Here’s a fun fact that Brooklyn Nets fans know, but haters might not be aware of: if someone’s clearly playing like an MVP, they’re allowed to express those feelings out loud.
Especially if the rest of the NBA still seems biased against their obvious case.
James Harden cemented himself in the MVP conversation yet again Friday night in a surprisingly hard-fought Nets win over the Detroit Pistons, controlling the tempo of the comeback all by his lonesome without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving yet again.
Brooklyn continued its ascent towards the top of the East thanks to the power of the Big 1, and after the game, Harden boasted a bit in reaction to a simple question about his MVP quest.
And, you know what? He’s 100% right.
Don’t ask generic questions if you don’t want declarative answers, NBA media.
James Harden, on whether or not he belongs in the MVP conversation: "I am the MVP."
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) March 27, 2021
Nets star James Harden says he’s the MVP. And he is.
Now, Harden might not win any points with the assembled NBA media for telling it like it is here, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have the utmost confidence in himself thanks to a recent run in which he’s utilized the Houston Model in a new borough — while upgrading it with the most assists he’s ever averaged.
Unfortunately, he…does need the NBA media to come together to vote for him in the MVP race, so if there’s backlash here, he may want to tone it down a bit in the coming weeks.
We’ve already seen fans contrasting the selfless response of Nikola Jokic to MVP questions with Harden’s boast.
Nikola Jokic on his MVP case vs. James Harden. pic.twitter.com/JyA3Axh3Si
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) March 27, 2021
There’s no right way to do the “MVP chase,” though. This isn’t the aftermath of the award in which everyone under the sun must be humbly thanked. This is midway through a season, and these are also just words.
If you don’t believe Harden’s been selfless this season, then you’re not watching the games, in which he’s taken an express interest in making every Net better. Even with Kyrie Irving on the floor, Harden’s still been the team’s main general, dishing out a ridiculous 11.4 assists per game while still managing to get his.
We haven’t necessarily seen the Big 3 together as much as we would’ve liked, but it hasn’t affected the Nets’ rise, as Harden has leveled up to the best version of himself.
He is the MVP. Glad he said it.
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