Houston Rockets: Why James Harden Is The Definition Of A MVP

Apr 5, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) shoots the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) defends during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

This season’s MVP race has been one of the best in recent memory, no question about it.

There’s been drama seemingly every night from the top candidates, whether that be a 40-point performance from Steph Curry, a 35-15-5 line from Anthony Davis, one of Russell Westbrook‘s ridiculous triple-doubles, or LeBron James molding a group of guys who haven’t been battle-tested late in the season into what looks like the best team in the Eastern Conference.

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Each night, someone builds their case even stronger.

Oh, what’s that? I forgot someone? That’s right, James Harden!

Harden has been a bit of an afterthought all season long. Though his name has appeared in MVP talks here and there as a legitimate option, he’s often put behind Steph, Russell and LeBron at least.

But why?

Well, it’s truly hard to say. Harden epitomizes what the MVP stands for: the Most Valuable Player.

The Houston Rockets are currently positioned in the No. 6 spot in the gauntlet known as the Western Conference. That may not sound absurd on the surface, but once you look deeper into it you see that they have no business being half a game out of the West’s second seed.

The team has been riddled with injuries from the start of the season, which is apparent when you look at the amount of games that the starting five has missed combined. That number is a staggering 123. Of those 123, 40 come from the team’s secondary star, Dwight Howard.

Guess how many games Harden’s contributed to that total? One. One game of the 79 the team has played, Harden was out. And he wasn’t out for the “rest” that players like Curry take, or the injuries that other guys like King James (10 games missed), Westbrook (15 games missed) and Davis (15 games missed) have all missed for.

Rather, he was suspended following a minor scuffle with LeBron in an early March contest with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game in which the Rockets won after MVP “candidate” LeBron James missed a pair of clutch free throws at the end of regulation.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, the one game that Houston had to play without James Harden, they lost after blowing a fourth quarter lead to Atlanta — something they practically never do with Harden in the lineup.

Now, taking a step back and looking at things with perspective, I understand that it’s easier to vote for someone like Steph Curry, who’s having an amazing year in his own right (as are all of the MVP candidates). The award just about always goes to the best player on the best team.

But is that the best way to determine who has the most value, wen the title suggests that player should win the award?

No, certainly not.

Of course wins matter, but this is the part where you have to take a step back and look at this with the same perspective I did.

The Golden State Warriors boast one of the most lethal starting fives in the NBA, correct? That starting five hasn’t missed a devastating 123 games as a whole, correct? And though they may not have the deepest bench in the NBA, they have a very solid rotation, correct?

So why should it be any sort of surprise that they’re atop of the West right now?

The Rockets are throwing out lineups of Harden, Jason Terry (37 years old), Trevor Ariza, Donatas Motiejunas and Dwight Howard and still taking out teams like the Clippers, Pelicans, Wizards and Cavaliers, all of which are in the NBA playoffs as of right now.

Where the Rockets should be, which is fighting for their playoff lives along with New Orleans and Oklahoma City, and where they are is truly remarkable and it’s a true testament to just how good James Harden is and what he means to that organization.

If you think that I may be overhyping him a tad too much, take a look at Davis and Westbrook, MVP candidates who are stars in their own right, but they can’t do for their teams what Harden is doing for his in the same conference. One of those two players won’t be playing when Apr. 18 rolls around, and Harden could be sitting pretty as the 2-seed with home court advantage.

Harden is the most valuable player in the league, and there’s not much debate to be had. Though it looks like Steph will bring home the award, it’s only because Harden’s allowing him to hold on to it.

Next: NBA: 10 Players Who Deserve More Appreciation

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