Giannis and Harden

[Goose85]

Last year's MVP vote seemed to be Giannis v. Harden. Last night was an example of why I am really enjoying watching the Bucks play with their style and star player Giannis over teams like the Houston Rockets with their style and star Harden.

Last night Harden scores 41 in a loss to Memphis.
Giannis scores 37 in a win over NY (not a great team, I get that).

Both had great scoring nights based on points.
Both players made 10 free throws.
Giannis made 12 shots and Harden made 13. Pretty similar free throws and shots made.

The difference comes in how many shots taken.
Giannis was 12-17 (3 of 5 from 3). Giannis took 18% of the team's shots.
Harden was 13-37 (5 for 19 from 3). Harden took 43% of the team's shots, even though he was not shooting well.

I know, Harden usually shoots better, and one game is just a snippet of the season, but when you watch Houston it is the same thing, offense just stops once Harden gets the ball. He is a great player no doubt, and of course I'm biased, but last night was another example of why enjoy watching the Bucks style with Giannis, and why I think Giannis will be a repeat MVP!

[mufan2003]

A big key is also minutes played per game. Harden is at 37.2 mpg compared to 30.6 mpg for Giannis. More time for Harden to fill the stat sheet. It is great not having to overuse Giannis during the regular season. The benefits of having a deep team.

As a sidenote, Giannis currently with the best PER in NBA history.

[mufan2003]

28, 14 and 10 last night against the Bulls. Nice to see Giannis developing his post moves. One left semi-hook shot over his right shoulder. Also, multiple fade-away shots where he keeps the ball high (unblockable), showing a nice, soft touch. He did not have that in his arsenal last year against Toronto in the ECF. Marques Johnson mentioned, and I agree, that it will bode well come playoff time when the competition improves and the game can become a half-court struggle.