Much has been said about James Harden's crazy performances the past few weeks: Averaging 40ppg (over last 14 games), game winner vs. Warriors, etc...but an underrated narrative in this race is that Harden has essentially saved the Rockets entire season. They were sitting at 16-15 when CP3 got hurt and were heading into the toughest stretch of their season: Spurs, Thunder, Celtics, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Warriors, Blazers, Nuggets, Bucks. As of 1/10, the combined record of these 9 teams are 221-146 (60.21%). Dating back to last season, the Rockets had lost 9 games in a row without Chris Paul AND they didn't have Eric Gordon in 5 of these upcoming games. If they had gone 4-5 or worse, they would be below .500 halfway through the season. That's a pretty big hole to be in when 14 out of 15 teams in the conference are fighting for a playoff spot. Instead, Harden led the Rockets to 7-2 in that stretch, and averaged 40ppg, 9.3apg, 6.8rpg, and 6.8 threes. Obviously there have been huge contributions from others but Harden didn't just make the engine go...he was the entire engine. The second best creator during this stretch has been Austin freaking Rivers. Capela is great but Harden creates the vast majority of looks for him. Let's remember that Anthony Davis said "I got to play almost perfect every night to give us a chance to win" when he has Jrue Holiday (20ppg, 8apg) and Julius Randle (20ppg, 10rpg) alongside him. Meanwhile, Harden is leading a rotation that includes Austin Rivers (40mpg), Danuel House (29mpg) and Gerald Green (26mpg) to win after win. No player is going to win the MVP for a 9 game stretch but let's appreciate the fact that Harden isn't just having a historic scoring streak, but he is having it at the most crucial part of the Rockets' regular season. What Harden is doing is the definition of rising to the occasion, stepping up when it matters most, and an underrated narrative in the MVP race.
Yeah, I don't think the average NBA voter is really all that sophisticated. It'll come down to a simple narrative...not many are going to pour over an extensive pros and cons list, as we saw with the Westbrook MVP. I think It'll come down to who has the better record. The Bucks or the Rockets? There will be no thought given to strength of schedule or comparing the conferences. Some of the more analytically-inclined voters will vote for Harden, but all the rest (the same ones that voted for Westbrook) will give it to Giannis. And you know, what...I'd be fine with that. If Giannis ends up being the best player on the team with the best record (especially a team that has no other stars), then he has a strong case. Similarly, I don't complain too much about Curry winning the MVP after he was the best player on a historic team. Basically, nothing before or after will ever compare to the Westbrook MVP in terms of wrongheadedness. I don't expect the Rockets to pass the Bucks, so I think Giannis is the likely MVP. Now if the dummies start coming in with the Lebron nonsense or someone who has another star on the same team (Westbrook/George/Curry/Durant), then I'll have a problem. As for the OP. You're right. No other player in the NBA would have the ability to save this team's season like Harden has. I just don't think NBA voters would have the nuance to recognize it.
Harden alone is carrying this team to the wins necessary to even be in the conversation for contention this season. I appreciate him doing that, even when a lesser player (CP) sits on the sidelines making more money than him. How many people's career is Harden saving? This guy deserves so much more credit than he gets.
