ABC launches their primetime Saturday night games tomorrow evening. It’s exciting for ABC, and for us, who enjoy pro basketball. This means that they’re a pro game on almost every night of the year, and the primetime slate means we’re getting closer to the postseason. THe only thing missing is the ability to flex games a week in advance, but that’s another blog post for another time. The matchup to open the year pits the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Houston Rockets. This means James Harden is going to get a ton of love from the ESPN-led media. The attention will be significant, and many will say that Harden should win MVP for the second straight year. Buks fans will furrow their brows at that thought, but that’s where we are right now. Should we hate what Harden is doing because of it?

Harden is having a season that we do not see in the NBA very often. Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe mentioned how rare it is for a player to average nearly 35 points a night. It’s been only done by a few people – Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. That’s the list, Chamberlain did it multiple times, but he’s a freak of nature. Therefore, Harden is doing something we have barely ever witnessed before, shouldn’t we be watching every moment and wondering how many points he’s going to have in this game? There is a little bit of a McGwire-Sosa type feel for Harden and his run because he’s made the Rockets must-see tv.

Bucks fans love to nitpick Harden’s stat lines. That’s the new hotness on the Internet right now and look, I fully get the idea of wanting Milwaukee’s son Giannis to thrive and win the MVP. That said, this is some special shit. Bucks fans need to take their medicine and deal with the Harden buzz for a little while. Even though he is in pretty solid shape, the burnout is going to come with Harden. He cannot keep this up throughout the season. That’s not possible, and that’s where Giannis’ full body of work comes into play.

Despite the league being okay going back-to-back with their MVPs, they do love the ‘leap’ a player could make throughout the year and the dawning of a new superstar. Giannis does have those narratives. It will be interesting to see if the ABC crew says anything about Giannis tomorrow night.

Charlie.