2017-2018 NBA/PLAYOFFS/FINALS

[Litos]

View attachment 460096

Where did you get those stats ??

That’s WAY off...

 

[jb1]

lets try another random one

LeBron James or James Harden | Compare Stats | Fantasy Basketball

Lebron again

 

[jb1]

no point in arguing with a Rockets fan about it lol

regardless of individual numbers, like I posted previously, the Cavs had the same record and lost most of the team and gained no one. Rockets have Paul and a reputable coach with and offensive system.

 

[jb1]

2017-2018 NBA Season Leaders - National Basketball Association - ESPN

 

[DjDan]

 

[Ventruck]

no point in arguing with a Rockets fan about it lol

regardless of individual numbers, like I posted previously, the Cavs had the same record and lost most of the team and gained no one. Rockets have Paul and a reputable coach with and offensive system.

lmao don't ever visit Clutchfans. You may see...something else.

But as far as the MVP run goes, there is the opinion that LeBron wasn't getting it anymore out of voter fatigue. That could both be the ugly way things may be rigged backdoor for marketing a fresher face in the league, and the natural tendency of people doing routine voting.

I'm not 100% convinced with Harden deserving it either, but I wouldn't count out the likelihood he gets it. And it's not to hate, but he's a prototypical D'Antoni product. We've seen what it did with Nash. He can make a system very single player-centric and give them free reigns in a faster offense.

D'Antoni is able to have an arrangement that can work with his system in Houston again. He just couldn't do it in New York because he discovered Lin way too late, and the Lakers had a bunch of dead bodies on the high expectations season (D-Cancer also ruined the flow of the offense).

You can see an alternate example when Rose and Westbrook get their MVP's — free reigns again. Of course with time we saw that Rose was a case of being overplayed by Grave Digger Thibodeau, but that's kinda how the award has been working lately. I was for Westbrook getting MVP last year because he did make history on a lackluster roster that got into the playoffs anyway. Yes he made greater statistical history this year, but that was some shameless statpadding and the expectations were higher for his team than just barely making the playoffs. If we had to think about KD's MVP year, he was pretty damn good, and LeBron didn't have to pull the same weight at the time with the Heat. I think that was the most convincing MVP award because KD's body of work at the time was very complete imo (ironically now I think the guy is a collapsing flunkie). I don't have a problem whether or not Harden gets MVP, because that's really how things go. He's fit with this trend for this season and last season, and winning it goes in line with voter appeal for a fresh face.

Should the top seeding hold weight? The Warriors, as much as I hate them, did a mass a fair share of injuries. They've demonstrated having much better seasons for a 3 years straight prior. Rockets weren't perfectly healthy either, but then the focus shifts on who gets credit for keeping them up...Harden wasn't there for all of those games. LeBron was around for all of his games when bodies were also falling on his own team. His best teammate has been Kevin Love really. You look at most of the roster prior to the ASW trade and you're just like "eh, good luck LeBron". Cleveland is a lottery team without LeBron. You can't say that about Houston if they lose Harden.

We can look at Finals MVP's where it should've been LeBron on both his losing runs vs. the Warriors. That rare losing team Finals MVP - a la Jerry West. He was the best player on the court in both those series, period. But apparently "MVP" and "best player" aren't synonymous. There are the technicalities of voter fatigue and I guess elevated breakout stats. Don't want to sound like I'm low-blowing the guy, but this is why I think Harden can get it — quite frankly, he doesn't need to actually be the best player in the league to get it.

LeBron in year 15 with his disaster team is outright the best player in the league. Consistency of his performance through the years has backed that. Only ding on his is he's in the LOLEastern Conference, but he put out consistently as an individual in all 82. I'm sorry, but no one in their right mind takes Harden over LeBron to make a run going forward. Harden's not going to come through in a game 7 chase-down block, he's probably still not giving you defense period for the larger share of a game. He has a ref advantage, but no raw size advantage, no athleticism advantage, and none of the deep Finals run experience and consistency to appear in them. You're not taking James Harden over a guy with such pedigree still in service.

So short way to put it: Harden fits the bill for MVP, if you know what that means...

 

[Litos]

Cleveland is a lottery team without LeBron. You can't say that about Houston if they lose Harden.

Take Harden off of the Rockets and you’ll lose 30pts and 9ast a night...he leads the league in scoring and PER...he also leads the league in usage rate...

The Rockets go as a Harden goes, 100%...

With Harden out, you’d be relying on a gimpy legged CP3 to play more minutes and carry a team full of 3 and D guys...

Just FYI, CP3’s usage rate is behind things called Michael Beasley, JJ Barrea and whatever a Sean Kilpatrick is....

Rockets without Harden would miss the playoffs by 8+ games...

 

[QLR1]

I thought I was done with this thread until I saw this:
Sources: Budenholzer OK'd to meet with Suns

 

[pjd1234]

Harden will be mvp no doubt about. James has his fair share so definitely they will give it to someone who has not win it. Plus cavs were a sucky team this year.

If i were to vote harden is mvp.

 

[Litos]