On December 13, outside FedExForum, huge posters of Link and Harden staring each other down were hung up.
This type of poster usually only appeared for boxing or other combat sports events.
But today, the NBA had used such posters to promote a basketball game.
The reason was simple: beyond being a clash between the powerhouse Rockets and Grizzlies, this game was also a direct showdown between first and second place in the Most Valuable Player Award projections!
At this point in the season, Link had naturally returned to the top of the Most Valuable Player Award rankings, backed by his outstanding individual performances and his team's unmatched record.
Harden had already occupied a spot in the top five of the Most Valuable Player Award rankings last season. This year, after his numbers exploded, he had surpassed Curry and Durant to claim second place outright!
Everyone had witnessed Harden's performance this season. In terms of individual play, he was indeed even more outstanding than the Warriors' players!
Some even believed that if not for the Grizzlies' 24-game winning streak, even Link would have had to rank behind Harden!
To put it bluntly, they believed Link held the top spot in the Most Valuable Player Award rankings only because of his team's record.
If they compared individual performances alone, Harden was more exceptional than Link!
That was why this direct matchup between Harden and Link had become the biggest attraction of the day.
The question of who was better, Harden or Link, was even more eagerly discussed than the season-opening winning streak record.
"James Harden has undoubtedly reached the first peak of his career this season. Second in the Most Valuable Player Award rankings—Harden fully deserves it! There's no need to say much more about how destructive he has been this