James Harden believes playing all 82 games should matter in the NBA MVP race
With a little more than two weeks left until the end of the regular season, the race for NBA MVP is too close to call. But one of the leading candidates for the prestiguous award believes his willingness to play in every game this season for the Houston Rockets should factor into the voters’ decision.
"Yeah, because you're not leaving your teammates out there to dry," Harden said Tuesday morning, via ESPN. "For me, I worry about always having my teammates' back and always being out there."
By those standards, Harden and his former teammate and Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook have earned a slight edge over the MVP competition this season. Neither has missed a game this season, unlike the Cavs’ LeBron James, Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard and Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas.
Games played probably won’t be the determining factor for this year’s award since many assume the race has whittled down to Westbrook vs. Harden. This year's MVP argument will center on Westbrook's pursuit of averaging a triple-double for a season, joining Oscar Robertson as the only player to accomplish the feat, vs. Harden likely finishing in the top two in points and assists while leading the Rockets to a better record than the Thunder.
The recent trend of teams resting their star players has become an issue for the league, but for Harden the notion to play game after game is a simple one – he wants to be there for his teammates.
"I'm going to have [my teammates'] back and they know that they have mine as well," said Harden, who is second in the league in points and first in assists. "For the coaching staff and the fans, especially here in Houston, the front office, I'm here to play."
