With 91 of a possible 100 first place votes in the latest version of The Washington Post’s NBA MVP straw poll, James Harden is all but certain to win. (Matt York/Associated Press)When James Harden limped off the court inside Houston’s Toyota Center with a hamstring strain on New Year’s Eve, it appeared this year’s NBA most valuable player award was officially LeBron James’s to lose. That status was borne out by the latest installment of The Washington Post’s MVP straw poll, which saw 91 of the 100 media members surveyed over the past two weeks put Harden atop their ballot. With eight second place votes and a lone third place vote, Harden had a final tally of 971 out of a possible 1,000 points and was the only player named on all 100 ballots. It appears Irving and the remainder of the field, however, are simply playing for second place.

Source: Washington Post February 15, 2018 11:03 UTC