James Harden Voted MVP at the Players' Awards '15
Stephen Curry edged James Harden out for NBA MVP this past season, but that was the media's vote.
Last night at the inaugural National Basketball Players Association Players' Awards, which was solely voted on by the players, the Beard wouldn't be denied.
The players had their say and they tapped Harden over Curry to win the MVP. Harden did have mostly favorable stats (27.4 points, 7.0 assist and 5.7 rebounds per game) compared to Curry (23.8 ppg, 7.7 apg and 4.3 rpg), but Curry did lead the Golden State Warriors to a 67-win regular season.
Although the players gave the nod to Harden for MVP, they named Curry the Hardest to Guard and Clutch Performer. The Warriors' Oracle Arena received the Best Homecourt Advantage award for their raucous fans.
The Player You Secretly Wish Was on Your Team trophy went to LeBron James, and Chris Paul won the Oscar Robertson Visionary Award for his on- and off-the-court achievements.
The players also named Ray Allen Man of the Year, flashing to a video tribute from President Obama that left the future Hall of Famer emotional. They also named Allen Iverson their Gamechanger, leading the "Answer" to comment: "This is one of the most special awards I've ever received because it comes from y'all."
The award for Best Defender went to Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan in a category that, ironically, didn't even include Kawhi Leonard, who won the league's traditional Defensive Player of the Year award. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was voted the Coach You Most Want to Play For.
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