The Most Valuable Player award is a very narrative-driven one, and that is the case for this season as much as any. The superstar of the Houston Rockets, James Harden, is up for it once again, but he will likely see another second-place finish this year.
Most of the time, with the occasional exception (see Russell Westbrook), the MVP is given to the best player on the best team, as long as they had an exceptional season. When the Beard won it last season, he had incredible numbers on a 65-win team which gave him a pretty comfortable victory.