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NBA Awards Watch: Why Isn’t James Harden The MVP Favorite Again?

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) points to the sky against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Rockets won 127-118. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) points to the sky against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Rockets won 127-118. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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February 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Mavericks 128-114. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Stephen Curry

50 games, 33.2 MPG, 23.6 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 SPG, .483/.404/.897 shooting, 27.5 PER

Last week: 2 (⇔)

The feats of some of the players on this list are incredible. Westbrook with back-to-back 45-point games? Davis with the first buzzer-beater of his career in a 41-point outing? Boogie with his own game-winner? It’s all here. Then again, nobody else on this esteemed list had a 50+ point outing this week like Steph Curry did.

Curry and the Dubs haven’t been blowing us away like we got accustomed to at the beginning of the season. They’ve looked mortal over the last few weeks, and not just because the East-leading Atlanta Hawks got the best of them in that highly anticipated head-to-head matchup. But a 51-point night against the Mavericks — after Dallas had built a 40-18 lead in the first quarter — reminded us what Chef Curry and this team are capable of.

He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well over the last week, but the Dubs emerged with a 3-1 record over that span despite three of those games being on the road. He may be the general consensus MVP so far, but I need to see more nights closer to that 50-point outing before he moves ahead of our No. 1 candidate.

Next: No. 1 - The Beard