Sorry James Harden ... you are NOT the MVP of this year's NBA, so says Rip Hamilton -- who tells TMZ Sports, "I might have to go with Giannis."
The Association's MVP race is basically down to Harden vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo with only a handful of games left to play ... and Rip tells us he's giving the nod to the Bucks star for now.
And why? The Detroit Pistons legend says he's gotta reward Giannis' win-loss record.
"You gotta give credit to Giannis, man. He's on the No.