The Rockets are headed for a top-3 seed in the Western Conference just a season after the team underachieved and barely made the playoffs. James Harden, who is in the discussion for the MVP award, credits coach Mike D’Antoni and his staff for the improvements, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 relays (Twitter link).
“The coaching staff did a really good job of helping us fix the culture that we had last year, the addition of new players, the same players that we had, we’ve meshed really well together,” Harden said.
Here’s more from Houston:
- Clint Capela echoes Harden’s sentiment on the Rockets‘ culture, as Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Since last year, it’s a different team,” Capela said. “Of course, we’re better than last year. We play every game to win. Tonight, we don’t think about if we win we go to the playoffs. We have the mindset to come into the game to win, play hard, be aware of the tendencies of each player. But of course, since 11 months, our team is way different.”
- Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle details Patrick Beverley‘s journey from playing outdoors in Chicago as an adolescent to finding his niche on the Rockets. The point guard was a high school star but had to go overseas and through the D-League to get his opportunity in the NBA.
- Harden believes that many factors should go into deciding who wins the MVP award, but he adds that winning is at the top of the list, Feigen writes in a separate piece. While Harden didn’t come out and say he should win the award, his teammates weren’t as bashful. “No matter what the media say, no matter what the people say, everybody in the league knows who the MVP is,” Beverley said. “James Harden.”
Defense should also be accounted for Mr Harden
Do some research. his defense has steadily improved from last season.
Well…why don’t you go look at the defensive win shares and see who’s really playing defense. Hardens d has always been blown way out of proportion. He’s never been a top tier defender but has never been as bad as the media makes him out to be. He had a lot of lapses last year that made the highlight reel as jokes on him, but overall he’s not that bad. And actually tied on the team for second in win shares and ahead of a lot of guys people consider plus defenders. The only time he really struggles on d is when he’s matched up with a smaller really quick guy where harden doesn’t have the foot speed to keep up. But overall he is no worse than an average nba defender.
So combine his average defense with top 2 offensive production and how successful the team that everyone said would be fighting for an 8 seed, you’re looking right at the should be mvp of the league.
I don’t have to look at win shares to see if a guy is playing defense or not. Harden played 0 defense last season and he is only slightly better this season. Sick and tired of ppl using stupid analytics when you can actually just see it in real life.
lmao^ I watch and agree with the analytics so…
The best way to think about the MVP topic is imagining that all rosters are being reset, a draft is happening and you have the first pick.
With that pick, would you really be selecting Harden?
No, that isn’t the best way to think about who MVP is. If it were, Kobe would have more than one.
That’s such a dumb way of looking at the mvp. Mvp isn’t who is the best player in the league. If so lebron would win the mvp for 10 straight years. The mvp should be a combination of who is playing the best that season as well as value to his team. And the rockets would be one of the worst teams in the league without harden and he is also having one of the best statistical seasons in nba history.
I had Harden 7th before the injury to Durant and Lowry. Now I have him 5th…he isn’t the obvious MVP.
You must not watch very many Rockets games