation.” Devine: (E) I touched on this in my pre–All-Star column on the MVP race: Of the seven instances in NBA history in which a player had a higher single-season scoring average than Harden has right now, only one player was rewarded with an MVP trophy (Chamberlain in 1959-60) . The others all lost to a player from a better team with a better record … like, say, Giannis Antetokounmpo from the 43-14 Milwaukee Bucks. Harden absolutely could still win it, but hitting a certain scoring threshold won’t make it a done deal. (Unless he gets to, like, 40.)
What has Giannis done that makes him the MVP? Its a serious question. If its about stats its Harden. If its about best player/ best team its Durant. If its triple doubles again its Westbrook's.
Giannis is putting up 27/12/6. His team is the best team in the NBA this season with a better record than the Warriors. Don't be dense. Don't be like Westbrook fans saying stats are all that matters. Giannis is perfectly deserving, and will win. Harden would have won if his team didn't fail him this season, but unfortunately they have.
It's not like the Bucks are running away with their lead. Raptors are 1 game behind them. Harden will win it and voters will give his team vouchers because of injury. That's nothing against Harden.
How is Durant best player/best team when the Bucks are 43-14 and GS is 41-16 while having 5 All-Stars? No one on GS is ever winning an MVP when the team is as stacked as it is. GS lost Curry and struggle to be a .500 team, so KD has no case. Giannis is definitely deserving of MVP. Harden had the lead for most of the year, but then the Rockets started losing to the injured Pelicans, Wolves, blowing big leads to the Nets and OKC, etc. Harden’s 30 point streak is now being turned into a negative by the media. If the vote was today, I could not see Harden winning it.
Harden never should have taken that last 3. Now , despite the face that that was the ONLY time during the streak he "star-padded" , everyone will think he's been doing it the whole time . We've been watching the games , so we know just how necessary this has been . But to the outside , hater eye .... it just gives them an excuse to write the entire thing off
It's the usual, the few times he does something like actually travel or stat pad that's when they get on him. It's been that way since his youtube video, always taking things out of context.
Seems unfair, but Houston didn't have a vote last year or for the All-Star game and Harden still won. Give Clutch the vote! Seriously. And contact the NBA.
Ugh ... dumb. It was a 9 point game with 2 1/2 minutes to go. That is not an insurmountable lead, especially with how the Rockets have blown leads in multiple games this year.
