Most figured that Houston Rockets guard James Harden would win a second consecutive MVP following a tremendous 2018-19 season.
Harden, 29, averaged a ridiculous 36.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game en route to leading Houston to a 53-29 record.
Unfortunately for Harden, he was passed up for the top individual award by Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Harden apparently is not happy, and he’s blaming the media for being snubbed.
“I had a (season) for the books, but it’s out of my control,” Harden told 97.9 The Box (h/t ESPN). “Once the media creates that narrative about one person for the beginning of the year, I think they just run with that narrative until the end of the year.”
Primarily, Harden is talking about the narrative that he’s a poor defender. While he’ll never earn All-NBA team honors on that end of the court, the seven-time All-Star did improve a great deal defensively this past season.
The biggest question here is basic numbers compared to efficiency. Harden attempted a career-high 24.5 shots per game last season, including 13.2 three-pointers. He averaged 1.47 points per shot.
Giannis? Well, he averaged 1.60 points per shot and played better defense. That’s likely what voters took into account more than Harden averaging north of 36 points per game.