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#2 Who's the competition?
Unlike last year, this season's MVP race is quite bleak. It's basically two men separating themselves from the field - James and James Harden. Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo got a lot of attention early on but the team's comparatively sub-par record of 17-13 has slowed down his MVP case.
James Harden: The Beard leads the league in points (31.9) and is third in assists (9.0) while leading the Rockets to a league-leading 25-5 record. LeBron isn't that far behind in terms of points (28.4), assists (9.2) and team record (24-9).
And while Harden has been racking one MVP worthy season after another, LeBron could have been awarded the MVP every one of the last ten years. The MVP award is all about the narrative and despite everything the Beard is doing, it's difficult to beat what James is doing at the age of 32 (soon to be 33) in his 15th season in the league.
