So let’s talk about lebron’s worst individual +/- in the entire league for a month? How about one of the worst defensive players in the league all season? I guess those individual metrics go against your narrative lol
if you take james harden off the rockets, they still are a playoff bound team. if you take lebron off the cavs there is no way they are making the playoffs without him. thus lebron is more valuable to a team
Mag Gang They’ve had a bottom 5 defense for most of the year, and they had to trade away half the team when Lebron was leading them. He ain’t MVP by any means. And actually Cavs without Lebron would have kept Kyrie so they’d be fine with Kyrie and Love
Menasseh Bekele when someone does that insucre laugh there just showing there ignorance Max is definitely smarter and Skip always beat him in debates he's even jealous of Max hair.
Harden was never robbed. Westbrook averaged a triple-double last year gtfoh that's crazy and it would yield a MVP award every year until somebody else can do it with regularity
Westbrook was 6th seed and got eliminated 1st round by James harden. Are you really going to tell me triple doubles are the only reason why Westbrook won it. James harden was definitely robbed.
Okay but you need to think about the acronym, MVP Stephen. A. This is the first time I've disagreed with you. Most valuable player. Who is the most VALUABLE to their team, their fans, their franchise. It 100% leBron James. When you think of everything the cavs have gone through this season, and not only are they making the playoffs stephen a, they're still the 3rd seed! First they lose kyrie, start off shaky. Lebron could opt out of his contract, tyronn lue had to temporarily step down from coaching, kevin love can't stay healthy, isaiah thomas came back terrible and started drama in the locker room, and kevin love is having a tough time with his mental health. And still, they are the 3rd team in the east. Lebron is the captain of this ship. Without him, they would be nowhere. Now, if the rockets didn't have james harden, sure it wouldn't be the same, but they would still DEFINITELY make the playoffs. That is why I think LeBron should be the NBA MVP this season. If you read this far, You're amazing.
Actually it's more news than if he'd have said anybody else because it's relatively unheard of in the sporting world to publicly nominate yourself for awards whether verbally or officially. What's not news is Max bringing a reasonably well rounded argument and Stephen A Smith gawking about other irrelevant shit to argue in Harden's favor. I'm not saying that Harden shouldn't win it, but the points that SAS brought into are irrelevant in the discussion particularly when the award is for who has been the most valuable on court and a lot of the numbers stand up in Lebron's favor which is what Max's point was. Everybody's out here talking about Harden as unanimous MVP when he's not, I'm not throwing shade at him or saying that his season has been anything less than what it has but this MVP race is a lot closer than people will have it pinned as being because the Rockets as a TEAM have won more games than the Cavaliers.
Which is why Kobe got robbed of two mvp awards to Steve Nash who’s team was better clearly but using Max’s logic no doubt he was robbed. 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Kobe was and should of been the league mvp.
Harden has better PER, more PPG, more steals, better 3pt% and FT%. It's not just about stats anyway. Harden is leading his team to way more wins in the harder conference.
Exactly. The Nash wins prove the MVP voters are idiots. They can't even read the name of the award. "Most valuable player". That's obviously been Lebron for the past 10 years. Exactly no one would pick Harden over Lebron today if they were putting together a team for the playoffs. But they keep thinking the award is called "Player of the year" or "Best player on the best team" ....that's not the name of the award. I mean...the instant someone brings up the win column they lose the debate. A better team has the better record. That doesn't mean their best player is the most valuable player in the league. It usually proves the opposite. The 73 win Warriors obviously were not dependent on Curry more than the Cavs were dependent on Lebron. That team actually won 2 playoff series without Curry!
If were talking players dominating there eras= mvp then this is my chart Jordan=10 or more mvps Lebron= 7-8 mvps kobe= 5mvps or something EDIT the other half of kobes era belongs to tim maybe? XD thats why he got 5
jesus, can max be consistent for once? wasn’t he just raving about how he thinks anthony davis is the mvp last week? anybody who knows and watches basketball knows that james harden is the mvp this season. and it’ll probably unanimous for the 2nd time in nba history
revertical it might not be unanimous. I'd have to go back and check but maybe Max was saying Davis was in the conversation. Usually Max takes Lebron over anyone else bc he's the best player in the world.
Anybody who actually watches the nba knows that the disparity in criteria for picking this years mvp is actually not that great and the decision is going to be a close call. But since you think harden is clearly the real winner I'd like to know what are the reason for you believing that and don't bring up personal stats because their stats are dam near identical.
Nick Steadman yup and I also said because their stats are dam near identical. Harden scores just 3 more points on average per game while lebron gets 4 more rebounds per game. In blocks and assists they do the same. So yes that's exactly what I said. Determining the MVP just on those basis is not enough. But don't bother replying back cause I can tell you're just another idiot who knows nothing about basketball.
LycanVonWolf idk about all that ... but being good sometimes you have to pride yourself especially when you have many people trying to undermine your brilliance In other words, greats sacrifice their being humble for expressing their thoughts of themselves to show others who may doubt them that they can back their claim. Which I feel like lebron doing this is smart cuz It keeps him motivated in his endeavors to become the goat. All he gotta do is boost his ego Really think about notably great players who if they had this mindset they would be disgusting. Tbh one person I truly think could've dominated if he wasn't so content with things is Wade, well that and if he didn't have knee problems. His prime wasn't as dominant and prolonged as it could've been. Their are much more people but just used wade to put things into perspective especially since wade and lebron are like some bromance in the NBA as of rn xD.
YOU DONT HEAR THEM SAYING IM THE MVP. THEY PROVE IT. JUST LIKE HOW HAKEEM DESTROYED ROBINSON OR JORDAN DESTROYED BARKLEY. THERES A DIFFERENCE IN SELF PROCLAIMING AND PROVING IT. SO FAR I DONT EVEN THINK LEBRON IS ON TOP OF DAVIS
max has a point..look at last year, harden(2) lost the mvp to westbrook(1) but harden had the better TEAM/RECORD and their numbers were very similar..i think okc was fourth or worst in the west but westbrook still won it because his VALUE was better.harden didnt play last night and houston still won by 30.. and also how much has adding a hall of fame point gaurd(cp3) help his overall TEAM?! i think its a good argument.
Kevin Whiteside the heat is a TOP 5 defense whos not scared of lebron and if they met in the playoffs it will be a long series..statisically lebron had an off night..he just hasn't won in miami since he left...and houston/harden at full strength has lost to toronto twice so everyone has their cryptonite teams. but u cant say lebron is inconsistent.
Kevin Whiteside id pick harden by the numbers.. but honestly, i feel cp3 is the REAL mvp of the rockets because of how good they have become DEFENSIVELY since hes arrived..hardens game is pretty much the same as last years but i feel cp3 is the MAIN reason that they are 10-15 games better this year than last year because of his two-way skills and it rubs off more on his teamates.
This is the least humble LeBron has been in a long time. I’m not sure what’s up this season but lately he seems much more concerned with congratulating his personal achievements over team accomplishments. Case in point: when LeBron dunked over Nurkic, he posted multiple “pats on the back” for himself on social media for that one play.. and they lost that game. I am a LeBron fan, but I wish he would go back to being just a little more humble.
The Goat i mean shit i see it as this lebron is beastin as always but his team is ass yes he has ok teammates.....jr is ass tristen is so so rite now plus new teammates so team chemistry isnt there so im thinkin he knows they gon lose in the playoffs we jus dont know when that is so if lebron want to pat himself on the back i say let him do it cuz what im seeeing from the team they dont deserve shit till i see more from them love is coo tho no complaints for love he was jus injured an comes bacl puttin up buckets so no complaints to love keep beastin lol
So by Max’s argument, Harden should be penalized by not getting the mvp because he has a better team and GM? Where was this in 2014-2015 when Curry was praised for leading his team to the #1 Seed??
They've counted that against other players before so it should for him too. Biased voters got no fuckin consistency AT ALL, that's the real problem. Literally change the rules for this award all the time smh.
FlameGotGame Harden played 37 minutes a game, while Steph played 32, and per 36 minutes Steph would’ve been averaged overrall better stats than Harden. Steph was also more efficient that season, and lead his team to more wins.
When curry first won mvp he averaged like 24 and 6 harden averaged 29 7 and 7 but cuz curry team was better curry won it. So why can’t it be the same for harden? 🤔
Actually Steph averaged 24 and 8, and harden averaged 27 and 7 and 6. Steph was also much more efficient, played less mins, and led his team to a much better record so get ur facts straight pls
It is true that LeBron is the better player, so he should get the MVP. People just don’t want that because it’s boring but people need to face it! LeBron is the MVP!!!!!!!!!!!
Put Harden somewhere else and the Rockets are still top 4 in the West, take Lebron off the Cavs and they struggle to make the playoffs. Lebron has the most value to his team. If that isn't the best assessment of most VALUABLE player then idk what is
Super Mega Foxy Awesome Hot take Davies out of the pelicans and they will struggle, take Damian out of Portland and the will suck, that's not an argument for being MVP
Because Lebron dominates the offense. How many guys do you find making plays besides Lebron? Not that much and not that often. Is it because they are just incapable? No, its because they run the Lebron James system so obviously he is going to have the most value because the offense revolves around him.
