Who’s The Real NBA MVP? A Case For Russell Westbrook
By Jake Fielder
May 25, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) goes up for a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City won 106-97. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Regardless of what award Westbrook ends up with, this has easily been the greatest season of his career. When you consider that he strung more triple-doubles together in a row than any one player has had total this season, you realize what a mammoth, historical season this has been.
It’s almost an honor in and of itself to even be on the short list. Consider the fact that guys like Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, and Damian Lillard are all having career-type seasons for championship contenders and can’t even get into the conversation. Then consider the insanity of Chris Paul, without any legitimate wing help and losing Blake Griffin to a STAPH infection, singlehandedly carrying the Clippers down the stretch and into the playoffs and he’s only the third most deserving at his own position.
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Finally, consider what sort of season Anthony Davis is having. The guy is currently posting a historically high PER. He’s drug a poorly-coached, poorly-constructed roster to a 33-28 record and has put them on the verge of making the playoffs in arguably the toughest conference of all-time. He’s re-defined what an NBA big man should be and Bill Simmons recently named him the single most untradeable asset in the league. If his team had won two just two more games, they would be sitting in the playoffs instead of the Thunder and we would likely be having the exact same conversation about him that we’re currently having about Westbrook. That’s the margin for error we’re dealing with here.
That said, I can’t imagine that Thunder fans will be content with anything less than keeping the MVP trophy in Oklahoma City–and it’s not hard to see why. Russell is doing more statistically than any other candidate, despite missing the single best offensive player in the world. If you’re arguing strictly on the basis of sheer load carried night to night, you simply can’t justify voting for any other player. What he’s been doing since the All-Star break isn’t just impressive or mind-blowing, it’s truly historical.
Ultimately though, winning the award isn’t what matters to Westbrook. He’s always been far more about championships than any individual accolade…but if we get to watch Westbrook transform into some sort of bizarre basketball/mutant/honey badger hybrid in the process and do insane stuff like this?
Long may the Brodie reign.