Believe It or Not, This Series Won Russell Westbrook the MVP

After this NBA season, the majority of NBA writers and fans have the same basic idea on who is in the running for the MVP of the league. You may get a hipster or two that will throw a number of advanced statistics they casually have at the ready as they argue for Kawhi Leonard. You have some of the LeBron lovers voicing about why they believe King James is the most valuable player in the league two seasons before he even started. Then, you have the rest of the league who believes this is a two man race between James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

It’s been like this the whole season. Valuing Harden’s offensive onslaught compared to Westbrook’s record breaking season. No matter what side you were on, you got the first round matchup you wanted. It’s like the basketball Gods were watching writers and fans alike squabble on Twitter over the matter, and decided to grant everyone their wish. Westbrook vs. Harden. Beard vs. the Brodie. Mano y mano. The series that would settle the debate.

Now that the dust has cleared, Harden and company are moving on. Somehow, it’s still not time to move on from Westbrook’s MVP case.

One of the most common arguments used during the MVP race is the regular season record. For those who harped on the fact that Harden’s team had more wins in the regular season, a victory for the Rockets meant a victory for the Beard. It just simply isn’t that simple. Want to know another extremely common argument during the race that never seems to end? What a player’s value actually means to their team.

After this series, it couldn’t be more apparent that this award should go to Westbrook.

For those who just want to keep it head-to-head, the obvious statistics speak for themselves:

Yet again, it’s not that simple.

The argument going beyond wins, losses, head to head battles for the ages and statistics seems like a stretch, but that’s what really separates these two players. Just how their team plays with them, and for them.

You don’t win MVP’s by almost winning games or series, and that’s completely understood. You do so by putting on heroic performances that leave everyone speechless. The fact that Westbrook brought a team like this to 47 wins is an absolute testament to what he means to his team. Just look at who leads the postseason in usage:

He wasn’t just a focal point of the team — he was the team. Something we all saw happen, as he single-handedly brought the Thunder to this point. We all knew it was true. We just didn’t realize it till we saw him night after night pull off an amazing performance during a loss.

Westbrook would go off at times during a loss, but not like this. Not against the same opponent, where night after night he’d put up the absurd triple double line, only to fall short. Every night he put on a performance that led to this:

He was breaking records like he always did. We just thought it was unique because it was in the playoffs. Like when he tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive triple doubles in the playoffs, or when he finished with the most points during a triple double in the history of the postseason. What made it unique is that despite all of this, his team still fell short. If putting up performances like this while your team falls short doesn’t show where your team would be without you, then nothing does.

One clear flaw during Westbrook’s quest to take on everyone in the city of Houston was some of the worst attempts at heroics since Ryan Reynolds played Green Lantern. His 10.5 points on 31.6% in the 4th isn’t exactly MVP-caliber. He didn’t exactly improve in Game 5.

Yet this is more of a factor on just how heavily this team leans on him rather than his inability to perform in the game’s final quarter. This team averaged just over 22 points in the 4th during their series against Houston. That means Westbrook still equaled nearly half the team’s offense despite his awful offensive play. Some of that has to do with his shot selection, but it’s yet another indicator that this team isn’t built to succeed if he isn’t exploding.

Out of those who played in OKC’s final game this postseason excluding Westbrook, just Norris Cole and Taj Gibson are over the age of 25-years-old. You know what happens when you’re used so often because you have nowhere else to go? Your legs give out. This team had literally no other direction to turn, called Westbrook’s number time after time after time. Somehow, they were still in every single game. That’s not only proof of how this team lost, but how they were even in it to begin with.

This has nothing to do with Harden. He’s still been as ridiculous as he has been all season. He’s just doing it with help and a better style suited for him, which doesn’t exactly seem fair — but then again nothing is.

Harden is not only completely surrounded by shooters, but they play the exact way you think they should. Every single person on the court has the green light from downtown, and it makes Harden’s life extremely simple. The Rockets shot a staggering 169 3's this postseason, clearly good for the most through five games thus far. The key isn’t the Rockets burying these threes. The simple fact that it’s bombs away if you’re wearing a Rockets uniform gives Harden a wide open paint, an obvious contributor in Houston’s 30.5 driving points per game this postseason.

The fact that his team’s roster is not only built around his style of play but runs their offensive set entirely based on how he plays shouldn’t be a negative mark against Harden. It isn’t by any means, and it’s a big time factor on why this team is advancing for their eventual date with Memphis. It just makes what Westbrook is doing that much more impressive.

Westbrook’s postseason proved he deserves to win the MVP. Not in the typical fashion we all figured, with his lifting Oklahoma City clear off the planet to create his own planet. No, he did it in the most unique way imaginable, which in a way makes sense.

It wouldn’t be Westbrook if he did it in the way we all thought it would happen.