Tich’s Take

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award has always meant more in the NBA than in all other American professional sports.

Baseball essentially has four MVPs per season (American League and National MVP and Cy Young awards). Wayne Gretzky might still be getting the Hart Trophy (the NHL’s MVP award) every year. And football gave an MVP to a kicker one time. Yes, the dude who kicks field goals and extra points.

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The NBA is the only one of the four major professional American sports leagues where every MVP is a Hall of Famer. Derrick Rose is the only player remotely threatening to end that streak, and that is only because his knees decided they hated him. The bottom line: the MVP matters way more in the NBA than any other league.

And this year features a particularly juicy MVP race. The reigning MVP (Kevin Durant) has missed most of the season with various injuries. The injury bug also found Anthony Davis, who was having one of the best two-way seasons in recent history. Still, the list of potential deserving candidates is longer than normal.

Historically, MVP races are between two or three players, if there is even a race at all. Durant and LeBron James have won the past two MVPs and received a combined 239 of a possible 246 first-place votes.

It is impossible to talk about any MVP discussion without mentioning James. From 2010 to 2014 — the time period when James was in Miami after leaving Cleveland — the Cavaliers were the worst team in basketball, owning a 97-215 record during that stretch.

After a slow start, the Cavaliers have won 18 of their past 22 games, claiming their place as prohibitive favorites in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, James’ former team, the Miami Heat, has been mediocre, sitting at 25-33 as of March 2. James is still probably the best and most important player in basketball, even if he is not having the best individual season.

While it may not be traditional to give MVP to a player on a team not contending for the top few seeds in the conference, Russell Westbrook may force voters to reconsider. After all, there is nothing traditional about the season Westbrook is having.

The Oklahoma City point guard has been an absolute force of nature, putting the Thunder into playoff position with Durant sidelined. Over the past 11 games, the Thunder are 8-3 with Westbrook averaging 31.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists.

If those numbers did not pop off the page and punch you in the face, read that sentence again. Now go ice your jaw.

Those two are both deserving candidates, and we have not even mentioned the two MVP favorites yet — Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Curry might be the most popular player in the league and is absolute must-see TV every time he takes the court. No other player combines deadly shooting, passing and dribbling abilities as potently as Golden State’s point guard. Curry is more of a basketball artist than basketball player.

Everyone would be fine with Curry winning MVP — he is the unquestioned star of the league’s dominant team, a near-perfect teammate and as likeable of a star that has ever played in the NBA.

Still, the MVP should not go to the player that would be the most fun to see win. It should go to the player who is the most valuable to his team — a player who has taken his team above and beyond thanks to remarkable individual excellence.

So far during the 2014-2015 season, that player has been James Harden.

Harden has tortured defenders with a steady mix of step-back jumpers, crafty drives and foul-drawing voodoo all year. With his defense no longer Vine-worthy, the Rockets have transformed into the seventh-best defensive team in the league en route to the West’s third-best record. Even with Dwight Howard dealing with knee issues, the Rockets have stayed near the top of the treacherous Western Conference.

Not only is he leading the league in scoring with 27 points per game, he is 10th in assists per game and fifth in steals. No matter whom the Rockets play, Harden leaves the deepest imprint on the game.

Sorry, Kevin Durant’s mom, James Harden is the real MVP this year.

TICHENOR is the sports editor.

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