In the Paint: James Harden’s historic night all but secured him the MVP trophy

Now usually I don’t get excited about mid-January, Tuesday night games against non-playoff teams. But earlier this week, in one of those run-of-the-mill outings, Houston Rockets guard James Harden put on a record-breaking show that got the whole sports world on its feet.

The Beard exploded in Houston against the Orlando Magic, grabbing the NBA’s first ever 60-point “triple-double” — recording double-digit stats in three different categories.

In addition to reaching new career and franchise highs in scoring, setting this new league record and straight up stunning basketball’s biggest fans, Tuesday’s performance moved the Rockets’ star closer to something he’s never won before: Harden is now the clear favorite for this season’s Most Valuable Player award.

The race towards the MVP trophy in recent years has been more wild than Season 5 of “Breaking Bad.” LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are all the protagonists you need for a thrilling fight toward being crowned the league’s most deadly weapon.

But for the MVP-less Harden, his 60 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds pushed him straight to the top of this year’s most qualified candidates.

Individually, The Beard is playing his best basketball since he came into the league nine years ago as a scrawny, facial-hair-free member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s currently averaging 31.6 points per game, over three points more than his closest competition — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

According to ESPN.com’s John Hollinger, the Rocket point guard leads the league in a meticulously calculated metric known as PER (player efficiency rating) with a score of 30.32.

While it may remain a somewhat ambiguous algorithm, players who have been labeled the most “efficient” in years past — Westbrook, Curry, Anthony Davis — shows you all you need to know that Harden is doing something right.

At this point it would be hard to find a human being on Earth who would argue that Harden is not a lethal scoring machine, especially after the magic he pulled against Orlando.

But can scoring points be enough to declare one the MVP? Of course not, or else Kobe Bryant would have way more than just one, but that’s another story for another day.

What makes Harden such a fundamental part of the fluid Rocket’s offense is his ability to dish “the rock.”

Harden is averaging a staggering 9.1 assists per contest, the third most in the NBA. His ability to attack the rim and score — or more commonly, draw a foul — requires opposing teams to put extra attention on him on defense.

As Harden puts the moves on and drives on his defender, who is most likely off in no man’s land with at least one broken ankle by now, the help-defense squeezes into the paint, freeing up the Rockets’ stellar array of shooters for wide-open jump shots. This system has been on full display throughout this season.

Harden also makes a strong case to take home the award solely based off his team’s success. One can’t possibly be the most valuable player out there if his team isn’t doing well, or else he wouldn’t be adding much value to his squad. But at 37-13, Houston boasts the third best record in the NBA, only four games back from first place Golden State Warriors.

As for the other top playmakers in the NBA, the recent trend toward “super-teams” have improved these players’ chances at winning rings, but hurt their chances at beating out Harden for MVP. Former winners like Curry, Durant and Westbrook have to share the ball with multiple superstars, while Harden was the only Rocket selected for the 2018 All-Star Game.

Two other emerging candidates, Kyrie Irving and Antetokounmpo, are still building their stardom and their team’s legitimacy.

Harden had been there earlier in his career, but has since separated himself from Irving and the Greek Freak by transforming into a veteran superstar that pushes his team to the top each and every year.  

And as for LeBron James, although he continues to play dominant basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers are messier than a teenager’s bedroom right now. James and his teammates have some sorting out to do before any awards get sent their way.

Finally, those who vote for the NBA’s MVP — independent media members — go absolutely bananas for stats. Harden’s historic performance sticks out like a sore thumb to these basketball junkies, just like Westbrook’s 42 triple-doubles did a year ago.

Let’s be real here. The Rockets’ pregame hype crew could have chosen any fan from the crowd to play, and that fan would probably have put up at least 20-5-5 against the dismal Magic defensive backcourt. But 60-11-10? That’s something only The Beard can do, a clear MVP.