Chris Bosh and LeBron James are close friends, as most hoops fans know. As teammates, they won two championships with the Miami Heat. However, when asked who he thinks this season's MVP honors will go to, Bosh tipped his cap to Houston Rockets guard James Harden.
“LeBron has taken some flak for calling himself the MVP (this season),” a TMZ Sports reporter said to Bosh during an impromptu sidewalk interview. “Is it him or is it James Harden?”
“Harden this year,” Bosh said with a smile.
A case can be made for either player, as both James and Harden are enjoying milestone seasons.
James, now 33 years of age and in his 15th season of NBA service, has earned MVP honors four times over the course of his career. The former No. 1 overall pick in the Draft (2003) has played in all 74 of Cleveland's games this season, averaging 27.6 points on 54.7 percent shooting from the field (36.5 percent from beyond the arc), 9.1 assists (career-high), 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and just under one block (0.9) in 37.1 minutes.
Earlier this week, the Kid from Akron became the oldest player in NBA history to produce at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season.
In Wednesday night's 118-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, James tied Michael Jordan (866) for the most consecutive games with at least 10 points.
Harden, 28, is currently leading the NBA in scoring. In his 66 appearances with the Rockets this season, the former Arizona State standout has recorded averages of 30.7 points on 44.8 percent shooting from the field (36.7 percent from downtown), 8.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 35.5 minutes.
Thanks in large part to Harden's excellent play, the Rockets are currently the No. 1 seed in their conference with an impressive 61-14 overall record (franchise record for wins in a season). Furthermore, Houston has managed to rattle off 10 consecutive wins, which includes a 118-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
The NBA-leading Rockets became the first team since San Antonio in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season to have three winning streaks of at least 10 games in a season. They won 14 in a row from Nov. 16-Dec. 18 and 17 straight from Jan. 28-March 7.
Which of these two players will win this season's MVP award is still up for debate. For now, let's just enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Follow Us
Subscribe