Painfully Admitting My NBA MVP Candidate

/ sgodfrey630

Last week I tweeted that James Harden had my MVP vote. He led a surprising Rockets team to third in the west by barreling his way to 29.3 ppg (good for 2nd in the NBA) and 11.3 apg (3rd in the NBA). He was a leader on a surprise team that is actually pretty darn good and could make for a fun series with Golden State.

And then Sunday night happened. I still can’t stop watching it.

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That dagger capped an eventful night. Broke the triple double record. Check. Scored 50. Check. Eliminated Nuggets from the playoff. Check. Oh, and a buzzer beating, game winning 30 footer, sure why not.

Apparently, I believe in MVP moments, and late MVP campaigns. It pains me to say it, but Westbrook is my MVP.

And listen, it really, really, really does pain me to say it. I am not a Westbrook fan. Like, at all.

In 2014 I said:

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And in 2017 I said:

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His style of play is rough and ragged. I hate how he jacks up jumpers, brick after brick. I hate how jumps into defenders, baiting the refs into foul calls. I hate that he plays basketball in anger. He has a blatant disregard for opposition, which can come across as confident or cocky. I watched at All-Star weekend as others played the game for fun and enjoyed being around each other. Westbrook drove to the lane, glared at refs for and-ones, shot too many jumpers after feeling it, and even shoved away John Wall away after a foul call. It epitomized all that I hated about Westbrook.

BUT, while Haters Gonna Hate, real recognizes real. Or something like that.

What Russell has done is historic, literally. Yes, he averaged a triple double for an entire season while dropping nights of 50 and 40 like it wasn’t a big deal which placed him as the league leader in points per game (31.9). On top of that, he’s also played in 80 games with a fury and a passion unparalleled. While I can hate him for playing with anger, you can also classify it as playing with passion. He was 120 MPH at all times, destroying rims on a nightly basis as if they wouldn’t volunteer to get off of United.

James Harden said that the MVP vote should be determined by wins, as his Rockets team has 8 more wins than the Thunder. I certainly agree with Harden that the MVP – Most Valuable Player – leads his team to wins. Without Harden, the Rockets would be different as would the LeBron-less Cavs or Kawhi-less Spurs. But the Thunder would be a dumpster without Brodie.

Harden has been great this year, especially when given where he was mentally and physically last year with Dwight. He has matured on and off the court and is a coin flip for MVP. One could argue, however, that D’Antoni would figure something creative without Harden. He is my Coach of the Year because of how innovate he can be with the spalding. The Rockets have shooters galore so if they have a pass first point guard, they could spread the love and still score buckets. Without Kawhi, the best two-way player in the league, one would have to believe that the Spurs would still do Spurs things. Kawhi takes that team to the next level, but without him they would still be playoff contenders with Aldridge as an anchor in the paint surrounded by all their depth. The Cavs would have a big drop off without LeBron, but you still have two All-Stars, Love and Irving, who can make magic. Plus, with LebBon, Love, and Irving the Cavs have been too up and down. I like to believe LeBron is still the best player in the NBA, but he hasn’t vaulted his team’s play enough to bring him his 5th MVP trophy. 

The Thunder?

Enes would be the leading scorer, when he isn’t getting in fist fights with padded seats. Steven Adams is good too, but then who else? The Thunder weren’t supposed to win 45 without KD, but they did with Russ steering the ship. He got them into the playoffs, into the 6th seed, and into a nightly conversation. They needed every single one of his 24.1 shots per game and 10.5 free throw attempts because no one else could score (which is why I find it most fascinating that he managing 10.4 assists a game, good for third in the league). As a Jazz fan, Russ willed the Thunder to a win by scoring 12 points in three minutes, including the game winner. He crashes hard for a rebound, goes coast to coast full speed, lays into a defender, and hits the and-one with fifteen seconds left. It was a dagger, and worthy of the crowd chanting MVP. He basically did the same thing Sunday verses the Nugs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keaA6fWGZsE&feature=youtu.be&a

So, congratulations Russ. I have to admit that you have taken your team to another level, which is what quantifies a valuable player to me. The stats are there, the wins are enough, and the highlights seal the deal. You are the real MVP.

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