Written by Matt Moore at CBS Sports.com
The MVP argument for Russell Westbrook is basically:
- He’s averaging a triple-double, which hasn’t been done since Oscar Robertson
- He’s doing so while leading the league in scoring
- His play has boosted the Thunder to a record (42-31) that’s significantly better than was expected
- He has been a supernova in crunch time this season
All of those things showed up in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 92-91 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Westbrook notched his 37th triple-double with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, putting him only four away from Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles in a season with nine games to go. Then, with the Mavericks leading by 15 at one point, Westbrook led a furious late charge, completely taking the game over, and then notching the shot to take home another win.
If you were curious, it was Westbrook’s seventh shot inside the final 10 seconds when his team is trailing by three points or fewer. It was his 71st bucket in what the NBAcalls “clutch time” — inside of a 5-point game in the final five minutes. It should be noted in the final two minutes, when behind by two points or fewer, Westbrook is 14 for 42 and a minus-13, per NBA.com.
That doesn’t invalidate or validate his MVP candidacy. But it is notable that the clutch statistics tend to swing wildly on Westbrook, depending on what parameters you apply.
But those are all numbers. The reality is you have this game, the game earlier in the season in Boston, and others where Westbrook has simply taken over. He remains one of the most dominant players when it comes to imposing his will in these situations, and it’s part of why so many believe he truly is the most valuable player.
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