Harden wasn't selected MVP because the Rockets are villains

It's official. The NBA Writers Association has selected Stephen Curry as its 2014-2015 NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year. /shrug.

For many longtime Houston fans you may feel the need to get defensive and yelp and moan about why Harden was much more deserving. It's the same reason why some of you perhaps still feel the need to defend Mario Williams over Vince Young or Reggie Bush. Houston fans always feel the need to get defensive. Please don't.

Harden didn't win because he had an inferior season to Curry. Every meaningful statistic has Harden right there with Curry. This MVP race wasn't about numbers. Harden didn't win because well, really, people just don't like us anymore.

One of the most surprising things about this season is Houston semi-heel turn among NBA sport-yak talk circles. Yeah, in practice, the Threes-And-Frees gameplan the Rockets have mastered this season seems like a smart leg up on the competition. But in practice, it's one of the most boring and frustrating things to watch.

And you know what? I don't like watching the Rockets as much as I used to. Sure I still want them to win. But to be honest, their style of play doesn't really do it for me. When I think about why, Harden's style of play comes to mind.

It feels wrong to reward Harden with the MVP when if feels like at least 4 out of every 7 drives to the basket end with him flailing his hands in the air and looking at the ref for a call... which usually comes. This is a good skill to have as a basketball player, to be able to manufacture free points at the line when you know your offense has been stuffed. But watching something like this is another experience altogether. It's a lame experience, and if Harden played for anyone else, we probably would not like him that much. (interestingly enough, this is true of a number of Houston Rockets. GET WELL SOON BADGER!)

Take a look around the blogosphere and you'll see it everywhere. People are tired of Morey trying to milk every ounce of value out of every asset like some drug addict obsessively licking the mirror after finishing his tenth line of blow. You ever seen that guy licking the mirror? No one likes that guy. In life, it's not what you do it's how you do it. And the way the Rockets do things, well no one likes it. And it just cost Harden a well deserved MVP.

When you get a certain stink on you, it can be impossible to air it out. Harden, with his rote capacity for slowing the game down by getting to the line so much, stinks. And that's the unfortunate lay of the land here.

But don't get too down Rocket Fans, with some luck Harden and Curry will meet in the conference finals. And that would make for some interesting basketball.