James Harden Declares Himself The Best Player in NBA

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James Harden ended runner-up in last year’s MVP votes (second only to Steph Curry), but he believes he is this year’s most valuable player of the upcoming season. To his credit, he took the Houston Rockets further than anybody thought, especially after all the injuries they suffered. Then they met the Golden State Warriors train that had no signs of slowing down and being eliminated in five games in the Western Conference Finals has haunted Harden the entire off-season.

In talking to Fran Blinebury, he makes his argument as to why he deserved the award last year and why he’s more determined to be the best this season.

“I am the best player in the league. I believe that. I thought I was last year, too.

I know I was the MVP. That’s 100 percent given all the things that happened last season. Credit the Golden State Warriors for an unbelievable year. They had an unbelievable team, coaching staff, everything, but that award means most valuable to your team. We finished second in the West, which nobody thought we were going to do at the beginning of the year even when everybody was healthy. We were near the top in having the most injuries. We won our division in a division where every single team made the playoffs.

There’s so many factors. I led the league in total points scored, minutes played. Like I said, I’m not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me.”

He also said that he’s focused on his conditioning and better preparation in the off-season, so he’s not as tired when the grueling schedule of the playoffs comes.

Interestingly, he talks about what could have happened if he stayed in Oklahoma City and played with the Thunder as opposed to what happened and why the opportunities have come for him since being in the spotlight in Houston. He says that Adidas check came for a reason, and it probably wouldn’t have happened if he played third fiddle to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

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