Time is running out in any race.
And in the case of this season’s tough race for THE KIA MVP, the delay between now and the end of the normal NBA season, about two weeks, may not be more for all parties involved.
The Maurice Podoloff Trophy can be won or lost depending on what happens until April 12.
For long-term favorites Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, this means that two weeks ago making competitive arguments about why they deserve the highest prestige individual award the game has to offer.
This means that each and every game, regardless of the point of competition, can have a significant effect on who matches, where, when the dust settles into what has been a remarkable season for the innerr frame of the MVP career I’ve noticed in years.
It also means that each and every triple-double, each and every decisive blow, each and every impressive win, plays a role in this process and will serve as final arguments, if you will, for the cases that those superstars have submitted throughout the season.
Westbrook had one of his most productive efforts before this week, recording the double triple high scored (57 points, thirteen rebounds, 11 assists) in league history in Wednesday’s win over Orlando.
It’s a feature that had it all, the numbers, the drama and Westbrook, of course, betting on the hero of a Team Thunder that never turns out to let go.
“You have to need it more than the others, ” said Westbrook after the game. “I think for me, every single night, I don’t think about getting tired. I faint and I keep happening, I keep happening.
Westbrook’s unwavering self-confidence and the impatientness that has been a staple of his game are what fuels his crusade every night this season.
Whether he identified him or not, and for this season’s top component, he refused to turn himself in, no matter how many times he baited him, he went to trial.
“He never thinks he’s ever been out of it or we’ve never been out of it, and he’s playing with a competitive spirit,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “He plays all the time with a spirit. He has a huge heart, is a huge competitor and discovers tactics to make things happen.
There are only two weeks left, a limited number of opportunities to take a decisive in one of the desirable top competitions of all sports.
And it’s better than time, as always, it’s critical.
Now let’s move on to this week’s KIA race in the MVP rankings:
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1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week: No. 2
Westbrook has a chance to get his fifth consecutive triple-double tonight when the Thunder receives the San Antonio Spurs. And you know he ingests his lips once in a while. He holds Oscar Robertson’s NBA record of 41 triple-doubles this season, with 38, and then counts the triple-double in league history in Wednesday’s win over Orlando (33. 2 points, 11. 2 rebounds, 11. 0 assists in his last five games).
Westbrook produced a fifth consecutive triple-double (and 39 of the season) against the San Antonio Spurs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday night.
VOTE of enthusiastic MVP KIA
Harden has his own chance Friday in Oakland, where he will face a Warriors team that has won nine consecutive games and is heading for the playoffs (and Kevin Durant’s return to the championship).
2. James Harden, Houston Rockets
Last week: No. 1
Harden refuses to make excuses, but it is clear that the wrist pain he’s dealing with can be carried over to his game right now. The Rockets lost two straight games before tonight’s meeting with the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. This is not the time to do it. They started spluttering, not with the playoffs so close and MVP tickets in two weeks (30. 6 points, 11. 4 assists, 7. 6 rebounds in their last five games).
3. Leonard Kawhi, San Antonio Spurs
Last week: No. 4
Leonard forged a victory over Cleveland to kick off Big Boys Week, completing with 25 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but had a bit of difficulty (five turnovers, 7 of 20 shooting) in the loss to Golden State on Wednesday. He’ll have a chance to turn things around as he looks to slow down Russell Westbrook’s triple-double device tonight in Oklahoma City (22. 8 points, 5. 6 rebounds, 4. 8 assists in his last five games).
4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Last week: No. 3
LeBron beat Shaquille O’Neal in seventh place on the all-time scorers list against the Bulls on Thursday night, achieving a career milestone. But the Cavaliers are shaking right now, having lost six of their last 10 games. finish more than James and the Cavaliers, who have a 6-10 record with tonight’s home game against Philadelphia (23. 4 points, 8. 8 rebounds, 8. 0 assists in their last five games).
5. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Last week: No. 5
The first position in the search for the East Conference playoffs is available if Thomas and his Celtics can take care of their affairs in the last two weeks of the normal season. You can bet on Thomas with a greater sense of urgency in the last quarter. anytime, to make sure it happens (29. 2 points, 4. 6 assists, 2. 6 rebounds in their last five games).
6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Last week: No. 7
It took him a while to track him down, but Curry recently put on his KIA MVP cape for more than two years for the Warriors, who have won nine consecutive games and host the Rockets tonight at Oracle Arena. beat the Spurs on Wednesday night, scoring and helping the Warriors win in a hostile setting (25. 2 points, 10. 0 assists, 5. 2 rebounds in their last five games).
7. John Wall, Washington Wizards
Last week: No. 6
The Wizards’ bad path to the end of the normal season continues tonight in Utah as opposed to a team that is a mirror symbol of Wall’s team. Wall has risen to the challenge, betting part of his most productive basketball of the season this season. Completion period. Winning the first department name in the franchise since 1979 is more significant than achieved, especially for Wall (31. 2 points, 10. 4 assists, 4. 0 rebounds in his last five games).
8. Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
Last week: No. 8
The Jazz have been averaging in recent years (5-5 in their last 10 games) and want to be better if they want the fourth position in the search for the Western Conference playoffs, which means they want Hayward even more this season. team in the city tonight, will have the challenge of doing just that (22. 5 points, 5. 8 rebounds, 3. 0 assists in their last five games).
9. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
Last week: No. 9
DeRozan can compete with Indianan Pacers star Paul George tonight at the Air Canada Centre, proceeding to his end-of-season march opposite the most productive of the most productive. It turned out to be more than up to the task, no matter who. he’s on the other side, which turned out to be a revealing season for one of the game’s true elite extremes (32. 8 points, 5. 6 assists, 4. 8 rebounds in his last five games).
10. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Last week: NR
The addition of the wonderful boy Jusuf Nurkic at the industry deadline is the seasoning that Lillard and CJMcCollum needed to revive the Trail Blazers season and it took so long to do so. Lillard, rejected by an All-Star wink this season, will have the final say to take his team to the playoffs when they were hit for dead the previous season (24. 6 points, 7. 2 assists, 5. 4 rebounds in their last five games).
The following (listed in alphabetical order): Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies; Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Then?
A look at . . . Khris Middleton (from a complex East Conference explorer):
When Jabari Parker fell in love with the season, it looked bleak for the Bucks. They were already suffering a bit and then the bad news came. But Middleton was coming back at the same time and I don’t know if anyone found out how vital it would be for them down the stretch; however, he made a difference on aggregate for this team. His ability to stretch the ground past the 3-point line, especially his height, opens up all sorts of misalignments for (Bucks coach Jason) Kidd to play. They already have the longest and highest athletic roster in the league, and I mean, they aren’t identified as they deserve. And Middleton is a huge component of that. It’s deceptively long, and while he’s not exactly an elite athlete in our league, he’s a bigger athlete than you might think. They’ve hit him and the Greek Freak, John Henson, rookie (Thon) Maker, and the rest of the guys, and they can be a handful, just by treating them on the foot. Middleton is an opposite shooter, however, it is what the game adapts to them. He’s a 44% ranged shooter and he shoots what, 87% off the line? That’s a great seasoning for a team that doesn’t have a lot of quality shooters on the roster. When added to this combination, it’s an absolutely different challenge to solve as it sets the stage, especially on the component court, for Giannis to look out for you and punish you in and around the basket. In the season. when Middleton was away. But that replaced when he returned.
Sekou Smith is an NBA veteran journalist and NBA TV analyst. You can send him an email here, his files here and follow him on Twitter.
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