'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
James "The Beard" Harden is the MVP frontrunner for the 2017-18 season. There are just no two ways about it. Yes, LeBron James can be ranked a close second and there have been other notable MVP ballot candidates like Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and maybe even DeMar DeRozan.
Multiple narratives change the order of the MVP ballot but a majority of them Harden and LeBron in the top 2 slots. And to make a choice there, how about this - Harden leads the league in almost every advanced stats category that determines the value of the player - Player Impact Estimate (PIE) - 19.4, Player Efficiency Rating (PER) - 29.87 and Win Shares - 15.4.
The Beard has had a spectacular season and before the Playoffs tip-off, let's take a look back at his 10 best from this past regular season:
#10 Against the LA Clippers, 28th February 2018
Stat line: 25 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals on 50% shooting
A huge reason why this game is on the list is that crossover you can see in the image. Have a look at the separation he is able to create, then, of course, he stared Wesley Johnson down and then added insult to injury by knocking down the three-pointer.
For a more in-depth look at this nasty crossover, take it from Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady:
Other than the crossover, Harden's numbers don't break the stat sheet like most of his other game but in his time on the floor, he did enough to lead the Houston Rockets to a comfortable 13-point win. He was +17 in his 33 minutes on the floor and like a lot of the games on this list, he shot above 50% from the field.
#9 Against the Los Angeles Lakers, 20th December 2017
Stat line: 51 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds on 55.6% shooting (4-of-6 on 3's)
Normally such lists don't have games where the team loses but Harden was phenomenal in this game. The Rockets just happen to be missing few of their key rotation players in Clint Capela and Luc Mbah A Moute. So to a certain extent, Harden was also lifting their load and eventually couldn't register the win.
The young Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Rockets' 14-game win streak (first of the team's 3 10+ games win streaks this season) and it was a time when the Rockets sort of went through a mini-slump, where they lost 5 in a row.
Nonetheless, nothing should be taken away from Harden's individual performance. It's no easy feat putting 50+ points on 55.6% shooting, while also dishing out 9 assists. And they just lost by six points, it wasn't like it was a blowout.
#8 Against the Denver Nuggets, 25th February 2018
Stat line: 41 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists on 55.0% shooting (6-of-10 on 3's)
The Denver Nuggets missed out on making the Playoffs but for much of the season, they were in real contention for the 6th/7th or 8th seeds. A lot of that success comes off the back of their home-court advantage. Home floor advantage is generally discussed during the Playoffs but the Nuggets have it even during the season with the altitude difference of their location (31-10 home record during the season - 3rd best).
Denver was also tied for the sixth spot in terms of record since Feb. 1, so they were definitely surging.
Despite all of those factors, Harden led his Rockets to Denver and led from the front to ensure the team's 12 straight win. Although they only won by five points when the final buzzer sounded, Harden's impact was clear. When he was on the floor, for his 38 minutes, the team was a +12 (a game-high).
#7 Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 13th February 2018
Stat line: 34 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 turnover on 50% shooting (6-of-10 on 3's)
The Minnesota Timberwolves eventually limped into the Playoffs, by winning their play-in game against the Nuggets, but before Jimmy Butler went down with an injury, they were competing quite hard for the 4th seed (the team was 35-24 before this game). The T-Wolves are also a team that plays better at home (30-11, 4th best in the league).
But again, that didn't matter to Harden and the Rockets. They rolled into Target Center and blew out the home team by 18 points. We are so used to Harden putting up some insane double-double numbers but 34 points and 13 assists is ridiculous given the fact that the team also has a premier guard in Chris Paul (played 33 minutes) alongside him.
It shows how much he has the ball in their offense and how well he took care of it, committing just 1 turnover.
#6 Against the Miami Heat, 7th February 2018
Stat line: 41 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals on 52.0% shooting
The Miami Heat are one of the most overachieving teams, given the talent level on their roster. They depend, plenty, on their team defense, which ranks 6th in the league with respect to efficiency. They also do take advantage of their nightclub scene at South Beach to catch their opponents off-guard.
