Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window)

Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

James Harden, in his own way, is on a historic hot streak.

So, he’s intensifying his rhetoric about Most Valuable Player.

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude of TNT:

I asked James Harden if he is consciously hungry for winning another MVP, he said “I need it. I need it for sure. And I’m going to get it”. #Rockets — Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) January 2, 2019

Harden might be the NBA’s steadiest MVP candidate. In the last four years, he has three top-two finishes, including winning the award last season.

After a slow start, Harden is back in the race this season. I’d still call Giannis Antetokounmpo favorite, and plenty of others – including LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry – are in the mix.

But so is Harden, and I don’t mind him stating his personal ambitions. He drives the Rockets. Chasing this award will only help Houston. This is not a player choosing personal goals over team goals. They go hand-in-hand.

So, if Harden declaring his intent to win MVP motivates him, good for him – and the Rockets.