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The media seem fascinated with Harden's incredible scoring binge and have covered it as such, detailing his mounting 30-point games and creating a pursuit of what would've seemed like an untouchable Wilt Chamberlain record just a few months ago. It's why Harden was the clear-cut Vegas favorite to repeat as MVP as recently as last week.
媒体似乎对哈登令人难以置信的得分狂潮感到着迷并且对其进行铺天盖地的报导，对他得30分以上的比赛大加描写，同时期待哈登打破威尔特张伯伦的记录，而几个月之前这个记录看起来遥不可及。这就是为什么上周在拉斯维加斯的赌场，人们最看好哈登会连庄MVP。
Two years ago, Harden had a strong MVP case, but Russell Westbrook had a phenomenal narrative: the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson while on a Kevin Durant-departure revenge tour. Westbrook got more than three times the first-place votes as Harden, who finished second.
两年前，哈登曾有很好的机会拿下MVP奖杯。但拉塞尔-威斯布鲁克书写了一个现象级的故事：在凯文-杜兰特离开后，他开启了自己的复仇之旅，成为了自奥斯卡-罗伯特森后第一个场均三双的球员。威斯布鲁克拿到的第一选票是哈登的三倍，后者只能屈居第二。
In a victory last month in Golden State, James Harden electrifying 3-pointer between Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to finish off a 44-point, 15-assist, 10-rebound game was a signature MVP moment.
而在上个月击败金州勇士的比赛中，哈登就如天神下凡，三分精准，他在德拉蒙德-格林和克莱-汤普森的防守下投中的绝命三分，全场更是怒砍44分10篮板15助攻，这是一个标准的MVP时刻。
So many times the MVP winner is aided by a great narrative that is formed during the season, and this season, Harden absolutely has it.
就以往的情况来说，要赢得MVP，需要在赛季中表现出足够的故事性。而本赛季，哈登绝对达到这一标准了。
"We played the same exact way last year and we almost made it to the Finals," Harden said, defending the Rockets' style this season. "I don't even care about the points, I'm just trying to win.
“我们就像上赛季那样打球,那会儿我们几乎闯进决赛”，哈登说，为这个赛季火箭的表现辩护，“我不在乎得分，我只想要赢。”
"We had a funky first half of the season. I just did whatever it took to keep our head above water. I was getting double-teams and triple-teams and I was doing whatever it took."
“我们前半个赛季打的不好。我只是竭尽所能来帮助球队保留希望。我尽力了，在比赛里被两人甚至三人包夹。”
Harden's play, Harden's story and Harden's killer highlights are lining up for him.
哈登的表现、哈登的故事和哈登的绝杀时刻都在帮他竞争MVP奖杯。
But just like with Westbrook, who has been accused of chasing triple-doubles, Harden fights against the purists.
但就和威少被人批评有刷三双的嫌疑一样，哈登的打球方式也饱受传统主义者诟病。
Those individuals seem to favor Antetokounmpo, who plays a more classic team-centric style that highlights old-school brute force of going to the rim over new-school efficiency like 3-pointers and free throws.
这些人大多更喜欢字母哥，因为他以球队为中心，并且依靠老派的冲击篮筐的方式得分，而不是新潮又高效的三分和罚球。
Antetokounmpo is also a terror at the defensive end. Harden is not, though he has developed into more of a defensive playmaker and is third in the league in steals per game. And the Bucks, it is important to point out, own the league's best record at 43-14.
字母哥在防守端的表现也很突出，远胜哈登，虽然哈登的防守也有进步，并且场均抢断数在联盟排第三。但是雄鹿占有联盟最好的战绩（43胜14负），这是很重要的一点。
"What is the most valuable player? He sets the tone for our entire organization, our work ethic, our approach to every day," said clearly biased but thoughtful Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.
“什么是最有价值球员呢？他为我们的球队定下基调，包括我们的工作精神和我们每天打球的方式”，雄鹿队的教练，迈克-布登霍尔泽自然偏向于自己的弟子，但说得也不无道理。
"You can talk about stats and Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal and things. But when you've changed an entire organization, changed the way people come to work every day and set a tone, that's value to me.
“你大可谈论那些比肩威尔特-张伯伦和沙奎尔-奥尼尔的数据。但当你能够改变一支球队，改变人们每天工作的方式，并且定下球队的基调，对我来说那才是最有价值的。”
"I feel like he's the most valuable player in our league. He's changed things in Milwaukee. He's changed them for the better. We're one of the best teams because of Giannis."
“我认为扬尼斯配得上一个MVP奖杯。他改变了雄鹿方方面面，他让整支球队变得更好了。我们现在是联盟最强球队之一，这都是因为扬尼斯的存在。”
If we're being honest here, if the vote were taken today, Harden wins over Antetokounmpo, and it's probably not that close. There's still roughly a third of the season to be played, of course.
老实说，如果今天就要选出MVP的话，哈登会赢得这座奖杯，他们两个之间还是有一定的差距。 当然了，赛季还有三分之一没打呢。
But in the coming weeks, as this topic really heats up and influential voices are asked for their opinion on the matter, the answers could be revealing. There isn't a right or wrong answer per se. Favoring one is not an insult to the other, though this is a point that can often be overlooked.
但在接下来的日子里，随着这个话题越发热门，名宿们会被很多人问到他们的看法，他们的答案也会让结局愈发清晰。这个问题本身没有正确或错误的答案，支持一人并不是对另一个人的侮辱，尽管这一点经常被人们忽视。
In the end, it's healthy for the NBA if the MVP race is competitive. Having a variety of opinions and styles juices the conversation and makes winning it all the more honorable. If it wasn't debatable and people didn't care, it wouldn't be any fun.
最后，如果MVP争夺战很激烈的话，那对NBA来说是好事。百家争鸣会使舆论更加精彩，也让赢得MVP成为一件更加光荣的事。如果毫无争议且人们漠不关心，那又谈何乐趣呢？
This season, the race could be just a little more spicy than usual.
本赛季，这场争夺战可能会比平常更加刺激。
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