James Harden Thinks He Deserves the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award Over Steph Curry: "I Am the MVP"

James Harden makes a strong case for him winning the MVP award.

Image via USA TODAY Sports/Mark D. Smith

Last night, Steph Curry went off (again!) for the Warriors. He scored 45 points against the Trail Blazers on 17-for-23 shooting, broke his own mark for the most three-pointers in a single NBA season, and hit a series of shots that were just, well, see for yourself:

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Pretty incredible, right? MVP-like, to say the least. But despite his masterful performance, James Harden isn't ready to concede the MVP trophy to Chef Curry just yet. He spoke with NBA.com late yesterday and revealed that he thinks he should be the MVP this season. He's shied away from the topic in recent weeks. But based on what he's been able to do for the Rockets this season with Dwight Howard stuck on the sidelines with injuries, Harden believes he deserves to win the MVP award.

"I feel as though I am the MVP," he said. "I think the MVP is the most valuable player to your team. Obviously, you have to be winning and be one of the top teams in this league, and we are. I'm not taking credit away from anybody else in the league. But I've been consistent all year. I've just been doing the right things to put my team in situations to win, considering all of the different circumstances we've had to deal with."

Harden also said that he's been amazed by what Curry has been able to do. But he's still giving himself the nod over the Golden State star.

"I'm looking at all those things put together," he said. "Not taking away from Steph or that team. It's an unbelievable season that they're having. But we're having a pretty good season as well with all the injuries and all that we've been going through this season…Look, I understand that people can go either way with it. But for the most valuable player, I think I would have the edge."

Do you agree with him? The MVP race is still close, so we're going to open the voting up to you. Check out our MVP poll below and let us know who you're pulling for.

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[via NBA]

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