Look, I understand that by now, you're probably really tired of hearing or reading about this. Frankly, I am too, I feel like a broken record. But it still baffles me how so unclear this is to some and how so clear it is to me as to how or why Russell Westbrook is way beyond deserving of being the NBA's regular season MVP.
Don't even give me that CO-MVP garbage; yes, I understand James Harden is having a spectacular, career-high, and historical season as well, but you give credit where credit is due, and Westbrook has earned it all. So, let me tell you why:
3. Charisma
We've all come to know Westbrook as an incredibly, incredibly dominant player, but what about the way he plays?
When Russ first started out, he did have, what some might call an "attitude problem," but within the last few years, he's truly matured and learned how channel all of those emotions into his game.
His humor, his fashion, his "no care" attitude, his swagger - this is just a few characteristics that is inside of a man who plays with no limits. He puts his blood, sweat, and tears into every single game, and plays as if it's his last. Russ just has that charisma; he has that certain appeal that draws people to him and makes them want to never miss him play a game, especially this season.
What he's doing this year is without a doubt something that is both unbelievable and just flat out mind-blowing. Even on those few nights where he seems to be struggling, you cannot doubt that this man is putting his all into the game.
2. King of The Prairie
Aside from this video where Westbrook's teammates, Steve Adams and Enes Kanter, openly and enthusiastically praises their point guard as their "Hero," which you can watch here, there's more evidence behind this that just about shows how much of a hero Russ really is:
According to Jeff Linka of SB Nation, as of March 28th, the Thunder are 18-23 against teams currently in playoff positioning. Of Westbrook's 37 triple doubles, 18 of them have come against playoff teams. Nearly 49% of his triple doubles have come against teams in the top 53% of the NBA.
Linka goes more in depth, stating that OKC have won 44% of their games against playoff teams. When Westbrook posts a triple double, the chances of a victory against playoff teams skyrocket all the way up to 67% versus when he doesn't, and the chances fall to 22%.
So basically, the Thunder rely on Russ's triple doubles as a near-secure way of sealing a victory. Don't take his triple doubles for granted.
You take Westbrook away from the Thunder and Harden away from the Rockets, and Houston would easily be the better team. The Rockets have been built around Harden, which has increased their efficiency and wins by a landslide. The Thunder are just now trying to work around Westbrook - admit it, without the Brodie, OKC would be completely lost.
Is that MVP worthy enough?
1. Breakin' Records and Breakin' Necks
This is just one of the many records Russ has associated with himself this season.
Ladies and gentlemen, he accomplished something that Michael Jordan, the player who is more than often recognized as the best NBA player the league has ever seen, was the last to accomplish.
Let's look at another record:
Though this picture is a bit out-dated, four months to be exact, the comparison is still pretty ridiculous.
Back in November of this year, Russ tied LeBron James for sixth-most triple doubles in NBA history. James is currently regarded by many as the league's current best and most dominant player, and the fact that Westbrook was able to match his 44 triple doubles 395 games faster than the King is just flat out mind-boggling and really says something about how AMAZING of a player he is.
Let's throw in some more numbers for you:
As Berry Tramel of News OK reported it:
Monday night, Westbrook scored 12 of the Thunder’s points in a 14-0 run to end the game and wipe out a 91-78 Dallas lead in the final 3-1/2 minutes. Teams trailing by at least 13 points in the final 3-1/2 minutes win have won 10 times in the last 10,000-plus circumstances. Then Wednesday, the Thunder beat Orlando 114-106 in overtime despite trailing by 21 points in the third quarter and by 14 points with 6:02 left in the game. It was the biggest deficit overcome for victory in OKC history.
Westbrook’s final numbers vs. Dallas: 37 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 15-of-30 shooting. Westbrook in the final 4:40 – 16 points, 7-of-12 shooting.
Westbrook’s final numbers vs. Orlando: 57 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, 21-of-40 shooting. The most points ever scored in a triple-double. The Thunder won an overtime game in which Westbrook scored half its points. Westbrook in the final 7:45 of regulation plus overtime – 26 points, 11-of-20 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists.
Boys and girls, these are number that we cannot just ignore. It would be, as Stephen A. Smith would say, BLASPHEMOUS to single out these crazy statistics.
A handful of Hall of Famers and All-Stars have stated their preference of Russ winning the MVP, one of which, was Oscar Robertson, who is the current record-holder of most triple doubles in a single season; a record which Brodie himself is just two triple doubles away (39). In fact, Robertson even said he WANTS Russ to break his record - real recognize real.
I'll end this discussion with a quote from the big bad Shaquille O'Neal:
This guy’s playing historical basketball,” Shaq said. “For many years we’ve been saying (to Westbrook), ‘You shoot too much, you’re selfish, you need to make your teammates better.’ He’s been doing that. This (averaging a triple double) has never been done before. Excuse me, hasn’t been done in a long time. To be in a category like that … for me, it’s Russell, Harden and Kawhi Leonard, right there. But Russell Westbrook, MVP.”
Oh, and Westbrook is just a few games away from averaging a triple double. Yup, for an entire season. No big deal I guess, right?