2016-17 NBA Awards Season: Ranking The Top 4 MVP Candidates

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Jan 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) hugs Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) after the Rockets defeated the City Thunder at Toyota Center. Houston Rockets won 118 to 116. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

The Verdict

After going through 10 different categories of varying importance, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are tied at 5-5.

Like most every other NBA writer, I’ve waffled back and forth on this final choice dozens of times. Until the last month of the season, I had Harden comfortably ahead in one of the NBA’s tightest MVP races ever. Then Russ hit the nitrous and recency bias aside, this is a damned good contest.

Picking Harden over Russ rewards team success, impact, improved leadership, efficiency and yes, even defense. Picking Russ over Harden rewards a historic albeit arbitrary feat, big numbers, value and narrative. There’s no wrong answer here, though one side will clearly be devastated after putting together one of the best non-MVP seasons of all time.

Oscar didn’t win MVP in his triple-double season, but that should hardly be relevant here. It was a very different league back then, and players voted on the award in a time when Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain still owned the NBA.

My head says James Harden. My heart says Russell Westbrook. My stomach says it’s not feeling so hot, and my fingers are just typing words now because my brain can’t handle thinking about this decision anymore.

The Verdict: Russell Westbrook

Again, you can’t go wrong here. This is arguably the best MVP race in league history, so if co-MVPs was an option, that’d be the way to go.

Next: NBA Awards - Top 10 Defensive Player Of The Year Candidates

If I had a vote and were forced to choose, I’d probably put Harden at No. 1, Westbrook at No. 2 and Kawhi at No. 3. But since I don’t, and since the votes are already in, no one should be surprised when Russ — neck-and-neck with Harden in almost every way — wins the 2016-17 MVP Award.