James Harden vs Russell Westbrook: The Race for MVP

The 2016-17 NBA season is about to enter its final phase and as odds makers at Sports Betting Dime have noted, Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook and Houston Rockets' James Harden are embroiled in a two-horse race for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Isaiah Thomas and Kevin Durant are having MVP-calibre seasons in the own right, but it's a forgone conclusion that Harden and Westbrook would dominate the voting ballots if the award were to given out today.

Interestingly enough, the superstar guards have evolved from once teammates and role players, to alpha males carrying the fortunes of their respective teams. Traditionally, Harden would be viewed as the favourite since his Rockets are the No. 3 seed as compared to Westbrook's team which currently holds the No. 7 seed in the West. However, Westbrook is on the verge of becoming only the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the season, following in the footsteps of Oscar Robertson, who averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game during the 1961-62. When voters tally their MVP votes next month, they would struggle to ignore Westbrook's historic stats (see below) despite his team's final seeding.

While Westbrook is almost single-handedly carrying the Thunder, Harden is benefitting from coach Mike D'Antoni's renowned offensive playbook and a strong support cast including the likes of Lou Williams, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. Westbrook however is carrying more weight on his shoulders, which leads to the fundamental question asked when giving out the MVP award: where would the player's team be without him? It is this factor that keeps Westbrook in the race for league MVP and while he is obviously instrumental to OKC's success, is he more valuable than Harden to the Rockets?

James Harden vs. Russell Westbrook: Who is the real MVP?

Their raw numbers are fairly comparable:
James Harden
28.9 PPG
11.3 APG
8.7 RPG
1.5 Steals PG
.439 FG-percentage
.353 3P-percentage

Harden and coach D'Antoni are a match made in heaven. "The Beard" is essentially creating field goals for his team on every single possession, by either driving-and-kicking to a battery of shooters, or getting to the rim at will in high pick-and-roll scenarios. Thanks to Harden's supreme execution in the system, the Rockets possess the league's second-best offense. D'Antoni and Harden have elevated Houston from a 41-41 squad last year to one with a legitimate shot at winning a championship.

Russell Westbrook
31.0 PPG
10.3 APG
10.6 RPG
1.6 Steals PG
.421 FG-percentage
.334 3P-percentage

After enjoying a handful of seasons as legitimate title contenders, Oklahoma City was forced to watch Kevin Durant defect to the very team they fell to in the Western Conference finals last year. On top of that, the Thunder also dealt Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic in a draft-night trade for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, who was taken with the 11th-overall pick.

Entering the season, OKC needed Westbrook to elevate his game to MVP-level and MVP-play is exactly what the athletic point guard has provided. Not only does the 28-year-old lead the league in scoring, he is on the verge of joining "The Big O" as one of only two players to average a triple-double over the course of a season.

Yet, only one player can win the award and Harden is more worthy of the honour at this point. While what Westbrook is doing for the Thunder is incredible, as previously mentioned, team success plays a big factor in voting. Case in point: Robertson was not named MVP in his triple-double season. “The Big O” watched the award go to Bill Russell, who played for the league-leading Boston Celtics.

This trend has remained true as of late. Of the last 25 MVPs, 15 played for the team with the league's best record, while no player on a team that finished worse than fourth in the league has won the award.

OKC's barren roster is not Westbrook's doing, but his MVP candidacy will suffer as a result. Basketball is a team sport that, at heart, is about winning games and championships as a unit. Taking a mediocre team to elite status is more valuable than turning a bad team into one that is slightly above average. Westbrook has his Thunder in the playoff picture, but Harden's heroics have the Rockets eyeing a title. Harden fits the established criteria for MVP better than anyone else, including Westbrook.

This will be a tight race to the finish. If the Thunder can rise to the No. 4 seed in the taxing Western Conference, Russell Westbrook would likely be the runaway favourite. By the same token, if the Rockets can make a late claim for the No. 2 seed, James Harden would be a lock to win his first MVP award.