In addition, this game was on the second night of a back-to-back and was the last contest on a four-game road trip.
None of this bothered the focused Harden and his team though. After putting up 36 in the previous night in Brooklyn, he went off for yet another 40+ point game. Similar to the previous games, in a close win (8 points), Harden was a game-high +9 in his 37 minutes on the floor.
#5 Against the Portland Trail Blazers, 20th March 2018
Stat line: 42 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds on 52.0% shooting (5-of-7 on 3's)
Home court and opponent's momentum just didn't seem to faze this Rockets team. While they registered 3 win streak with 10+ games, they also snapped one streak of 10+games.
Heading into their Mar. 20 match-up, the Portland Trail Blazers were on a 13-game win streak and they stretched the Rockets but Houston came out victorious yet again.
This time, it wasn't just about the numbers for Harden. He came through for the team, when it mattered the most, in the fourth quarter. He knocked down two clutch threes in the last two minutes of the game, to put the game out of hand for the Blazers. Again, like a lot of these games, he puts up so many points at spectacular efficiency.
#4 Against the Utah Jazz, 26th February 2018
Stat line: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals on 61.5% shooting
Since January 22nd, the Utah Jazz have only lost 6 games. One of the six opponents that handed them a loss were the Rockets and it was on the Jazz's home floor.
Harden only needed 35 minutes to help his team put away the team which had the most momentum in the league. He's done it so many times, a double-double and efficient shooting almost seem like a give on Harden's box score. In his time on the floor, the team was a +15, in the process recording their 13th straight win.
Note: This game was played on a back-to-back after an earlier game in Denver.
#3 Against the Washington Wizards, 3rd April 2018
Stat line: 38 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists on 66.7% shooting
The Rockets took the league by storm, recording a franchise-high 65 wins and Harden, with his numbers, has led them from the front. By March, there was a little fatigue talking about the H-town franchise and Harden's pretty-much locked-up MVP case.
And with Rockets coasting through late March, it bought LeBron into the MVP conversation. So this performance really reminded everyone how great Harden has been this season. Against the visiting Washington Wizards in April, the Rockets cruised to a 16-point win and yet again Harden was the star. Just have a look at his numbers.
Unlike a majority of theis season, the Wizards were at a full strength, with their starting point guard John Wall playing 33 minutes.
#2 Against the Utah Jazz, 5th November 2017
Stat line: 56 points and 13 assists on 76.0% shooting (7-of-8 on 3's)
While talking about the Jazz in a previous slide, we discussed their surge in the second half of the season. Something we forgot to mention then, was the team's spectacular defense, led by center Rudy Gobert but Harden can't seem to notice defenses, especially this season. Their defensive rating for the season is second-best (101.6), only behind the Boston Celtics.
Back in November, not only did he record a then career-high 56 points, he did it while shooting 76.0% from the field. He missed just one three-pointer (7-of-8) and one free-throw (11-of-12) all game.
The Jazz might not have been at their ultimate best like they were in the second half of the season but in this game, they were at full strength and their defense was in the Top 3. So no excuses and full props to Harden.
#1 Against the Orlando Magic, 30th January 2018
Stat line: 60 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 4 steals on 63.3% shooting
What can you say about this?
Till a couple of seasons ago, a 50-point triple-double was seemed unachievable. Then, Harden and Russell Westbrook went ahead and did it not once but twice each. Again, there seemed to be an agreement that this was the limit.
Well, clearly Harden didn't hear that talk. On January 30th, he became the first player in NBA history to record a 60-point triple-double.
Against a slumping Orlando Magic, he just exploded.There's a general belief that recording triple-double takes a toll on the player's efficiency, especially ones with so many points but Harden proved everybody wrong. This is essentially why he's the MVP - his 63.3% shooting (19-of-30).
