And I don't think it has been fluid.

Actually, I think Joel Embiid took that lead early in the season and has never relinquished it.

I think wire to wire.

So far, he's been the MVP of the NBA, by the way, just like you gave respect to Embiid.

I'm not here to down Harden, I think Hardens playing the best basketball of his career.

And that's saying a whole lot because the guy is not only an M V P, but perennially, he is maybe deserving of the M V P.

He's right there of the regular season.

He's either the M V P or the runner up in the third place every year.

I think this is the best he's ever played.

Um, he's been amazing.

But Stephen A.

He missed the first part of the season with the Nets.

You know.

Embiid has been with the Sixers the entire time and the Sixers have the best record in the conference, and the Sixers beat the Nets when they last played and they just beat Utah.

They did it because Joel Embiid will them back in the game down the stretch in the fourth quarter, and he took them to overtime with a run back.

Three.

I mean, this dude is doing everything 40 and 19 and over time last night, but for the season 30 11.5 with a block and a half and Stephen A.

That's just on the offensive end.

If you want to argue hardened because he's a floor general and by the way, LeBron I know it gets boring.

LeBron's right there every year because because of all the responsibility they have in the offense, that's fine.

But let's stay to harden for a second because LeBron also defends.

Harden is an underrated defender.

Like I'm almost on the verge of saying Hardens a pretty good defender.

But I don't know if I'm there yet, but he's certainly not a bad defender.

Joel Embiid might be legitimately the best defensive player in basketball.

He may have the greatest defensive impact in the NBA, so you got the offense, which at most is very close.

Maybe it's emptied.

Maybe it's hard and I won't fight you too hard.

If you say hardened on offense by a very, very little bit.

Even though Embiid efficiency numbers are better than hardens and everything.

I'm being students over 40% from three all that.

But on defense, it's not close.

So there's offense and there's defense and there's your team's record.

And there's the fact that M B has been there the whole season.

I can't as great as hard has been.

I can't make the argument for him over Embiid and and not over LeBron either.

I know Hardens got into a new team that's a big thing to show up in a new place and not miss a beat.

Start dropping triple doubles with 30 points and wins.

I get it.

I get it.

But LeBron's missed one game this season for the Lakers and has been doing everything hard has been doing on offense and has been playing better defense.

I can't give it to harden this year's M V P so far.

Well, listen, I I hear where you're coming from with with Harden again.

If Kevin Durant was in there, I feel differently.

But because Kevin Durant is out, um, and him continuing to play the way that he's played and amping it up and listening to the players talk about him and the leadership that he's providing the point guard duties, that he's obviously partaken.

I got to give credit where credit is due in terms of Joel Embiid as a defensive wizard.

He's a big time defensive player.

Deserves a lot of credit, But let's not call him the best defensive player on the sixties.

We know better than that.

It's Ben Simmons, Ben Simmons.

It's the best defensive player.

Ben Simmons is gonna win defensive player of the year.

If anybody paying attention, he's been absolutely great.

And so I don't think there's any denying that.

And then you look at the you know over time, for example, when they went to Bias Harris four straight times.

Yeah, Joel and we can do some things, but the guys around him are doing so much.

People don't realize, even though he's averaging 30 and 11 shoot 42% nearly 42% from three point range, which is not something we're accustomed to seeing from Joe L and B.

The reality is that the coaching combined with the personnel that he's had around him this particular season with what Doc Rivers, Elton Brand and Daryl Morey have done deserves a lot of kudos for what's transpiring there.

In the case of James Harden, James Harden literally has found himself having to hold down the fort to pick up the slack until Kyrie can go at it for you night in and night out as well as Kevin Durant, ultimately coming back.

So all of those things are things that need to be taken into consideration as we look at what Brooklyn is doing.

They won 10 of their last 11 games, the only a half game out of the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

I look at it from that perspective based on those circumstances, and I think the argument is sound on behalf of James Harden.

Well, I'll say this for Harden.

I m beads the M V p to me, Um, then at this moment LeBron but hardens in the conversation.

And I've never I don't think even heard of something like this Where a guy not midseason exactly, but once a nice little part of the season has already been played, switches teams, but not only switches teams, plays his way out of town like made it very clear with his play and his attitude.

He did not want to be there, and Harden was toxic.

At that moment, you heard all around the league.

Guys didn't even want him to come to that town.

They didn't want to play with him.

For him to show up in Brooklyn like, as I've been saying, looking like he rolled out of bed fat and out of shape like a hot mess and and Day one start, dropping triple doubles with 30 points in winds has been remarkable, and he is in the conversation.

I will give you that hardens in the conversation, but not at the very top of the list.

That's for the big man who did it again last night.

Who's dominating a league right now, where I thought it was impossible for an old school back to the back to the basket type centre to dominate the league, but he's doing it.

He's the best player in basketball so far from beginning to end, the most valuable in the year 2021.

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