Houston Rockets star guard James Harden had a breakout year last season, and he firmly believes that the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award that Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry won should have been his.
Harden finished second to Curry in the MVP votings during the 2014–15 season. Even though he did not get the award, he was named the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) MVP last July.
Despite the feat, the 26-year-old thinks he should have been the National Basketball Association (NBA) MVP in the 2014–15 season after his performance and what the Rockets have achieved.
"I am the best player in the league. I believe that. I thought I was last year, too. I know I was the MVP. That's 100 percent given all the things that happened last season," Harden said, according to NBA.com.
The three-time All-Star gave the Warriors credit for the year they had last season but he believes the award means being the "most valuable" in your team.
Harden spoke of the Rockets finishing second in the Western Conference and winning their division despite all the injuries, also how he led the NBA with points scored per game and minutes played, calling them factors that should have made him MVP.
"Like I said, I'm not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me," he expressed.
Harden played in 81 regular season games last season, averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, seven assists, and 1.9 steals per contest.
In the postseason, Harden averaged 27.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per outing in 17 games played.
The Rockets were eliminated by Curry and the Warriors in five games in the Western Conference Finals before winning the NBA title.
In a report by NBC Sports, Curry responded to Harden's statement through Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area saying, "It doesn't change what happened last year."
Curry also stated, "I try not to do a lot of talking, especially (regarding) things that have passed. Obviously, you've got to motivate yourself and I'm sure he's motivated this year to do some special things. I'm the same way."