Don't punish James Harden for being on a better run organization.. Lebron creates the problems with his personnel then brags about keeping it afloat... smh
Why are there so many LeBron apologists on TV? An MVP has a great season all year and his team has success all year. Bron does this every season. His team has period where they arent good, he complains for some trade and gets it, then the team plays good again and people want him to be the MVP. Harden has been good all year long but Bron has been good this month so he deserves to be MVP. Get outta here with that BS.
C D harden and his team were good when westbrook won and harden didnt win because of westbrook numbers....now harden got great team with adding cp3 but bron got better numbers and worse record... you can see that nba is lebron's hater. He had mvp season every fucking year but somehow every year it was somebody else...when lebron got a great team and mvp numbers, they gave it somebody with worse team record because of numbers so why not lebron this year? He leads this team somehow to playoffs but nba doesnt care because its lebron and he has this kind of numbers every year... he is the king and mvp for me.
aoihgadnlgago Nah. Westbrook won because he had a ridiculous season and carried an inferior team to the playoffs. And nobody will dispute that Westbrook carried his team last year along with averaging a triple double and getting his team into the playoffs in the West. Bron was rolling with stacked teams and came in with another one on paper this year. When it didn't work, everyone blamed his teammates. His numbers are good but are they winning a ton of games in the east? Brons numbers and the best record in the east and top 3 record overall then he can talk about MVP. But your team can't struggle during the season and have you say your he MVP. Nah bruh
C D and bron doesnt have a ridiculous season? Like westbrook last year with that numbers they won 47 games and 6th seed so not so good... and now cavs got 41 or 42 or some like that also not so good and he almost average tripple double and his doesnt have any support like westbrook last year...and another thing- dont get me wrong but i think league is more balanced than last year, all teams ok west is better but title contenders are equal- cavs, raptors and celtics and on the west golden state, rockets and suprise of the league portland ...okc i hope they beat the golden state if they will meet but i think maybe next year...
aoihgadnlgago Put it like this... an MVP's team doesn't get trounced by the Heat. Or destroyed by the REAL 2018 MVP team in James Harden. Shouldn't happen.
Ugh the James Harden curse aka the “Change the Narrative” curse 2014: Harden better stats, Curry more wins.... Curry MVP 2017: Harden more wins and slightly worse stats, Russ averages triple double and gets 5 gamed by Harden and swept in regular season by Harden... Russ MVP 2018: Harden great stats and far superior wins, “But LeBron is the best player omgomgomgomgomg” Harden doesn’t deserve this treatment, the guys has literally done everything an MVP does and never is rewarded. The narrative will always be against Harden. I feel bad for the dude.
Ryan Terry TBH hes going to be one of the most overlooked players of our time. How do you put up prime KD esq numbers and efficiency but not be looked at as a top 3 player in the NBA? He was even over looked in OKC
As a KD fan, Even I’m able to admit Lebron is the MVP this season. He’s kept them competitive throughout all of the injuries that’s taken place. He put the team on his back after that terrible trade with the Celtics. Man has these role players looking like they deserve max contracts. And that’s the Lebron James effect.
I usually agree with Max but not this time. Harden is definitely the MVP this season, no question about it. Harden's team has more wins, he averages more points than LeBron, more assist and steals than LeBron, less turnovers then bron. Lebron James average more rebounds and blocks then Harden and that's it.
Mike Tank Brown ll Tru, he only has less blocks, etc because LeBron is a FORWARD and James is a GUARD. His priority is to be a scorer, not guard the paint
As a Cavs and Lebron fan I think Harden deserves it. Lebron definitely has second place on lock but Houston just has such a better record. However I get the case you can make for Lebron since he is literally carrying the Cavs on his shoulders right now while putting up 27.5/8.6/9.1 (career high in rebounds and assists). They are both playing phenomenal and I think they have a pretty good chance of meeting in the finals which would be an awesome series to watch
Fly eagles fly 81 really??? No it wouldn't.... LeBron always picked it up in the playoffs.... If Houston would win it would be a 7 game series.... I don't see anybody in that Houston Rockets team stopping LeBron...lol... You'll give in Houston and Harden too much credit
You're not a cavs fan lmao. You're just saying that to try to strengthen your argument for harden. Don't try to bullshit people. I would like someone to actually make a strong argument against Lebron winning MVP, and make a case for harden. All the cases in the comments have been pitiful for harden even Stephen A's. lmfao
I don’t care if Harden get robbed again.. let’s be real people, LBJ should be MVP .. But his been good ever since he came in to the league so it look like nothing.. 🤦♂️
Who gives a damn about 2 years ago this is for the 2018 MVP not the 2016 MVP. LeBron has been far better than Harden this season and he deserves the award.
The Senate How has LeBron been so much better even though he doesn’t have better stats in points scored, real plus minus, player efficiency, FT or 3PT? If LeBron is having his best season, why are the Cavs doing worse against Top8 teams than any season in LBJs career?
Not saying I agree with Lebron being mvp but by say the cavs inconsistencies is basically you agree that the mvp is not a individual award and your team has something to do with whether or not you win it when it's supposed to be an individual's award just saying
Ian Bora I guess Harden knows how to make his team better. The Rockets have average role players who are OVER ACHIEVING unlike Lebrons role players. Thats proves to you that Lebron is not as good at making his teammates better than Harden.
Ian Bora: you didn’t got, basically he saying am the only player on my team and that’s why we loosing but I deserve the MVP cuz I put a show day in N day out!!! Just saying🤔
james Bond Your cute hypotheticals don't mean anything. 1. Stats 2. Team Record 1. Stats are a wash between the 2 even though Hardens stats say he has played better defense by 10 fold 2. Rockets have the BEST record in the nba while playing much tougher competition than the Cavs. There is a reason Lebron has a losing record against playoff teams in the West this season while the Rockets don't. Goodnight. Checkmate.
Lebron is the best/most valuable player in the NBA. There is no debate, there is no question. Like max said, everyone looks at Lebron and says he is a better player than harden. Harden is good, just not at lebrons level. I'm sorry but I give the MVP to Lebron this season. He's shooting great from 3 (which is he struggled with in the past) and keeping his team afloat with all the injuries. You're a Lebron hater if you can't see Lebron is the most valuable player in the NBA. 2017-2018 MVP goes to Lebron james, hands down end of discussion .
John Smith So was Barkley better than MJ in 92-93 season? Was nash better than shaq in 06? Was nash better than kobe, lebron, or dirk in 07? Was dirk better than lebron, kobe or duncan when he won it? Barkley, Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki didn't even have the best stats when they won mvp. You know why they won, because basketball is not an individual sport, it's a team sports!!! Barkley suns finished 1st in the nba with 62-20 and bulls was 57-25 in 92-93 season when Barkley won MVP. Only one time that they awarded individual for his stats was last year when Westbrook won it. Harden finshed 2nd in the ballot. This year, in every category Harden has improved from last year. Lebron was 4th last year and his stats is damn near the same. End of discussion, Harden is the MVP!!!!!
Harden plays on average harder teams and still puts up the numbers he puts up. We didn't have a situation with Harden where everybody was worried. The Rockets didn't have a terrible losing streak. The Rockets are just consistently good. Harden consistently puts in his work.. In a tougher conference. He plays ISO half the time too and jacks it up against anybody defending him. So he's winning 1 on 1 battles any time he's on the court.
I'm sorry but James Harden does not deserve MVP over Lebron James. Take him away from Houston and they're still making the playoffs. Take Lebron away and Cleveland does not make the playoffs even in the East.
If one has the power to do that then what fool wouldn't? Ask most players on a losing team if they would rather have better players around them and I bet the answer would be unanimous. Who the hell wants to play with scrubs?
That's because James Harden doesn't have to do that. He already has a team around him, one that's far better than what Lebron has to work with. So, in essence you just proved my point. Lebron has less to work with plus he hasn't missed a game playing with those scrubs.
Anmol S exactly what I say when people go “Lebron is better than Jordan because the cavs sucked when he left but the bulls were still good when Jordan went to baseball
So many Westbrook fans. You don't seem to understand all though Westbrook was good, he didn't win an extraordinary amount of games, he had the ball most of the time for most of the offenses while on court, and he cannot SHOOT. He lobbed up a shit ton of shots in comparison to Harden, AND HARDEN MADE MORE. Harden last year had to switch a POSITION. HE CAME SECOND AS A POINT GUARD. As a superstar with Chris Paul now, the Rockets are playing amazing and are number one in the west. Harden played a major role in that. Westbrook did some good things that season. But it is my opinion that Westbrook statpadded, and it is fact THAT HE IS JUST BARELY what you would call a mediocre shooter. My OPINION that Harden is a more enjoyable and efficient player to watch.
