Chris Snan, Staff Columnist~
This past regular season was arguably one of the most entertaining seasons in NBA history, due in part to the star power in the league. Several players stepped up in big ways on game day, improving the quality of the competition. It was even sweeter to see rookies like Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, and Jayson Tatum make use of their playing time and put up good numbers in their first season.
Despite all the great performances we saw from a number of players, two players stuck out from the rest of the pack. James Harden and LeBron James are arguably the most dangerous players at their respective positions.
Of course, we expected another MVP caliber season from “The King,” that is LeBron James. The current four-time MVP is capable of putting up these kinds of numbers every season, however this season was something special. For the first time in his career, LeBron played all 82 games uninterrupted and throughout all those games he played like he hasn’t missed a step.
He averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists. Incredible numbers from LeBron in his 15th season in the league, and potentially the best season of his career. Adding to that, he surpassed Michael Jordan in most consecutive games with 10 or more points. Michael Jordan had set the record with 866 games, but LeBron set the bar this year with 873.
As good as that may seem, LeBron isn’t the only one worth considering for most-valuable player. James Harden put on a solid performance throughout the 2017-18 season, and he didn’t have to play all 82 games to do it either.
Let’s not forget the 60-point triple-double that he put up one night which, by the way, stands as the highest scoring triple-double of all time. Harden also ended the regular season leading the league in scoring with 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
Both Harden and LeBron were out on a mission this season, and they both succeeded. It’s not going to be easy deciding who gets bragging rights, but one thing is for sure: Both of these players had an astonishing year.
