James Harden on winning MVP again this season: 'I'm going to get it'
James Harden finally won the NBA MVP award last season, putting up incredible numbers while leading the Houston Rockets to the Western Conference finals en route to winning the league’s most prestigious award.
Now, he’s ready to win it again — and his confidence level is sky high.
“I need it. I need it for sure,” Harden told the Houston Chronicle. “And I’m going to get it.”
That’s a bold statement from any NBA player — especially in January. However the way Harden has played in recent weeks backs that up extremely well.
Harden — who is currently averaging a career-best 33.3 points, 8.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game this season — has scored at least 40 points in his last four games, and scored at least 30 in his last 10. He already has 10 40-point games this season, too.
He even became the first player in league history to drop at least 35 points and five assists in eight-straight games, passing Oscar Robertson, and is also just the third player in 30 years to score 400 points over 10 games — joining Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
And to add to it, the Rockets are winning — they’ve won 10 of their last 11 games and have climbed to the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference standings.
He is playing out of this world.
Now, there’s no way this streak lasts — they never do. And a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. But Harden’s numbers right now have already surpassed his MVP-winning numbers last season, keeping the 29-year-old at the front of the MVP conversation.
He knows, though, that winning the award again won’t come down to just being a dominant force on offense. It will take a lot more than that — and he’s prepared to give it.
“Individually, I got to bring it every night and make sure the guys around me in that locker room are on the same level,” Harden told the Houston Chronicle. “It’s a great feeling. Individually, I got to make sure I’m on my A game every night, and that’s not just scoring. That’s being a leader every night. That’s making sure I’m communicating with my guys and we’re putting ourselves in positions to win games.”
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