The only pity/sympathy award being asked for is for LeBron. Max fails to point out the MANY OTHER statistics that are considered when voting for MVP. LBJ is ranked 346th is individual defense. Harden is ranked 35th. LBJ has a 9 plus minus for the year. Harden has is 518. LBJ shoots 73% from the free-throw. Harden shoots 86%. LBJ averages 27ppg. Harden averages 30. Harden takes FAR MORE threes and has a higher %, which nullifies LBJ's superior FG%. Dunks/layups are easier than 3s, so obviously LBJ will be higher; but 33.3% from 3 = 50% FG. 3>2points. Harden has done all of this while still keeping the cohesiveness of his team at a high level. He doesn't ball-hog or stat pad for his own personal gain. In the regular season, Harden is a winner. CUT IT OUT. LBJ does not play DEFENSE , and is probably on steroids. This mindless ____riding is probably the only reason it wont be unanimous, and I'm not even a Harden fan.
U know I’m tired of the mvp being the “best player” if that was the case then Lebron should have gotten it every damn year, but it’s the most VALUABLE PLAYER! Who has more vale to their team? Cause last time I checked Lebron might not even be a cav next year, and they are preparing for his departure, idk but to me that means they don’t value him to much right now, plus harden? Ummm I’m pretty sure you take harden away from the rockets they would be a worse team the the cavs without Lebron, how bout we stop debating and actually look at what the damn award STATES ON IT, god agree or not I’m just tired of this stupid debate 🙄
MVP 2018 is HARDEN... WESTBROOK had a great yr 2017(triple doubles) but HARDEN has made the league change foul rules cuz of HARDEN, Steph changed the game volume 3's...Barkley changed the game 5 second rule, Wilt 3 second rule...JORDAN shoe contracts, global basketball...HARDEN can get to the rim any and every time like young JORDAN, IVERSON, D.ROSE(pre injuries) with NOBODY being able to stop them...we' 've all played against that 1 player that is unguardable on penetrating... HARDEN is MVP 2018.
Except for kevin love (an all star ) Isiah Thomas ( a player who was good until he was put with LeBron and after he left he started to put up good numbers again ) and LeBron had no one on his team....... right
KiaatsWorld because Steve Nash was averaging a double double and Kobe only did better in ppg cause he shot wayyyyyy more shots Steve averaged more rebounds assists steals and blocks
Max that's all bullshit! Who led his team to the best record in the NBA while being in the far more competitive WESTERN CONFERENCE? LeBron James is supposed to be this guy that makes his team and every player on it better. They should be a better Team in the Leastern conference than they are if that's the case. LeBron has the same record and stats as LeBron.
+Nathaniel's Phone Thank you! It's crazy how ppl discredit CP3 like James Harden carried the Rockets by himself. Because if that was the case, the Rockets would've been a 1st seed last year. CP3 made the Rockets better.
+Crisis Crazy How is he a dumbass? Because the last time I checked Chris Paul, still put in work for the Rockets to land the #1 seed. Before Chris came the Rockets weren't as good as they are now.
Stephen A. is a total hater man. It takes a special level of hate to use what happened in the offseason to say that a guy doesn't deserve to win MVP. Westbrook ran KD out of OKC, but that didn't stop Stephen A. from saying he deserved the MVP over Harden last year. But for some reason, that's a deal breaker for Lebron's MVP chances this year according to Stephen A. That is hypocritical as hell.
Harden. P.S. Everyone of the analysts talk about past two years, but James Harden was robbed of MVP for 2015. Steph's first MVP could have very easily and prob should have been Hardens.
H Kronicles Nope. Per 36 minutes Curry had overall better stats than Harden. Not to mention Curry lead his team to more wins. Harden played 37 minutes a game, while Curry played 32, so obviously Harden would have better stats.
Stephen A. is right on this one. You can not be the greatest player in the world and have the roller coaster ride that Lebron is having this season and expected to be the MVP. Max is talking numbers. Numbers mean absolutely nothing when you look at what Houston is doing vs what "Lebron" is doing. Harden is in the same spot Curry was in years ago when he won league MVP. That team was built through trades and its only 2 all-stars there. EVERYONE else is a role player, so no advantage goes to Houston. Lebron is always going to get numbers, but ultimately, it IS about results! Lebron has alienated everyone who can help him be atop the Eastern Conference...and they left. Lebron just simply does it for himself and it shows. This guy is NOT elevating his new teammates play at all. They should not have lost to Miami if he is the best player in the world, and they didn't even have Whiteside in the paint. Miami simply out-defended that team and Lebron fell victim to standing around like he always does and James Johnson locked him down! I haven't seen a team yet this year stop Harden from getting his points and that's why Lebron is crying about the league favoring shooters over HIS style of play...bowling people over. And let's look at what Harden has done for his team so far: Wins @Home: 31-6 on the Road:30-8 Let's look at what Lebron has done so far for his team: Wins @Home: 25-11 and on the Road:19-19 Really? Lebron deserves league MVP in a weak conference and Houston is balling against harder teams? lol@Max and Lebron stans because I am NOT one of the 100% he's talking about.
Harden was lucky he got D'Antoni and CP3. Remember that Houston was still winning when Harden got injured. The reason Harden is winning MVP was that nobody expected the Rockets to beat the Warriors as the best team in the west.
If you put Lebron James in any team, they're automatically a playoff team and most likely a championship contender. The only thing James Harden has over Lebron James is 3 ppg and its probably because he gets more free throws. Max won this easy
Mike Gomez Cool stat. Take away free throws Harden is steal leads the league in points. Please let's not act like LeBron doesn't get calls thats a straight up lie. He used to walk past people and get calls, hell KD did it with his rip through, Kobe kicked his leg out to draw fouls while shooting 3s, Wade did that pump fake bump into the guy and get a foul thing for years. Drawing fouls is nothing new
I never said LeBron doesn't get calls, i think Harden also shoots a shot or two more but either way like max said if you were to want a player in your team it will most likely always going to be LeBron because hes just the better overall player. LeBron is better in every aspect except ppg (and steals i think) but hes more efficient. Would you want a guy averaging 27 shooting 55% or a guy averaging 30 shooting 44%? Lets not even talk about defense and rebounding. By the way this isn't any disrespect to Harden hes obviously a phenomenal player but if were comparing LeBron is of course going to be the better player, hes considered the best in the world for a reason.
Harden has made the Rockets playoff contenders as soon as he got there. The Rockets weren't making the playoffs before he got there... And he's lost in the playoffs because he's only had J Lin and Dwight Howard going against OKC, The Spurs and Golden State.... LeBron has had great teams the past 6 seasons and had to play who in the playoffs? Pacers? Wizard's? Raptors?
Harden barely made the 8th seed twice while in Houston. When was the last time he went to the western finals? J Lin and Howard were also great at the time so thats not a great excuse and hes also had some pretty good teams but thats besides the point because were not talking about teams were talking about whos the best player. Harden makes his team playoff contenders but LeBron makes them championship contenders. LeBron has played against great teams like the Celtics ,Bulls, and the Pacers. He also won against the Hawks and the Raptors when they had great seaons. With all the stars hes played, he still manages to keep all his numbers up and stay relevant in the mvp conversation almost every year.
I just looked it up and its by 3% which is honestly surprising to me but that rating goes off of who they defend and LeBron defends literally any position but whatever i still think, and im sure a lot of people can agree with me, that LeBron is the better defender. I dont completely agree with you with the cavs not being a championship contender because you shouldn't expect them to play the same in the playoffs especially not LeBron. Either way i think they have the best chance coming out the east but i dont think they'll win another championship. Unfortunately im a Miami fan and im going to have to watch the Heat get destroyed in the playoffs
The fact he said he thinks he's the best is stupid MJ never said he was the greatest Kobe said he wants to be the greatest but never said he is and now Lebron says he deserves mvp get off you high ego
Justin Stlouis Wym?? Be quiet staying he wants to be the best is confident saying I'm the league mvp is him saying I'm better than all of you he has a high ego now because "Oh I got my rings now" get out of here once he gets injured his career is over I'm calling it
Jordan did brag about being the best in the world. Fuck you talking about? Enough with the hypocrisy. Yall pray for lebron to die in plane crash all while prasing and repeating, mj & kobe, kobe & mj, mj never did this kobe never did that, as if theyre fucking gods or someshit theyre not gods, they are regular human beings like the rest of us
Clutch Master lmao Jordan says instead of who's the greatest player he says who's the greatest team shut up I praise Kobe yes MJ is ight their era was way harder than now and Kobe played through countless injuries Lebron is only "Great" because of how easy this era is so shut up probably was born in 2005.
I wonder if they're going to take opposing positions on a topic and start yelling at each other. Or maybe one of them should "reveal" the real reason behind a storyline. They could also react to a recent headline or yell in each other's direction about who the GOAT is. What the hell are the meetings like before they air? Do they just pick a topic and flip a coin for who is going to yell about which side?
