OC Register The Rockets have quickly transformed from the league’s biggest disappointment into its hottest team. Thanks to ten wins in the last eleven games, the Rockets catapulted ten spots upwards into the fourth seed. In an ultra-competitive West, these wins came against quality conference opponents including Portland, LA Lakers, Utah, San Antonio, OKC, Memphis, and New Orleans (and a great win against Boston). James Harden First and foremost, the obvious reason is that

After arguably the most exciting NBA season in years, we’re finally heading towards the postseason and with that comes awards season. Although the MVP race isn’t officially a done deal, many believe it to be all but over. Houston Rockets guard James Harden has shocked many of us by leading the Houston Rockets to best record in the NBA and while averaging 30.6 PPG (first in the NBA) and 8.7 APG (third in the NBA) . The Beard has been in the mix for league MVP for several years

At this point it is virtually inevitable that James Harden will win this season’s Most Valuable Player award. Even if he sat out the remainder of the season it would seem as though he has done enough to finally secure the honor that has alluded him for some time. So with first place penciled in, who is still in the conversation for runner-up? LeBron has been right there with Harden from the opening tip of the season, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have been a mess for much of th

Now that the all-star break has come and gone, the MVP race is now starting to really heat up. This is the time of year where teams really start to ramp up their run at the playoffs and players start prepare themselves for the rigors of post-season basketball. The MVP is still somewhat wide open with a handful of potential winners still in the mix. But with that being said, James Harden remains the clear front runner. Unlike the 2015 and 2017, where he was slightly overshadow

Every year, the Christmas day showdowns are a way for MVP candidates to put an exclamation mark on their case at capturing the Maurice Podoloff trophy. This season, few of the leading candidates managed to truly take advantage of the stage; however some of the more fringe candidates were able to seize the opportunity and use the showcase as a way to catapult themselves up the rankings. Let’s start with every basketball fan’s favorite ex-teammates, Kevin Durant and Russell Wes

For the last decade or so, the NBA had seen a huge change in the type of player that dominated the hardwood. Due to some convenient rule changes, point guards had become far more important than in previous eras of basketball. These modern point guards were being asked to score the ball more than ever before, leading to blurred lines between the traditional guard positions. Consider this: in the forty years between 1965 and 2004, only one point guard won the MVP award, and tha

After the first month of NBA basketball the MVP race is still wide open. After Westbrook’s historic season last year, the requirements to win the award seem to be as up in the air as ever. Westbrook was only the second player in league history to average a triple-double, but he was also the only player in the last 30 years to win MVP without securing a top-3 seed. Only 14 games have been played so far, but so many different players have made a case for themselves. Even player