People need to remember that the NBA MVP is awarded to the player that has played the best for the regular season. Playoffs are not a factor in the voting. And "The Beard" has clearly been the best player this season since being the runner-up last season.

He is the leading scorer in the league while maintaining one of the highest numbers of assists. He's been able to take his game to another level and impress everyone with his talent. Harden has led the Houston Rockets all season long as his team has one of the best records in the NBA.

Another level

"The Beard" has always been an offensive weapon, but this season he has taken his game to enormous heights. He's shown his value in a variety of ways, hitting shots around the perimeter and from the three-point line. He has also racked up plenty of assists.

According to the ESPN database, he's averaging, "30.9 points, 8.9 assists, along with 5.2 rebounds per game." He's also shooting 38 percent from the three-point line and about 45 percent overall. What he does is create separation from defenders and initiate contact and go to the free-throw line. He can get you in many ways and he's an underrated passer. If you watch closely, you can see that he is able to thread the needle to get his teammate's easy opportunities and gets his entire team involved.

And he's stronger than he looks like, he can use his power to slash to the rim. He can pass the ball and shoot. And he has speed and agility. Harden has also been able to handle the pressure well with Chris Paul joining the team with critics thinking that it could not work out, but instead it's proven to be terrific for the team.

Teams success

The NBA season has been very competitive, especially within the Western Conference, as every single game has the potential, down the way, to make or break a team's playoff chances. However, the Houston Rockets have had no issue as they are currently on a 17 game winning streak and are a number one seed in the West with the Warriors a bit behind, by half a game.

It remains to be seen whether Harden can step up during the postseason and bring his team along to challenge the Warriors. I believe that the Rockets can beat the Warriors with the shooters around and with Harden leading the way. The Warriors are still the favorite, but the Rockets can still challenge them. The Rockets have barely lost any games with Harden, Chris Paul, and Clint Capela on the floor together.

And the shooters they have in their arsenal, Aaron Gordon, Joe Johnson, Jeff Green, and Ryan Anderson, make them a dangerous team. This team shoots very well from the three-point line and have no problem getting to the rim. They can space the floor really well and pressure the defense in various ways.

Runner-ups

There are a couple of players that can challenge Harden for the award. Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James are clear runners-up for the award. I still believe that James Harden deserves the award after coming back from being the runner-up last season and leading the Rockets to the best record in the NBA.

The MVP award is given for performance, in the regular reason, and with the dysfunction that was going on with the Cleveland Cavaliers, I do not believe LeBron James should get the award despite playing one of his best seasons with highs in field goal percentage from the three-point line and overall. Anyways, he is a candidate for the award every year with his greatness and has gotten it before.
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