If the SEASON mvp was based off of just the individual players skill set and performance, than Lebron James would be mvp every single season. But I’m sorry but team success is also a factor in my book, and Lebron and the Cavs have been struggling, even if Lebron is putting up insane numbers every game. What James Harden has done for the Houston Rockets, earns him mvp this season no doubt. His individual performance AND his melding with his team, lead them to a 60+ win season, he’s mvp.
Both players are having arguably their best seasons, and the Rockets are a 1st Seed, and the Cavs are barely a 3rd seed. The Cavs are 11 wins behind the Raptors, and with the way they’ve been playing...I don’t see them even breaking past the Celtics this regular season
In your book? Are you making the decisions? The title couldn't be anymore clear😂most valuable PLAYER! The fact that people actually would choose harden over Lebron is scary😭
Sam Goodman The Rockets have a better chance to make the playoffs without Harden than the Cavs without Lebron so I would say Lebron has a bigger impact on his team
That is the point Harden specifically hasn’t done shit for the Rockets! Without Harden they were still blowing teams out! You remove Harden from the roster and the Rockets are still a top 5 team in the league you remove LeBron from the Cavs and they sink to a lottery team. Harden isn’t nearly as VALUABLE as LeBron is! I would go as far as to say that Harden is less VALUABLE to the Rockets than Anthony Davis is to the Pelicans!
Sam Goodman in four years, cavaliers have won only 4 out of 25 games when Lebron is out. They practically never win a game without him. Harden’ team can win and proven it many times without Harden.
Jie Zhang but that's his team not him..... Like Max said you should look at the numbers of the player not the standings.... Because injuries and trades can affect where the team is in the standings... And that's what happened to the cavs.... Standings don't matter to deciding who is the most valuable player....
Dylan B, You're right. But I don't mean that. I personally think MVPs should not only have great stats, but help their teams win games. Harden and LeBron are so close for the MVP this year 2018. What else the judges should consider is the wins for their teams because MVPs should also empower their teammates and help their teams win more games.
Stephen A basically saying that the mvp is a single person award and agrees with Max's point about that, BUT the "mvp of said season" impacts their team and the synergy of said team, Thus the "mvp of said season" should be judged on a micro-team basis as well as personal stats and percentages of said stats.
The thing with Bron is ... we take him for granted, his preformance AND how healthy this guy is. (has he ever had any mayor injury?). So when somebody gets a fantastic season we don't look at Bron, because we expect that kind of preformance.
17 games won?? Lebron has to work with straight up trash, while Harden is working with a great 3-point shooting, fundamental, and defensive team. Lebron is putting up bigger numbers with a worse team. Wins don’t matter, when we are looking at MVP. Whoever performed the best that season gets it. If team wins mattered, Russel Westbrook shouldn’t have gotten it last year. C’mon Stephen A. you’re better than that.
Stats Team Record All that matters. Stats are a wash even though Harden has played better defense than Lebron this year and team record is far and beyond better than what Lebron has done with the Cavs. Lets not discount Lebrons horrific January performance.
So sad.
We continue to make individual accomplishments about the team (MVP)
And team accomplishments about an individual (Championships)
Adrian Brown 100% true best comment I've seen on UA-cam in a while
Adrian Brown 💯
Man thank you best comment i read in months
So let’s talk about lebron’s worst individual +/- in the entire league for a month? How about one of the worst defensive players in the league all season? I guess those individual metrics go against your narrative lol
this is the most woke comment ive ever seen on a basketball video
"Heated Debate" i see this everyday.
Levonte White congrats cornball.
if you take james harden off the rockets, they still are a playoff bound team. if you take lebron off the cavs there is no way they are making the playoffs without him. thus lebron is more valuable to a team
Mag Gang They’ve had a bottom 5 defense for most of the year, and they had to trade away half the team when Lebron was leading them. He ain’t MVP by any means. And actually Cavs without Lebron would have kept Kyrie so they’d be fine with Kyrie and Love
Mag Gang you realize rockets didn’t make playoffs until harden joined the rockets
5:19 Stephen A. Smith's insincere laugh had me both dying and creeped out 😭😂😂 #disneyvillain
Menasseh Bekele lol frr
like he farted and is saying he didnt. but every one heard and confronted him
Menasseh Bekele. Lmao, he saying Max is a joke to him
Menasseh Bekele when someone does that insucre laugh there just showing there ignorance Max is definitely smarter and Skip always beat him in debates he's even jealous of Max hair.
it's called sarcastic laugh, fuckin moron. in other words he laughs at max bec he talk gibberish.
Harden and Lebron both deserve it but it will be crazy if Harden get robbed again😂
Lor Dj last year wasn’t him being robbed, it was a hard choice where both deserved it.
Harden was never robbed. Westbrook averaged a triple-double last year gtfoh that's crazy and it would yield a MVP award every year until somebody else can do it with regularity
dasun13 better team record
Westbrook was 6th seed and got eliminated 1st round by James harden. Are you really going to tell me triple doubles are the only reason why Westbrook won it. James harden was definitely robbed.
Harden never been robbed. Other players have just had better qualifications. This year though I feel like harden definitely deserves it
Okay but you need to think about the acronym, MVP Stephen. A. This is the first time I've disagreed with you. Most valuable player. Who is the most VALUABLE to their team, their fans, their franchise. It 100% leBron James. When you think of everything the cavs have gone through this season, and not only are they making the playoffs stephen a, they're still the 3rd seed! First they lose kyrie, start off shaky. Lebron could opt out of his contract, tyronn lue had to temporarily step down from coaching, kevin love can't stay healthy, isaiah thomas came back terrible and started drama in the locker room, and kevin love is having a tough time with his mental health. And still, they are the 3rd team in the east. Lebron is the captain of this ship. Without him, they would be nowhere. Now, if the rockets didn't have james harden, sure it wouldn't be the same, but they would still DEFINITELY make the playoffs. That is why I think LeBron should be the NBA MVP this season. If you read this far, You're amazing.
ESPN needs to stop! Of course Lebron would say himself, what is he gonna say the competition is better? Not news
Actually it's more news than if he'd have said anybody else because it's relatively unheard of in the sporting world to publicly nominate yourself for awards whether verbally or officially. What's not news is Max bringing a reasonably well rounded argument and Stephen A Smith gawking about other irrelevant shit to argue in Harden's favor. I'm not saying that Harden shouldn't win it, but the points that SAS brought into are irrelevant in the discussion particularly when the award is for who has been the most valuable on court and a lot of the numbers stand up in Lebron's favor which is what Max's point was. Everybody's out here talking about Harden as unanimous MVP when he's not, I'm not throwing shade at him or saying that his season has been anything less than what it has but this MVP race is a lot closer than people will have it pinned as being because the Rockets as a TEAM have won more games than the Cavaliers.
Joe Breezy they're not even talking about what he said. They're talking about who should get it
Joe Breezy
"That's not up to me to decide, next question."
Oh look how easily I answered that question without being an egotistical maniac.
+Jordan No you didn't. You just answered a completely different question.
It's about the way the Wanker said. Embarrassing stuff
Which is why Kobe got robbed of two mvp awards to Steve Nash who’s team was better clearly but using Max’s logic no doubt he was robbed. 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Kobe was and should of been the league mvp.
Jay Aguilera coached again by mike d antoni lol
Completely different
Kobe stats where better than Nash! Harden stats are better than bron and his team is doing better!
Harden has better PER, more PPG, more steals, better 3pt% and FT%. It's not just about stats anyway. Harden is leading his team to way more wins in the harder conference.
Exactly. The Nash wins prove the MVP voters are idiots.
They can't even read the name of the award. "Most valuable player". That's obviously been Lebron for the past 10 years. Exactly no one would pick Harden over Lebron today if they were putting together a team for the playoffs.
But they keep thinking the award is called "Player of the year" or "Best player on the best team" ....that's not the name of the award.
I mean...the instant someone brings up the win column they lose the debate. A better team has the better record. That doesn't mean their best player is the most valuable player in the league. It usually proves the opposite. The 73 win Warriors obviously were not dependent on Curry more than the Cavs were dependent on Lebron. That team actually won 2 playoff series without Curry!
LeBron been deserving MVP for every damn year. He should have like 8-10 MVPs. He’s the best player in the league every year.
Wrong Kobe was best player in the world in 2009 and 2010 and 2006
Mosa Aghbaria maybe 2006, but not 09,10. Kobe was old and washed by then.
Mike Silverii you are fucking Dumb Kobe was Monster in 2010 and 2009
Mike Silverii Old and wash, yet won both those championships and Finals MVPs. Kobe was the best player from 2006-2010.
If were talking players dominating there eras= mvp then this is my chart
Jordan=10 or more mvps
Lebron= 7-8 mvps
kobe= 5mvps or something
EDIT
the other half of kobes era belongs to tim maybe? XD thats why he got 5
jesus, can max be consistent for once? wasn’t he just raving about how he thinks anthony davis is the mvp last week? anybody who knows and watches basketball knows that james harden is the mvp this season. and it’ll probably unanimous for the 2nd time in nba history
revertical it might not be unanimous. I'd have to go back and check but maybe Max was saying Davis was in the conversation. Usually Max takes Lebron over anyone else bc he's the best player in the world.
