Just about all season, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been the two leading MVP candidates with Giannis showing a Shaq like dominance and James Harden showing that he is one of the greatest offensive threats of all time. There have been many discussions as to who is leading the race for MVP. All season long and every week, these two have done something to pass the other. Harden’s streak of scoring 30 points or more ended after 32 games; the second longest streak of all time. Harden seemed to have locked the MVP up after that streak. After it ended, Giannis became more of the vocal point of MVP conversations as he has been analytics darling while also been just freakishly dominant. Giannis has led the Bucks to the leagues’ best record while also being the best two-way player this year. He has a chance to win both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, something that has only been done two times in NBA history. Harden normally known for being absent on defense has tried to play defense this season. This is something that started last year during the Western Conference Finals and has carried into this season. Harden is near the top of the league in steals and deflections. Let’s not forget Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, and Clint Capela have all missed significant time due to injuries, and despite the significant time missed by these players, Harden and the Rockets have not missed a beat; they finished 4th in the West at 53-29 but to do that in the daunting West I feel after all the injuries the Rockets have had James deserves this. Both candidates have had incredible historical seasons, but with everything I’ve seen, I would choose James Harden to be win his second straight MVP.
2019 MVP: James Harden
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