I honestly didn’t see this day coming. I never would have guessed that two of the best scorers in the NBA would be a chef and some facial hair. Another thing that comes as a surprise is the fact that the chef is so much more loved than the facial hair. If you couldn’t tell by the pictures and nicknames, obviously I’m talking about Steph Curry and James Harden.
The MVP race this season was definitely one of the most exciting in recent memory. There were legitimate arguments for both Harden and Curry as well as arguments for LeBron, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis.
Now, we have the MVP going against the MVP runner-up in an exciting playoff matchup in the Western Conference Finals. Curry is dazzling the crowd with his ball handling and crazy shots, while Harden continues to shoulder most of the offensive load for Houston. Sure, they get their points in different ways, but they are still quite similar too.
We see Curry hit some crazy threes and even some big time layups over top of all the bigs in the paint. Harden does the same thing, except a little more driving to the hoop and a little less three pointers. That’s where all the hating comes into play.
For some reason, people want to hate James Harden for his ability to get the free throw line. A lot of his points come from the free throw line, but instead of admiring his ways he manages to get so many free throws, many fans hate him for doing so. Why?!
Every time I watch James Harden, I’m amazed at how this guy gets to the line so many times. All of these teams know that Harden wants to draw a foul, and he STILL gets them to foul him. He holds the ball out like the last cookie in the cookie jar and the defender just can’t help going for it.
On the other hand, Steph Curry gets more love than hate and that’s definitely deserved. Curry’s game is a crowd pleasing style of flash and big plays. It’s easy to understand why so many people love watching him play.
So, what I’m really getting at is why can’t we just enjoy both styles and savor the excitement of this series? Stop hating one side or the other and just appreciate greatness.