Anybody who actually watches the nba knows that the disparity in criteria for picking this years mvp is actually not that great and the decision is going to be a close call. But since you think harden is clearly the real winner I'd like to know what are the reason for you believing that and don't bring up personal stats because their stats are dam near identical.
El650Jefe did you just say don't bring up stats? Lmao
Nick Steadman yup and I also said because their stats are dam near identical. Harden scores just 3 more points on average per game while lebron gets 4 more rebounds per game. In blocks and assists they do the same. So yes that's exactly what I said. Determining the MVP just on those basis is not enough. But don't bother replying back cause I can tell you're just another idiot who knows nothing about basketball.
El650Jefe you're really full of yourself
....why do you have a problem if Lebron votes himself, I'm positive Kobe, Jordan, and other greats would vote for themselves
136yomyheat the difference is social media
136yomyheat the President votes himself as well
LycanVonWolf idk about all that ... but being good sometimes you have to pride yourself especially when you have many people trying to undermine your brilliance
In other words, greats sacrifice their being humble for expressing their thoughts of themselves to show others who may doubt them that they can back their claim. Which I feel like lebron doing this is smart cuz It keeps him motivated in his endeavors to become the goat. All he gotta do is boost his ego
Really think about notably great players who if they had this mindset they would be disgusting. Tbh one person I truly think could've dominated if he wasn't so content with things is Wade, well that and if he didn't have knee problems. His prime wasn't as dominant and prolonged as it could've been. Their are much more people but just used wade to put things into perspective especially since wade and lebron are like some bromance in the NBA as of rn xD.
YOU DONT HEAR THEM SAYING IM THE MVP. THEY PROVE IT. JUST LIKE HOW HAKEEM DESTROYED ROBINSON OR JORDAN DESTROYED BARKLEY. THERES A DIFFERENCE IN SELF PROCLAIMING AND PROVING IT. SO FAR I DONT EVEN THINK LEBRON IS ON TOP OF DAVIS
Lebron is currently the best player in the world.
Ryan Cheung that's facts. He has been for the past couple years. People don't wanna hear that tho.
Ryan Cheung lmao hell no other players deserve more shine ...LeBron is a product of ESPN n social media they over look at him
John Smith way more than a couple
Negative my guy! 😂
Osama BeenBallin oh wow you're lost as fuck bro try to catch up on basketball a little bit
max has a point..look at last year, harden(2) lost the mvp to westbrook(1) but harden had the better TEAM/RECORD and their numbers were very similar..i think okc was fourth or worst in the west but westbrook still won it because his VALUE was better.harden didnt play last night and houston still won by 30.. and also how much has adding a hall of fame point gaurd(cp3) help his overall TEAM?! i think its a good argument.
And Lebron was playing last night when they lost by 19.... and his numbers were not good vs heat.... consistency is what i am talking about
Kevin Whiteside the heat is a TOP 5 defense whos not scared of lebron and if they met in the playoffs it will be a long series..statisically lebron had an off night..he just hasn't won in miami since he left...and houston/harden at full strength has lost to toronto twice so everyone has their cryptonite teams. but u cant say lebron is inconsistent.
ADTVent .... Okay ... good point there...
Lemme ask... who is your MVP? And how would you sell it?
But in 2015 harden lost to curry cause his team was worse than curry dumbass
Kevin Whiteside id pick harden by the numbers.. but honestly, i feel cp3 is the REAL mvp of the rockets because of how good they have become DEFENSIVELY since hes arrived..hardens game is pretty much the same as last years but i feel cp3 is the MAIN reason that they are 10-15 games better this year than last year because of his two-way skills and it rubs off more on his teamates.
This is the least humble LeBron has been in a long time. I’m not sure what’s up this season but lately he seems much more concerned with congratulating his personal achievements over team accomplishments. Case in point: when LeBron dunked over Nurkic, he posted multiple “pats on the back” for himself on social media for that one play.. and they lost that game. I am a LeBron fan, but I wish he would go back to being just a little more humble.
This season he's statpadding aswell. He's trying to create a narrative of being better than Jordan. smh
He's insecure about his legacy
That’s because there are no “team accomplishment” to be proud is or acknowledge...basically had 2 rosters this season.
The Goat i mean shit i see it as this lebron is beastin as always but his team is ass yes he has ok teammates.....jr is ass tristen is so so rite now plus new teammates so team chemistry isnt there so im thinkin he knows they gon lose in the playoffs we jus dont know when that is so if lebron want to pat himself on the back i say let him do it cuz what im seeeing from the team they dont deserve shit till i see more from them love is coo tho no complaints for love he was jus injured an comes bacl puttin up buckets so no complaints to love keep beastin lol
It’s always good to talk your shit... he finally doing it
Finally Lebron speaks up for himself! Good for him. The guy hides his light under a bushel too much!
It annoys me lmfao good one the queen always puts himself in the spot light
It annoys me I’m a lebron fan but he doesn’t hide his light every good play he post about it on instagram 😂
He says it himself that the NBA and the ppl know what he brings to the table....
It annoys me..... haaa
???? I'm a lebron fan and think he's the goat, but homeboy talks about himself every chance he gets on ig or in interviews. Lets be real here...
So by Max’s argument, Harden should be penalized by not getting the mvp because he has a better team and GM? Where was this in 2014-2015 when Curry was praised for leading his team to the #1 Seed??
FlameGotGame it was there.
That's his point lol, it's not a team award.
They've counted that against other players before so it should for him too. Biased voters got no fuckin consistency AT ALL, that's the real problem. Literally change the rules for this award all the time smh.
FlameGotGame Harden played 37 minutes a game, while Steph played 32, and per 36 minutes Steph would’ve been averaged overrall better stats than Harden. Steph was also more efficient that season, and lead his team to more wins.
Hunter5 True. The MVP award was about winning, but in the 2016-17 season Westbrook won even though he barely won.
Molly looking aight
Alberto Entertainment plz shut up
Joy >>>> Molly
Alberto Entertainment Skip > Molly
Lmao every time I come to this channel...you on this channel...
LMFAO why this got me weak
When curry first won mvp he averaged like 24 and 6 harden averaged 29 7 and 7 but cuz curry team was better curry won it. So why can’t it be the same for harden? 🤔
john Good because lebron has more fans and fuck all of those bronsexuals
Actually Steph averaged 24 and 8, and harden averaged 27 and 7 and 6. Steph was also much more efficient, played less mins, and led his team to a much better record so get ur facts straight pls
kiarash nakhjiri 28 and 7> 24 and 6 but because his team was better he got it so harden should get the same treatment
I say yes... but the media is just sucking lebron's dick
you illiterate? dude gave u the exact stats and u fuck them up that bad lmfao
24/8 + more efficient + 67 wins > 27/7 + less efficient + 56 wins
Maxx got in Stephen A Smith ahh on this one & he know that
Antwain Richardson
How?
Every nba topic today was about Lebron so far 😂
Nathan tomlinson he’s been every nba topic for past 15 years lol
GOAT
Goat shit
It is true that LeBron is the better player, so he should get the MVP. People just don’t want that because it’s boring but people need to face it! LeBron is the MVP!!!!!!!!!!!
CavCole that harden profile pic tho🤣
Franco Romero thats what i was saying 😂
Put Harden somewhere else and the Rockets are still top 4 in the West, take Lebron off the Cavs and they struggle to make the playoffs. Lebron has the most value to his team. If that isn't the best assessment of most VALUABLE player then idk what is
Super Mega Foxy Awesome Hot take Davies out of the pelicans and they will struggle, take Damian out of Portland and the will suck, that's not an argument for being MVP
Super Mega Foxy Awesome Hot Lebron had the worst +/- in the league for an entire month LOL
Because Lebron dominates the offense. How many guys do you find making plays besides Lebron? Not that much and not that often. Is it because they are just incapable? No, its because they run the Lebron James system so obviously he is going to have the most value because the offense revolves around him.
Super Mega Foxy Awesome Hot bro we all kno its not really the most valuable its who did the best that season tbh
no they wouldn't be.
Don't punish James Harden for being on a better run organization.. Lebron creates the problems with his personnel then brags about keeping it afloat... smh
EDtv facts 😂
Big fucking FACTS!!
EDtv Cavs had to change the whole team to keep them afloat.
Aaron Rodgers exactly
Dont punish lebron for his teammates performance this year
Zaza pachulia should win MVP
For ending others career with injuries
You damn right he should vote for himself, you're not supposed to think anyone is better than you, especially if you're LeBron James.
Lebron being cocky as always harden should be unanimous
Consistency stephen a? Lets see if james harden will not brick or trash in the playoffs. 🤣
It is a regular season award...so your point is?
