Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker made a statement prior to their match-up against the Milwaukee Bucks by wearing a shirt that says “I'm with the MVP” while walking next to the reigning MVP James Harden as the two entered the Fiserv Forum. Obviously, Tucker was campaigning for his teammate, and at the same time, was taking a subtle jab at Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is in a tight MVP race with Harden this season.
However, with the type of technology we have right now, this opened up the opportunity for Milwaukee fans to showcase their Photoshop skills. After the Bucks took care of business against the Rockets at home, the official Bucks Twitter account fired back at Tucker and Photoshopped him with the MVP shirt next to The Greek Freak.
Soooo on the left is how PJ Tucker walked into the arena with James Harden tonight, wearing a shirt that says “I’m with the MVP”
And on the right is what the Bucks just posted on Twitter ❄️❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/I6AbKRRifS— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 27, 2019
Great troll job, Milwaukee.
In this marquee match-up of the two front-runners for MVP this season, it was Giannis who came out on top. Antetokounmpo helped lead the Bucks to a 108-94 victory, as they improved to a league-best 56-19 record on the season.
Antetokounmpo finished 19 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists, and shot 7-of-15 from the field. Harden, on the other hand, was held in check. He finished with just 23 points, as he struggled to shoot from the field, going just 9-of-26 overall. He also shot just 1-of-9 from downtown.
Nevertheless, the race for this season's MVP plum is probably one of the tightest races we have seen in recent memory. Both of them have a legitimate case.
Antetokounmpo has led Milwaukee to the best record in the NBA. His numbers (27.3 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 6.0 APG, 58.1 percent shooting) have been insane, as well, and is almost looking Shaq-like during The Diesel's peak years. The Bucks have the best net rating in the league, boasting of the best defense and a top five offense, and this is mainly due to The Greek Freak.
Without a doubt, Giannis is the engine that makes the Bucks' offense flourish under coach Mike Budenholzer. But more importantly, Antetokounmpo also anchors Milwaukee's league-leading defense.
Harden, on the other hand, is having one of the best statistical seasons of all time. Not only are his numbers and performances mind-boggling – 36.2 PPG, 4.8 3PG, eight 50-plus point games – but he has led Houston to the third seed in the West after they struggled early on in the year and started out with an 11-14 record.
More importantly, his insane stretch when Chris Paul went down with a hamstring injury in December to January will perhaps be his winning case if he ever gets to lift the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the second straight year. They went 12-5 in that period, with Harden carrying Houston on his back.
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