- I disagree with James Harden’s assertion that playing in every game should hold weight in the MVP race. I feel that missing a significant chunk of the season should be a disqualifier (say, greater than ten games), but I don’t think there’s any substantive distinction in the merits between someone who has played every game, and someone who has missed a handful.
- I think Harden needs to sit. At least for a game. That wrist needs to heal, and it was clearly bothering Harden last night as he grabbed it numerous times, grimacing in pain.
- The SportsCenter Twitter account tweeted out a graphic last night, which has been making the rounds, about James Harden becoming the first player in NBA history to score and assist on 2,000 points each in a season. While impressive, recognition of the feat has not been met by the same masturbatory response as has acknowledgment of Russell Westbrook’s triple double exploits. Why? Because its a construct which has not been romanticized in the basketball zeitgeist. The same goes for all of James Harden’s achievements this year, most notably percentage of total points contributed to team production. As a value-metric, that tells us more than just about anything other than Lebron’s gaudy on-court/off-court statistics. But those things aren’t accessible in the mainstream – they haven’t been defined in the zeitgeist, much less elevated. The triple double, on the other hand, like ‘the 20 game winner’ in baseball, holds an almost folklorish place in sports culture, so much so that mere recognition of its existence is affirmation of its analytical value, thus leading to the “HOW CAN A GUY BE AVERAGING A TRIPLE DOUBLE AND NOT START THE ALL-STAR GAME/WIN MVP???!” consternations. Ice Cube did not mess around and “accumulate the greatest percentage of total team points contributed” on that one fateful day. But he did mess around and get a triple double. Westbrook’s candidacy is 2017’s ‘count the ringz’ and on which side you fall in this debate speaks to what you value. A construct is not more value-inherent by being recognizable.