You do know the award is for the regular season right?
Even worse...lebron did it in the finals
ADMAFIA210 5 years ago💀
Nigel Reid doesnt matter tge timeline...what matter that it happened and more than once...
Why are there so many LeBron apologists on TV? An MVP has a great season all year and his team has success all year. Bron does this every season. His team has period where they arent good, he complains for some trade and gets it, then the team plays good again and people want him to be the MVP. Harden has been good all year long but Bron has been good this month so he deserves to be MVP. Get outta here with that BS.
C D harden and his team were good when westbrook won and harden didnt win because of westbrook numbers....now harden got great team with adding cp3 but bron got better numbers and worse record... you can see that nba is lebron's hater. He had mvp season every fucking year but somehow every year it was somebody else...when lebron got a great team and mvp numbers, they gave it somebody with worse team record because of numbers so why not lebron this year? He leads this team somehow to playoffs but nba doesnt care because its lebron and he has this kind of numbers every year... he is the king and mvp for me.
aoihgadnlgago Nah. Westbrook won because he had a ridiculous season and carried an inferior team to the playoffs. And nobody will dispute that Westbrook carried his team last year along with averaging a triple double and getting his team into the playoffs in the West. Bron was rolling with stacked teams and came in with another one on paper this year. When it didn't work, everyone blamed his teammates. His numbers are good but are they winning a ton of games in the east? Brons numbers and the best record in the east and top 3 record overall then he can talk about MVP. But your team can't struggle during the season and have you say your he MVP. Nah bruh
C D and bron doesnt have a ridiculous season? Like westbrook last year with that numbers they won 47 games and 6th seed so not so good... and now cavs got 41 or 42 or some like that also not so good and he almost average tripple double and his doesnt have any support like westbrook last year...and another thing- dont get me wrong but i think league is more balanced than last year, all teams ok west is better but title contenders are equal- cavs, raptors and celtics and on the west golden state, rockets and suprise of the league portland ...okc i hope they beat the golden state if they will meet but i think maybe next year...
aoihgadnlgago Put it like this... an MVP's team doesn't get trounced by the Heat. Or destroyed by the REAL 2018 MVP team in James Harden. Shouldn't happen.
Crazy that the top 2 mvp candidates this season are both gonna be on the same team next year. 🚀
If your better than someone why would you say someone else always be honest
Ugh the James Harden curse aka the “Change the Narrative” curse
2014: Harden better stats, Curry more wins.... Curry MVP
2017: Harden more wins and slightly worse stats, Russ averages triple double and gets 5 gamed by Harden and swept in regular season by Harden... Russ MVP
2018: Harden great stats and far superior wins, “But LeBron is the best player omgomgomgomgomg”
Harden doesn’t deserve this treatment, the guys has literally done everything an MVP does and never is rewarded. The narrative will always be against Harden. I feel bad for the dude.
Ryan Terry TBH hes going to be one of the most overlooked players of our time. How do you put up prime KD esq numbers and efficiency but not be looked at as a top 3 player in the NBA? He was even over looked in OKC
He just got exposed by the Miami Heats yesterday 😂
That THANK YOU in the end ahahahahahahah
I'm a narcissist
lol
w, for real lol
As a KD fan, Even I’m able to admit Lebron is the MVP this season. He’s kept them competitive throughout all of the injuries that’s taken place. He put the team on his back after that terrible trade with the Celtics. Man has these role players looking like they deserve max contracts. And that’s the Lebron James effect.
They should just have a co-mvp award in the regular season.
I usually agree with Max but not this time. Harden is definitely the MVP this season, no question about it. Harden's team has more wins, he averages more points than LeBron, more assist and steals than LeBron, less turnovers then bron. Lebron James average more rebounds and blocks then Harden and that's it.
Mike Tank Brown ll Tru, he only has less blocks, etc because LeBron is a FORWARD and James is a GUARD. His priority is to be a scorer, not guard the paint
Umm no Lebron avg more assist then harden
JJ MM
Ast
James harden 9.0
Lebron 8.9
harden avg 8.7LeBron avg 9.1do your research bum
Mike Tank Brown ll wrong again dumb ass 😂🤣
As a Cavs and Lebron fan I think Harden deserves it. Lebron definitely has second place on lock but Houston just has such a better record. However I get the case you can make for Lebron since he is literally carrying the Cavs on his shoulders right now while putting up 27.5/8.6/9.1 (career high in rebounds and assists). They are both playing phenomenal and I think they have a pretty good chance of meeting in the finals which would be an awesome series to watch
ZZtV that wouldn't be an awesome series. Houston would kill the Cavs. It'd be over in 5 max.
Fly eagles fly 81 really??? No it wouldn't.... LeBron always picked it up in the playoffs.... If Houston would win it would be a 7 game series.... I don't see anybody in that Houston Rockets team stopping LeBron...lol... You'll give in Houston and Harden too much credit
You're not a cavs fan lmao. You're just saying that to try to strengthen your argument for harden. Don't try to bullshit people. I would like someone to actually make a strong argument against Lebron winning MVP, and make a case for harden. All the cases in the comments have been pitiful for harden even Stephen A's. lmfao
lebron is the most consistent player on the cavs this season what is this guy on
I don’t care if Harden get robbed again.. let’s be real people, LBJ should be MVP .. But his been good ever since he came in to the league so it look like nothing.. 🤦♂️
Preach
He’s the best but it is easier doing what hes does in the East than the West Just saying 🤷♂️
BUM824#680 Lol stop James Harden is the MVP.
According the basketball reference... janes harden has more win shares and a higher player efficiency rating. Max a liar smh
5:19 that fucking laugh Is killing me looooool
Harden has had it stolen 2 years already, just cause the man is finally resting after a 60 win season they are trying to steal it from him again
artificialplanet exactly this is bs.
Rich Gang I think he meant 2015, the Curry mvp year before the unanimous one
Rich Gang he meant Curry's 1st mvp
Who gives a damn about 2 years ago this is for the 2018 MVP not the 2016 MVP. LeBron has been far better than Harden this season and he deserves the award.
The Senate How has LeBron been so much better even though he doesn’t have better stats in points scored, real plus minus, player efficiency, FT or 3PT? If LeBron is having his best season, why are the Cavs doing worse against Top8 teams than any season in LBJs career?
Not saying I agree with Lebron being mvp but by say the cavs inconsistencies is basically you agree that the mvp is not a individual award and your team has something to do with whether or not you win it when it's supposed to be an individual's award just saying
Ian Bora
I guess Harden knows how to make his team better. The Rockets have average role players who are OVER ACHIEVING unlike Lebrons role players.
Thats proves to you that Lebron is not as good at making his teammates better than Harden.
Ian Bora: you didn’t got, basically he saying am the only player on my team and that’s why we loosing but I deserve the MVP cuz I put a show day in N day out!!! Just saying🤔
james Bond
Your cute hypotheticals don't mean anything.
1. Stats
2. Team Record
1. Stats are a wash between the 2 even though Hardens stats say he has played better defense by 10 fold
2. Rockets have the BEST record in the nba while playing much tougher competition than the Cavs. There is a reason Lebron has a losing record against playoff teams in the West this season while the Rockets don't.
Goodnight. Checkmate.
james Bond
You're mad.
"He's averaging THERRRDY" 😂😂😂
Lebron is the best/most valuable player in the NBA. There is no debate, there is no question. Like max said, everyone looks at Lebron and says he is a better player than harden. Harden is good, just not at lebrons level. I'm sorry but I give the MVP to Lebron this season. He's shooting great from 3 (which is he struggled with in the past) and keeping his team afloat with all the injuries. You're a Lebron hater if you can't see Lebron is the most valuable player in the NBA. 2017-2018 MVP goes to Lebron james, hands down end of discussion .
Mharanda Celorio oh you do? Thanks that's pretty cool
John Smith
So was Barkley better than MJ in 92-93 season? Was nash better than shaq in 06? Was nash better than kobe, lebron, or dirk in 07? Was dirk better than lebron, kobe or duncan when he won it? Barkley, Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki didn't even have the best stats when they won mvp. You know why they won, because basketball is not an individual sport, it's a team sports!!! Barkley suns finished 1st in the nba with 62-20 and bulls was 57-25 in 92-93 season when Barkley won MVP.
Only one time that they awarded individual for his stats was last year when Westbrook won it. Harden finshed 2nd in the ballot. This year, in every category Harden has improved from last year. Lebron was 4th last year and his stats is damn near the same.
End of discussion, Harden is the MVP!!!!!
Harden plays on average harder teams and still puts up the numbers he puts up. We didn't have a situation with Harden where everybody was worried. The Rockets didn't have a terrible losing streak. The Rockets are just consistently good. Harden consistently puts in his work.. In a tougher conference. He plays ISO half the time too and jacks it up against anybody defending him. So he's winning 1 on 1 battles any time he's on the court.
Mike Tank Brown ll Exactly!!
