TripleDoubleMachine? FearTheBeard? KingJames? SplashBro? Kawhi? Who’s Taking Home the MVP?
We are nearing the end of the NBA season and there is a fierce competition between a group of stars for the NBA MVP. It seems that every night one of these stars is putting on a basketball show with extremely high levels of play and insane highlights. Of course, we are talking about Russell Westbrook (King of the triple-double), Lebron James (King of ball), Steph Curry (King of the 3), Kawhi Leonard (King of defense) and James Harden (King of no defense). Ok, James Harden’s defense may not be the best, but it has improved and his offensive game is unstoppable.
Lets go through each of these players and examine what they are doing for their team.
Curry → Curry is a 2 time MVP and can shoot like no other. Everyone figured correctly that with the addition of Kevin Durant, his production would dip. It did. Kevin Durant was actually in the talks for MVP as he was playing some of the best basketball of his career, but we all know what happened next. Even with KD, Curry was putting up decent numbers. He was still shooting high percentages and helping his team win games. Now we see that was all because of KD. Since KD went down, Curry’s 3 has not been falling, he looks rattled on the floor, and most importantly, they are losing games. They lost three in a row and narrowly escaped the 76ers keeping them from a 4 game losing streak. They were down 14 at one point to the 76ers. That is not Warriors basketball. It should have been a blowout. They are lucky they won. Spurs are now right behind them and will likely pass them for the number 1 seed. Curry will not be the MVP.
Harden → The Rockets are hot. They are the number 3 seed and this is all because of James Harden. He is averaging about 29 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. This is way above his career average of 22 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. These are phenomenal numbers, but they are not historic (you will see what I mean). It’s very hard to say no to Harden for the MVP, but…
Westbrook → Historic! Averaging 32 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. He is #ChasingHistory for most triple-doubles in a season. I believe he will accomplish this goal and will, of course, average a triple-double for the season. I think the MVP must go to Westbrook because of this. The Thunder lost Kevin Durant. Everyone thought they would tank. Westbrook didn’t. Im sure he knew what he was capable of. Now, they are the 6th seed with the potential of getting as high as the 4th seed, but are we really going to analyze team records here. Without him, Thunder would be the worse team in the league. They have nobody. Westbrook is turning the Thunder into an NBA all star team. This is my opinion, however, we all know team records will be a factor. This is why im hesitant to say he will win it.
Leonard → Leonard is a defensive god and his offensive game is highly improved. He is hitting clutch shots and chasing down guys for that clutch block. Yes, his season is his best of his career and he should be talked about for MVP, but with the type of seasons coming from Harden and Westbrook, it will be overlooked. Sorry Kawhi, maybe next year.
James → Now, Lebron is 32 and playing at levels we have not seen from him. He has 10 triple doubles on the season and is averaging 26, 8 and 8. Great numbers for the 32 year old king. What separates James from Westbrook and Harden is the team record. The Cavs hold the number 1 seed. This will be looked at for sure. Another key here is when Lebron leaves the floor, the Cavs blow leads. I’m not talking about a 3 point lead. Double digit leads they are blowing and when Lebron comes back, they regain the lead. It shows how important Lebron is to the team. Once he is on the floor, all eyes turn to him and then he has the passing ability and IQ to figure out what play to make. Players like Derrick Williams who have been cut from other teams are playing extremely well due to Lebron.
I think the MVP should definitely go to Westbrook. When you are about to make history and your team will make the playoffs being at least the 5th or 6th seed, you deserve it. Lebron and Harden will be argued and also deserve it, but I have to go with the guy chasing history. Every one of these guys are needed for their team so I believe that factor cancels itself out. Now you need to find another important factor. That category goes to Westbrook.
Will my thinking actually be what plays out. I don't know, maybe not. I have been hearing James Harden is leading the chase, but who knows. Lets see how the end of the season goes.
