MVP Race At Boiling Point

The race for this season’s regular-season MVP award remains tighter than ever, with five candidates showing why it won’t be an easy choice to make.
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Looking back at the candidates’ performances in games played from 9 to 16 March, LeBron James’s showings are undeniable, while Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Oklahoma City Thunder Russell Westbrook can’t be ruled out.
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Four-time MVP James, who averaged 26 points in that timescale, sparked the Cavaliers (43-26) to the top-2 in the Eastern Conference thanks to their 3-1 record.
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The Cavaliers are no longer the struggling team that faced an embarrassing and poor start to the season.
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James is playing at his best, and the team’s first playoff appearance since the 2009-10 season seems more realistic than ever.
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Of course, the MVP award is decided by a panel of voters that consists of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote, but as we see it now, James could be in line to take his fifth award because of the impact he’s made in recent games.
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Around this time last season, Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC) were playing great basketball and making continued statements heading to the playoffs.
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Durant, who won four NBA Player of the Month honours in 2013-14 (October-November, December, January and March) went on to scoop the Maurice Podoloff Trophy – NBA’s biggest individual award – but he is out of the race this season, particularly due to foot injuries.
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There is no doubt that scoring averages play a big part in the MVP decision.
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And, former Durant teammate at OKC, Harden is currently averaging a career-high 26.7 points per game, making him a potential winner of the award.
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Harden has won Western Conference Player of the month in December and January as the Rockets (45-22) remain inside the playoff places.
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Westbrook was Western Conference Player of the month in February, but the team’s inconsistency, followed by Serge Ibaka’s latest injury, may prove costly for the MVP of the 2015 All-Star game. He’s been a triple-double machine this season — he has eight.
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At one point Westbrook looked odds-on favourite for the MVP award. He has slowed down, but could heat up again fast.
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One fact is certain: The MVP award will not be decided without Stephen Curry’s performances being seriously scrutinised.
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The Golden State Warriors guard has been given a lot of credit for the excellent season that Golden State is currently having.