Brian he has to be the most valuable player. Not hard
I'm sorry but James Harden does not deserve MVP over Lebron James. Take him away from Houston and they're still making the playoffs. Take Lebron away and Cleveland does not make the playoffs even in the East.
Conscious thats only because lebron his built the team to his needs. James harden doesn't go out and actively says I need this guy or ima leave.
If one has the power to do that then what fool wouldn't? Ask most players on a losing team if they would rather have better players around them and I bet the answer would be unanimous. Who the hell wants to play with scrubs?
That's because James Harden doesn't have to do that. He already has a team around him, one that's far better than what Lebron has to work with. So, in essence you just proved my point. Lebron has less to work with plus he hasn't missed a game playing with those scrubs.
Anmol S exactly what I say when people go “Lebron is better than Jordan because the cavs sucked when he left but the bulls were still good when Jordan went to baseball
Anmol S Facts! I never get why people don't want to admit that or act as they can't see it.
Steve A .... I’m over here rolling “THANK YOU” 😂😂😂😂😂
Easy lebron is mvp. And he having a career high
Harden should have been last year. Westbrick is a pure stat padder.
Voioid well shouldnt players do that to show how much they are capable of helping the team?Please get the fuck out of here woth that comment.
Voioid well why do you think harden should have won it last year?
isn't that what James is doing this season????? go back and look at the record with Brodie and his triple dubs if he didn't have one he thunder lose
So many Westbrook fans. You don't seem to understand all though Westbrook was good, he didn't win an extraordinary amount of games, he had the ball most of the time for most of the offenses while on court, and he cannot SHOOT. He lobbed up a shit ton of shots in comparison to Harden, AND HARDEN MADE MORE.
Harden last year had to switch a POSITION. HE CAME SECOND AS A POINT GUARD.
As a superstar with Chris Paul now, the Rockets are playing amazing and are number one in the west. Harden played a major role in that.
Westbrook did some good things that season. But it is my opinion that Westbrook statpadded, and it is fact THAT HE IS JUST BARELY what you would call a mediocre shooter.
My OPINION that Harden is a more enjoyable and efficient player to watch.
taylor860gang houston are leading the western conference in wins. His "stat padding" is letting them win games. It isn't stat padding if it WORKS
This man Stephen a Smith just be TALKIN 🤦🏾♂️
The only pity/sympathy award being asked for is for LeBron. Max fails to point out the MANY OTHER statistics that are considered when voting for MVP.
LBJ is ranked 346th is individual defense. Harden is ranked 35th.
LBJ has a 9 plus minus for the year. Harden has is 518.
LBJ shoots 73% from the free-throw. Harden shoots 86%.
LBJ averages 27ppg. Harden averages 30.
Harden takes FAR MORE threes and has a higher %, which nullifies LBJ's superior FG%. Dunks/layups are easier than 3s, so obviously LBJ will be higher; but 33.3% from 3 = 50% FG. 3>2points.
Harden has done all of this while still keeping the cohesiveness of his team at a high level. He doesn't ball-hog or stat pad for his own personal gain. In the regular season, Harden is a winner.
CUT IT OUT. LBJ does not play DEFENSE , and is probably on steroids. This mindless ____riding is probably the only reason it wont be unanimous, and I'm not even a Harden fan.
U know I’m tired of the mvp being the “best player” if that was the case then Lebron should have gotten it every damn year, but it’s the most VALUABLE PLAYER! Who has more vale to their team? Cause last time I checked Lebron might not even be a cav next year, and they are preparing for his departure, idk but to me that means they don’t value him to much right now, plus harden? Ummm I’m pretty sure you take harden away from the rockets they would be a worse team the the cavs without Lebron, how bout we stop debating and actually look at what the damn award STATES ON IT, god agree or not I’m just tired of this stupid debate 🙄
MVP 2018 is HARDEN... WESTBROOK had a great yr 2017(triple doubles) but HARDEN has made the league change foul rules cuz of HARDEN, Steph changed the game volume 3's...Barkley changed the game 5 second rule, Wilt 3 second rule...JORDAN shoe contracts, global basketball...HARDEN can get to the rim any and every time like young JORDAN, IVERSON, D.ROSE(pre injuries) with NOBODY being able to stop them...we' 've all played against that 1 player that is unguardable on penetrating... HARDEN is MVP 2018.
Except for kevin love (an all star ) Isiah Thomas ( a player who was good until he was put with LeBron and after he left he started to put up good numbers again ) and LeBron had no one on his team....... right
Jonas Winningham Kevin Love is trash
One word stats
Lonzo Ball is MVP
1st place mvp: Lebron
2nd place mvp: Harden
3rd place mvp: Davis
MVP is about the player not the team that’s why lebron deserves to win because he has better stats
Adam Carter Historically its about the team. You couldn't be further off 😂😂
BiasedRocketsFan 34 no it isn’t that’s why it’s most valuable player not most valuable team
KiaatsWorld because Steve Nash was averaging a double double and Kobe only did better in ppg cause he shot wayyyyyy more shots Steve averaged more rebounds assists steals and blocks
KiaatsWorld and Steve’s plus minus and field goal percentages were way better too
Davis should be mvp because he is carrying that trash team to the playoffs
Trash team?lol
i will not call The Pelicans by trash team they are medicore
"I love how you answer without answering"
Max you are so right
Max is right
Max is wrong, harden is the mvp
Max that's all bullshit! Who led his team to the best record in the NBA while being in the far more competitive WESTERN CONFERENCE? LeBron James is supposed to be this guy that makes his team and every player on it better. They should be a better Team in the Leastern conference than they are if that's the case. LeBron has the same record and stats as LeBron.
+Nathaniel's Phone Thank you! It's crazy how ppl discredit CP3 like James Harden carried the Rockets by himself. Because if that was the case, the Rockets would've been a 1st seed last year. CP3 made the Rockets better.
Nathaniel's Phone CHRIS was out for 20 games dumbass
+Crisis Crazy How is he a dumbass? Because the last time I checked Chris Paul, still put in work for the Rockets to land the #1 seed. Before Chris came the Rockets weren't as good as they are now.
Stephen A. is a total hater man. It takes a special level of hate to use what happened in the offseason to say that a guy doesn't deserve to win MVP. Westbrook ran KD out of OKC, but that didn't stop Stephen A. from saying he deserved the MVP over Harden last year. But for some reason, that's a deal breaker for Lebron's MVP chances this year according to Stephen A. That is hypocritical as hell.
Harden. P.S. Everyone of the analysts talk about past two years, but James Harden was robbed of MVP for 2015. Steph's first MVP could have very easily and prob should have been Hardens.
H Kronicles Nope. Per 36 minutes Curry had overall better stats than Harden. Not to mention Curry lead his team to more wins. Harden played 37 minutes a game, while Curry played 32, so obviously Harden would have better stats.
Stephen A. is right on this one. You can not be the greatest player in the world and have the roller coaster ride that Lebron is having this season and expected to be the MVP. Max is talking numbers. Numbers mean absolutely nothing when you look at what Houston is doing vs what "Lebron" is doing. Harden is in the same spot Curry was in years ago when he won league MVP. That team was built through trades and its only 2 all-stars there. EVERYONE else is a role player, so no advantage goes to Houston.
Lebron is always going to get numbers, but ultimately, it IS about results! Lebron has alienated everyone who can help him be atop the Eastern Conference...and they left. Lebron just simply does it for himself and it shows. This guy is NOT elevating his new teammates play at all. They should not have lost to Miami if he is the best player in the world, and they didn't even have Whiteside in the paint. Miami simply out-defended that team and Lebron fell victim to standing around like he always does and James Johnson locked him down! I haven't seen a team yet this year stop Harden from getting his points and that's why Lebron is crying about the league favoring shooters over HIS style of play...bowling people over.
And let's look at what Harden has done for his team so far: Wins @Home: 31-6 on the Road:30-8
Let's look at what Lebron has done so far for his team: Wins @Home: 25-11 and on the Road:19-19
Really? Lebron deserves league MVP in a weak conference and Houston is balling against harder teams? lol@Max and Lebron stans because I am NOT one of the 100% he's talking about.
Harden was lucky he got D'Antoni and CP3. Remember that Houston was still winning when Harden got injured. The reason Harden is winning MVP was that nobody expected the Rockets to beat the Warriors as the best team in the west.
Harden was also winning 50 games a year with J.Lin....
Lebron deserves all
If you put Lebron James in any team, they're automatically a playoff team and most likely a championship contender. The only thing James Harden has over Lebron James is 3 ppg and its probably because he gets more free throws. Max won this easy
Mike Gomez Cool stat. Take away free throws Harden is steal leads the league in points. Please let's not act like LeBron doesn't get calls thats a straight up lie. He used to walk past people and get calls, hell KD did it with his rip through, Kobe kicked his leg out to draw fouls while shooting 3s, Wade did that pump fake bump into the guy and get a foul thing for years. Drawing fouls is nothing new
I never said LeBron doesn't get calls, i think Harden also shoots a shot or two more but either way like max said if you were to want a player in your team it will most likely always going to be LeBron because hes just the better overall player. LeBron is better in every aspect except ppg (and steals i think) but hes more efficient. Would you want a guy averaging 27 shooting 55% or a guy averaging 30 shooting 44%? Lets not even talk about defense and rebounding. By the way this isn't any disrespect to Harden hes obviously a phenomenal player but if were comparing LeBron is of course going to be the better player, hes considered the best in the world for a reason.
