Greek Freak vs The Beard

This year in the NBA, 2 of the NBA’s best players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are both having tremendous seasons. Harden, has been leading a Rockets team that started off the season near the bottom of the Western Conference, and now are in 3rd place in the West. Over in the East, Giannis has been brewing up a storm, leading the Bucks to the best record in the NBA and the #1 seed in the East. There are arguments to be had on both sides, but it will go down as one of the best MVP races in recent memory.

James Harden, the leader of the Houston Rockets has had to elevate his game to another level. Chris Paul, now 33 years old, is having one of the worst seasons of his career, and the Rockets don’t seem to have that spark from last year’s Western Conference run. But Harden has had incredible performances night in and night out, including a streak of 32 straight games with 30 points or more. He has also had multiple 40, 50 and 60 point performances this year. He is averaging 36.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, shooting 44% from the field and 36.5% from 3. These are incredible numbers, especially the 36.3 points, by far the most in the NBA this season. This is Harden’s real reason to be MVP. He has dominated against every single team in the league, putting up absurd amounts of points, and leading the Rockets to the 3rd seed in the Western Conference.

In the Eastern Conference, a dark horse for the championship has formed and their leader has been Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis has been leading a very solid Bucks team to playoffs in the last few years, but they have never broken through to the deeper rounds of the playoffs. But this year they have put themselves in a great position to go deep into the playoffs. Other than Giannis, Khris Middleton who is averaging 18.1 points and Eric Bledsoe who is averaging 15.8 points have helped Giannis get to the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But, all the credit has to go to Giannis. He is averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 57.7% from the field and 25.3% from 3. Giannis has been getting it done on both ends of the floor, also averaging 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He is not only the best offensive player on one of the best offenses, but he is also the best defender on a great defensive team. This is why I think that Giannis has a better chance of winning MVP. He has a way better all-around game than Harden, he shoots the ball better and he leading the Bucks to the best record in the NBA.

So, I hope you enjoyed today’s topic, and next time we’ll look into Zion Williamson, the NBA’s next star or bust?