{"id":27730,"date":"2017-04-10T05:30:19","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T09:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=27730"},"modified":"2017-04-09T22:19:36","modified_gmt":"2017-04-10T02:19:36","slug":"russell-westbrook-mvp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2017\/04\/russell-westbrook-mvp\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell Westbrook for MVP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"512px-Russell_Westbrook\"<\/a>The Oklahoma City Thunder marketing office called our church a couple of months ago, saying they were offering special deals for church groups. \u00a0So we got some folks together and got tickets\u00a0to last Tuesday\u2019s game. \u00a0They were playing the Milwaukee Bucks, the only other NBA team that I\u2019ve seen in person. \u00a0The Thunder game began with a local pastor giving a Christian invocation\u2013how common is that in professional sports? \u00a0(tell me if you know)\u2013and after lots of opening razzle dazzle, the game settled in. \u00a0The Thunder won 110 to 79. \u00a0A good time was had by all.<\/p>\n

\n

We got to witness Thunder star Russell Westbrook tie the record for triple doubles (double figures in points scored, rebounds, and assists [passing the ball that leads to a basket]). \u00a0We can tell our grandchildren that we were there when Westbrook ties Oscar Robertson\u2019s\u00a0record of 41 triple doubles set back in 1962. \u00a0Actually, it will be easy for me to tell my grandchildren, since a number of them were with us and witnessed it too. \u00a0The next game Westbrook didn\u2019t make a triple double, but he made enough\u00a0rebounds so that his average<\/em>\u00a0performance for the year was a triple double. \u00a0And Sunday, Westbrook set the record after leading his team to a comeback win over Denver, which was leading 10 points in the last two minutes. \u00a0Westbrook scored 50 points.<\/p>\n

The entire state of Oklahoma is Thunder crazy. \u00a0Kevin Durant was everyone\u2019s hero until he signed with the hated Golden State Warriors. \u00a0But Westbrook stayed with the team! \u00a0One fan started a petition to change the name of Durant, Oklahoma, a small town that had that name long before the Thunder was even thought of. \u00a0The petitioners wanted to change the name of Durant to Westbrook, which is actually a good name for a town. \u00a0So, of course, all Oklahomans think Westbrook should win the league\u2019s MVP award.<\/p>\n

But how could he not<\/em> win it? \u00a0Not only has he made history with his triple doubles. \u00a0He leads the league in points scored! \u00a0And yet some pundits and fans are championing former-Thunder James Harden of the Houston Rockets. \u00a0After the jump, I will make the case why Westbrook is the NBA\u2019s most valuable player.<\/p>\n

One argument against Westbrook is the sense that the MVP should come from a really good team and that the Oklahoma City Thunder does not really measure up to the Houston Rockets. \u00a0But there is already a prize for the best team. \u00a0It\u2019s called the championship!<\/em><\/p>\n

If Harden left Houston, it would still be a very good team. \u00a0If Westbrook left Oklahoma City. . . .Suffice it to say that Westbrook is more valuable to OKC than Harden is to Houston. \u00a0With Westbrook, though, the Thunder have clinched the playoffs. \u00a0Has any other player made such a difference to their team? \u00a0I don\u2019t think so. \u00a0Thus, Russell Westbrook is the Most Valuable Player.<\/p>\n

But Westbrook has his faults as a player, some say. \u00a0He\u2019s a ball hog. \u00a0He turns the ball over too much. \u00a0Maybe so. \u00a0But his\u00a0numbers\u00a0speak for themselves. \u00a0He is the NBA\u2019s top scorer! \u00a0He has set the world\u2019s all-time record for triple doubles! \u00a0In addition to points scored, that feat also includes defense with his rebounding. \u00a0And, contradicting the sense that he is always shooting (though it certainly seems that way), it includes assists, which entails passing and team play. \u00a0And even if he is not the best all-round player (which is debatable), he is still the Most Valuable Player.<\/p>\n

I would add that Westbrook has moments where he seems to do the impossible. \u00a0For example, in yesterday\u2019s record-breaking game, in the course of coming back from a 10 point deficit in the last two minutes (pretty much all of which was his achievement), he made the game-winning shot: \u00a0A three-pointer at the buzzer from some\u00a010 feet behind the three-point line! \u00a0He may be the most fun player to watch. \u00a0(Maybe there should be a MFP award.)<\/p>\n

Therefore, it follows that Russell Westbrook is the league\u2019s most valuable player and deserves the MVP award. \u00a0Q.E.D.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photo by Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Russell Westbrook) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder marketing office called our church a couple of months ago, saying they were offering special deals for church groups. \u00a0So we got some folks together and got tickets\u00a0to last Tuesday\u2019s game. \u00a0They were playing the Milwaukee Bucks, the only other NBA team that I\u2019ve seen in person. \u00a0The Thunder game began […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,43],"tags":[264,5350,4715],"class_list":["post-27730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal","category-sports","tag-basketball","tag-nba-most-valuable-player","tag-russell-westbrook"],"yoast_head":"\nRussell Westbrook for MVP<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After attending an Oklahoma City Thunder game, I make the case for why Russell Westbrook should win the NBA's Most Valuable 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