Westbrook on the path to MVP
On Wednesday night the Thunder toppled the Memphis Grizzlies 103-100. Russell Westbrook shot a career high 8-13 from the three-point line and dropped in 45 points. Westbrook also tallied up 10 assists but came up just short of what would’ve been his 42nd triple double, with 9 rebounds.
History may be made another night though, with four games left in the season for Westbrook – two of which are against the Denver Nuggets, who sit at 37-41.
The MVP race also changes if Westbrook does gather his 42nd triple double of the season. Westbrook would then set a record and would have also averaged a triple double on the season.
James Harden, the most likely opponent for Westbrook, has averaged 29.2 points on the season while shooting 44 percent from the field. Harden also averages 11.2 assists with 8.1 rebounds. These are great stats by anyone’s standards and definitely MVP worthy, but Westbrook takes that to the next level. Westbrook is averaging 31.8 points on 42 percent, shooting an average lower than Harden’s. However, that average is better with three pointers. Westbrook is on the edge of history.
Harden has led his team to a far better record than Westbrook’s. The Rockets sit at the third seed with a record of 53-25 while the Thunder sit at the sixth seed going 45-33. However, it’s important to note that Westbrook is one of the top fourth quarter performers of the season, helping the Thunder to scrape up quite a few more wins than they probably deserve. That and the fact that Westbrook is one great game away from engraving his name into history, make him what should be the unanimous MVP choice.