JENNY DIAL CREECH
There’s a chance James Harden might not repeat as league’s MVP, but he sure should
After a dynamic season, Harden deserves a second MVP award even though he might not get it.
After everything that has happened in the weeks since the Rockets fell in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, it’s hard to even think about the one last piece of business still dangling out there.
Reigning league MVP James Harden is a finalist for the award again, and on Monday he will find out if he is taking it home for the second year.
For the third straight year, the NBA is making everyone wait an absurdly long time to find out who will claim its biggest awards. (The league will host its award ceremony at 8 p.m. Monday.)
And for the third year in a row, Harden is a top contender.
For the second time in that span, Harden likely won’t head back to Houston with a trophy in hand.
That’s a mistake.
While there are three finalists, this year, the MVP race is really a two-man game.
Harden and Milwaukee’s young star Giannis Antetokounmpo have legitimate chances to win it, while Oklahoma City’s Paul George is the third finalist.
Antetokounmpo and Harden are deserving of MVP honors and, from all the rumblings and rumors, it seems likely the Greek superstar will win it.
While it’s hard to argue against Antetokounmpo — he is the type of explosive player who could win several of these in his career — it’s a shame to see someone else take home an award that is made for Harden.
No one was more valuable to his team than Harden this season.
And more importantly, no one was more valuable to the sport than Harden.
Love him or hate him, you have to respect him.
Harden’s impact on basketball cannot be ignored.
He finished the regular season averaging 36.1 points per game — the highest scoring average in three decades. (Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points in 1986-87.)
In a 40-game span (Dec. 8 to March 8) when the Rockets went 28-12, Harden averaged 40.1 points, 7.1 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals. That is the second-longest stretch in NBA history (behind Wilt Chamberlain) to average 40 a game. Included in that stretch was a streak of 32 games (also second in league history behind Chamberlain) in which he scored 30 or more points per game. He scored 50
or more points in nine games this year and hit the 60-point mark twice.
Harden took more 3-point shots (1,028) and more free throws (858) than anyone this season.
His signature move — a killer stepback 3 — is a nightmare for
opposing defenses.
He shoots 3s or he drives to the basket, forcing defenses to devote every ounce of attention to him. And when he isn’t scoring in one of those ways, he’s dishing to teammates or drawing fouls.
Harden is an offensive wonder.
In addition to what he is doing on the offensive end, he has continued to improve defensively.
And on top of all that, he is the most scrutinized player in the league.
Harden has been so consistent in carrying his team and the Rockets have been so consistently good that when they failed to beat the Warriors in the postseason last month, much of the blame was heaped on him.
In that series, Harden averaged 34.8 points — the highest average of any player in the second round. He played part of it with a bloody eye and impaired vision. Still, he was blamed when the Rockets lost.
That’s fine. Big stars should take the blame. They should do everything they can to get their team to higher levels.
Harden does that year after year.
Everyone is so used to how well he does it that it is taken for granted at this point.
There’s a great case to be made for Antetokounmpo. The 24-year old is going to continue to help globalize the game. He’s a thrilling all-around player, able to dominate on both ends of the court and he has turned the Bucks franchise into one that can contend for a title.
A season ago, Milwaukee finished with 44 wins. This year, the Bucks won 60 games behind Antetokounmpo’s 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the regular season.
Milwaukee was one of the best teams in the league from start to finish — the Bucks lost in the Eastern Conference finals to eventual NBA champion Toronto.
Thanks to what the “Greek Freak” accomplished, this has been one of the best MVP races in years. The players are deserving and the arguments are strong.
But Harden took a team that started the year in turmoil and turned it around.
He had to best an MVP season from a year ago in order to make the Rockets a contender again, and he did it.
At one point, the Rockets were second to last in the Western Conference. They’d been through personnel changes, a failed experiment with Carmelo Anthony, the retirement then comeback of an assistant coach and a slew of injuries to key players.
The one constant was Harden and his ability to put a team on his back and carry it.
Harden might not take home another MVP trophy on Monday night, but no one is more valuable to his team.