Every MVP needs signature moments. Russell Westbrook had one of his Monday night.
This year’s Most Valuable Player race is among the very best in recent memory. With four deserving candidates in Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James, the league’s signature award has drawn as much interest and debate as ever before.
Each candidate has a separate case. LeBron James’ case is built on his quarterbacking of the defending world champions and his reliability to post 25/8/9 whenever they roll the ball out.
He’s having arguably the best passing season any forward has ever had, currently averaging more assists per game than any forward in the history of the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard’s case is built upon having one of the most efficient offensive seasons in recent memory while still upholding his defensive excellence, taking an ever larger role within the San Antonio Spurs offense.
If this holds true, @Spurs' Kawhi Leonard should be named the 2017 MVP. Let's see which history the voters value https://t.co/0Z5vu77yiI pic.twitter.com/HTWhrRH6xu
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 27, 2017
James Harden’s claim to the MVP throne rests firmly on his offensive tentacle-like reach to all of his teammates, as he’s been the heartbeat of the league’s second-best offense.
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Harden’s averages of more than 29 points and 11 assists per game put him on a list with only two other names: Oscar Robertson and Tiny Archibald.
Finally, Russell Westbrook’s MVP case is built on a foundation of volume. Whether it’s triple-doubles, shots, turnovers, however you define Russell’s MVP case, it is likely by the mass quantity of your chosen category.
Westbrook currently stands at 37 triple-doubles on the season, but that storyline has almost become secondary to his late-game heroics that have become customary.
Monday night against Dallas was another example of that, as Westbrook staged his own comeback by leading the Oklahoma City Thunder on a 14-0 run to end the game, scoring 12 of those points, including the game-winning jumper with seven seconds left.
Westbrook’s heroics have led to the Thunder owning the best net rating in clutch time in the entire association. Westbrook leads the league in clutch time points per game as well, with 5.9 per contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder
In addition, his usage rate in those crunch time opportunities is an astounding 61.9 percent, well above his 40.8 usage percentage overall that is going to shatter the league’s previous record.
Westbrook isn’t doing everything on his team, but he carries a heavier offensive burden than even Harden on a nightly basis. Admittedly, some of that is attributed to Westbrook’s mentality in tearing through bad shooting nights rather than succumbing to them.
But that argument comes with consequences, as it’s part of what makes him the unstoppable force that we know. Westbrook does seem to be making better decisions with the ball, posting his best assist-to-turnover ratio of the season.
After going 7-8 in January, Oklahoma City has pieced together a 14-10 record, staying in the hunt for a top-five seed and the right to not play the Houston Rockets in the first round. The Thunder own a 1-3 record against the Rockets this season.
Oklahoma City is a combined 5-3 against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
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With nine games remaining, if the Thunder go on a tear and win seven or more and sniff 50 wins, Westbrook may make the final move in what has been a scintillating MVP race.
Westbrook lacks a few of the prerequisites history tells us a candidate must have to win the MVP award (50-plus wins, top-three seed in the conference, outstanding efficiency), but is producing at a volume that the league has rarely seen.
Maybe most importantly, Westbrook has pieced together more “heisman moments” than any other candidate, games or clips the voters can think back on and say “can you believe he did that?”
The 50-point triple-double in the home opener or how about the 38-10-10 line, complete with a game-winner in Utah?
The Dallas game is just the latest in a string of vivid moments that Westbrook has created, posting one of the most memorable (if not most valuable) seasons in recent memory.
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I can’t wait to see what he does next.