Reconsidering the NBA’s Best
It’s about time a certain robot gets the recognition he deserves
Last night, 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter, James Harden and the Rockets were cruising. Up by double-digits, Harden already had 30 points, 10 assists, and was giving the Spurs a lot of trouble. This was nothing new. Harden was again making his case for MVP, racking up his classic triple-double numbers and wreaking havoc on opposing defenses.
Then something changed. Well, actually SOMEONE changed. The Spurs made the decision to put Kawhi Leonard, their star player and noted lockdown defender on Harden. The next three Rockets possessions all ended the same way: in turnovers. Towards the end of fourth, the Spurs went on a big run to bring the game close. If you think about it though, this isn’t new either- Kawhi’s quiet dominance has helped the Spurs finish out more than a few close contests, including recent ones against the T-Wolves on Saturday (34 points in OT win) the Pelicans on Friday (31 points, 7 boards, 6 assists in OT win), and the Pacers last Wednesday (31 points and a game winner).
Following the Spurs’ 3rd quarter run they remained neck and neck with the Rockets for the remainder of the game. Leonard had 20 points in the fourth quarter alone. After this 16-point comeback, still down by one, Kawhi pulled up for and drained a cold-blooded three with 26 seconds remaining. But the show didn’t stop there. He ran back on defense to smack a James Harden would-be-game-tying layup off the glass. An absolutely incredible sequence of beautiful basketball!
There has been an assumption among basketball fans that the two consistent triple-double threats- Westbrook and Harden- are locked in for the top spots for MVP balloting with LeBron lurking as always. Kawhi has been and continues to challenge this assumption. He matched Harden point-for-point last night, but did it at a much more efficient rate with only 18 field goal attempts and one turnover. This season Leonard has gone from very good to great. When it has come down to the end of the game he wants the ball and has shown he knows what to do with it. He has increased his scoring every year. In the past Kawhi was shut down on offense at various points, but he now carries the Spurs offense on a nightly basis. The craziest part about his improvement is that Kawhi has already been an All-NBA player- nobody had thought he could climb to another level. Then, obviously, there is the defense. His crazy long arms, huge hands, fast reaction time, and hard work has given him the Defensive Player of the Year 2X running. He is the elite wing defender in the league.
Kawhi- has turned this MVP race into a different discussion. Russell Westbrook might become the first player to average a triple double since 1962, James Harden will lead the Rockets (a better team) with some similar stats, and LeBron James will continue to defy the process of aging- leading his elite team in minutes with 26 points, 9 boards, and 8 assists. But, we must not forget Kawhi. He is the best two-way player in the league and while it is fun to watch Harden, Westbrook, and LeBron- Kawhi is contributing more to the spurs winning than any of them. Kawhi did just that when he lead the Spurs to a big W, with a big division matchup on the line last night. If the MVP award were given today I think Kawhi would probably lose- Harden and Westbrook have been too exciting to ignore, and LeBron definitely deserves some consideration. But, there is more than a month left in this season — so watch the Spurs games close. They all seem to end in a similar way. Leonard seems to be the defense against any teams star and the offense his team needs to win games. If the Spurs keep winning there should NOT be a question. Kawhi Leonard will be the MVP.