Harden has made the Rockets playoff contenders as soon as he got there. The Rockets weren't making the playoffs before he got there... And he's lost in the playoffs because he's only had J Lin and Dwight Howard going against OKC, The Spurs and Golden State.... LeBron has had great teams the past 6 seasons and had to play who in the playoffs? Pacers? Wizard's? Raptors?
Harden barely made the 8th seed twice while in Houston. When was the last time he went to the western finals? J Lin and Howard were also great at the time so thats not a great excuse and hes also had some pretty good teams but thats besides the point because were not talking about teams were talking about whos the best player. Harden makes his team playoff contenders but LeBron makes them championship contenders. LeBron has played against great teams like the Celtics ,Bulls, and the Pacers. He also won against the Hawks and the Raptors when they had great seaons. With all the stars hes played, he still manages to keep all his numbers up and stay relevant in the mvp conversation almost every year.
I just looked it up and its by 3% which is honestly surprising to me but that rating goes off of who they defend and LeBron defends literally any position but whatever i still think, and im sure a lot of people can agree with me, that LeBron is the better defender. I dont completely agree with you with the cavs not being a championship contender because you shouldn't expect them to play the same in the playoffs especially not LeBron. Either way i think they have the best chance coming out the east but i dont think they'll win another championship. Unfortunately im a Miami fan and im going to have to watch the Heat get destroyed in the playoffs
SAS: “There is nothing to debate.”
*proceeds to debate*
The fact he said he thinks he's the best is stupid MJ never said he was the greatest Kobe said he wants to be the greatest but never said he is and now Lebron says he deserves mvp get off you high ego
lil Scorpian26 That's confidence. That is why Conor Mcgregor is the best UFC of all time. Top 5 guaranteed
Justin Stlouis Wym?? Be quiet staying he wants to be the best is confident saying I'm the league mvp is him saying I'm better than all of you he has a high ego now because "Oh I got my rings now" get out of here once he gets injured his career is over I'm calling it
Jordan did brag about being the best in the world. Fuck you talking about? Enough with the hypocrisy. Yall pray for lebron to die in plane crash all while prasing and repeating, mj & kobe, kobe & mj, mj never did this kobe never did that, as if theyre fucking gods or someshit theyre not gods, they are regular human beings like the rest of us
Clutch Master lmao Jordan says instead of who's the greatest player he says who's the greatest team shut up I praise Kobe yes MJ is ight their era was way harder than now and Kobe played through countless injuries Lebron is only "Great" because of how easy this era is so shut up probably was born in 2005.
That ending...... Even the editor of this video knows who won this debate 😂
Jasson Lit 😂
I wonder if they're going to take opposing positions on a topic and start yelling at each other. Or maybe one of them should "reveal" the real reason behind a storyline. They could also react to a recent headline or yell in each other's direction about who the GOAT is. What the hell are the meetings like before they air? Do they just pick a topic and flip a coin for who is going to yell about which side?
Lebron is the MVP, as boring as it is...Harden will win tho
Lil wayne the real mvp
Ant Mov 🐐
These "scripted disagreement" shows have about run their course with me.
If you swap LeBron and harden I don’t think the rockets are still the best team in basketball 🤔
Don McKnight They might have a better record
Bucks 🤔🤔 pretty sure they r the best
Lebron "Stat Stuffing" James
Devin Davila not harden?
But don’t you have to be good to stat stuff? I don’t see anyone that’s average able to put that up 😂
Lord Light Skin lol their teams must be trash, don't bother responding
LeSelf
t7Devin Davila by I 7u uve vg vg
just to put this out here, There is a difference between the most valuable free throw player(Harden) and the most valuable player (Lebron).
Haha true. Harden scored 21 points just recently and almost all of them we're from free throws. How sad.
Lebron getting mvp this year no dout
I agree on max go max
These guys get "heated" every show to boost numbers, smh.
If the SEASON mvp was based off of just the individual players skill set and performance, than Lebron James would be mvp every single season. But I’m sorry but team success is also a factor in my book, and Lebron and the Cavs have been struggling, even if Lebron is putting up insane numbers every game. What James Harden has done for the Houston Rockets, earns him mvp this season no doubt. His individual performance AND his melding with his team, lead them to a 60+ win season, he’s mvp.
Both players are having arguably their best seasons, and the Rockets are a 1st Seed, and the Cavs are barely a 3rd seed. The Cavs are 11 wins behind the Raptors, and with the way they’ve been playing...I don’t see them even breaking past the Celtics this regular season
In your book? Are you making the decisions? The title couldn't be anymore clear😂most valuable PLAYER! The fact that people actually would choose harden over Lebron is scary😭
Sam Goodman The Rockets have a better chance to make the playoffs without Harden than the Cavs without Lebron so I would say Lebron has a bigger impact on his team
That is the point Harden specifically hasn’t done shit for the Rockets! Without Harden they were still blowing teams out! You remove Harden from the roster and the Rockets are still a top 5 team in the league you remove LeBron from the Cavs and they sink to a lottery team. Harden isn’t nearly as VALUABLE as LeBron is! I would go as far as to say that Harden is less VALUABLE to the Rockets than Anthony Davis is to the Pelicans!
Sam Goodman in four years, cavaliers have won only 4 out of 25 games when Lebron is out. They practically never win a game without him. Harden’ team can win and proven it many times without Harden.
ANTHONY DAVIS IS MVP
lol how this conversation gets out of control. the last bit of this conversation had nothing to do with MVP convo
Lets be real!!!!! Harden is MVP Nuff said!!!!!!
KING TIM harden is the best sg mvp
If you think Harden isn't the MVP, go check which team is the first seed in the WC.
Jie Zhang but that's his team not him..... Like Max said you should look at the numbers of the player not the standings.... Because injuries and trades can affect where the team is in the standings... And that's what happened to the cavs.... Standings don't matter to deciding who is the most valuable player....
Dylan B, You're right. But I don't mean that. I personally think MVPs should not only have great stats, but help their teams win games. Harden and LeBron are so close for the MVP this year 2018. What else the judges should consider is the wins for their teams because MVPs should also empower their teammates and help their teams win more games.
Dylan B standings don't matter? If LeBron played every game and they still don't win with him hows he MVP?
So its either between the king with better stats or the guy who plays defence by looking at the ball...
These sports show are just bored... they really bringing up MVP conversations? 😂😂😂😂 Harden is Unanimous MVP
Max has a basketball IQ of like 3
B Daizy Exactly
There comparing who’s better not valuable. It’s called the Most valuable player.
Hell nah lebron aint no mvp
Heck yes LeBron mvp
Max been taking hella L’s
😂😂😂😂
Facts, But he is the combat sports guy.
Smith is the BB and NFL Guy they r both great.
How ? Stephen A didnt make sense , you can’t say “Kyrie Left So Lebron isn’t Mvp” wtf ? Get him outta here
Kadeem Hefner - He literally NEVER said that....did you even listen? Or you just on LeBron’s meat?
Phyuck Yiu 5:55 - 6:00 Shuttup Bro
Stephen A basically saying that the mvp is a single person award and agrees with Max's point about that, BUT the "mvp of said season" impacts their team and the synergy of said team, Thus the "mvp of said season" should be judged on a micro-team basis as well as personal stats and percentages of said stats.
Sorry but Max clearly taking the L on this debate.
Sorryimtruthful fuck no he's not.. lebron deserves it so much more
The thing with Bron is ... we take him for granted, his preformance AND how healthy this guy is. (has he ever had any mayor injury?). So when somebody gets a fantastic season we don't look at Bron, because we expect that kind of preformance.
17 games won?? Lebron has to work with straight up trash, while Harden is working with a great 3-point shooting, fundamental, and defensive team. Lebron is putting up bigger numbers with a worse team. Wins don’t matter, when we are looking at MVP. Whoever performed the best that season gets it. If team wins mattered, Russel Westbrook shouldn’t have gotten it last year. C’mon Stephen A. you’re better than that.
Stats
Team Record
All that matters.
Stats are a wash even though Harden has played better defense than Lebron this year and team record is far and beyond better than what Lebron has done with the Cavs. Lets not discount Lebrons horrific January performance.
The award is a weird award 🥇. Some ppl say its about whos playing better. Some ppl say its about whos team is better. Some ppl say its about stats.
Let’s not gloss over what Lillard has done
Telly Savalas mip
Max had a perfect argument and displayed sound logic. Stephen A is bringing up team cohesiveness to define the MVP award? Stop it.