Let’s get something out of the way here. Russell Westbrook is awesome.
Westbrook is one of the game’s top five players, and I’ve felt that way for a couple of years. He may not be a better conventional point guard than Chris Paul or Tony Parker or Stephen Curry. But if any of those guys even dream about being a better player than Westbrook, they better wake up and get back to reality.
I also love watching Westbrook play. I cannot recall anyone in my lifetime who plays downhill as much as Westbrook. He is an HGH version of Allen Iverson, too fast to slow down and too big to knock down. And he competes as if his life was in the balance on virtually every possession.
And I love that Thunder coach Scott Brooks has chosen to leave the harness in the equipment room. For years, Oklahoma City’s coaching staff has been trying to get Westbrook to come off the accelerator just a little bit in the hope that he would make better decisions with the ball. But with Kevin Durant sidelined – that whole “re-evaluated in a week” thing sure came and went pretty fast, huh? – and the playoffs no certainty, Brooks has no choice but to let Westbrook be himself.
“If you can find somebody who has slowed him down, let me know,” Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan said.
Since posting a triple-double in a win over Orlando on Feb. 2, Westbrook has been a runaway train. His numbers have recalled legends ranging from Pete Maravich to Oscar Robertson to Michael Jordan to Wilt Chamberlain. One writer who we sense looks at spreadsheets more than he watches actual games even suggested that statistically, Westbrook is having the most dominant season ever. Now if that were really true, I’m wondering why it is hidden behind a paywall. And whether that writer has ever even heard of Chamberlain. But whatever.
Much like his game, Westbrook has charged full speed ahead into the MVP conversation. Some folks believe he is as viable a candidate as anyone else. Sheridan has him at No. 2 in our latest rankings. And that’s where I have to get off the runaway train.
There is still the fourth quarter of the season remaining, which can be highly influential among voters with short memories who are mesmerized by the moment. But among MVP candidates right now, Westbrook is a lot closer to Anthony Davis than he is to James Harden.
In other words, clinch a playoff berth. Then we’ll talk.
Westbrook has overtaken Harden as the NBA’s scoring leader. But in games in which Westbrook has scored at least 38 points, the Thunder are 2-7. When Harden scores at least 38 points, the Rockets are 7-1.
Westbrook leads the NBA with seven triple-doubles. In those games, the Thunder are 5-2, including narrow home wins over Orlando and Philadelphia. While Harden has a mere three triple-doubles, the Rockets have won each time.
Both players are doing some heavy lifting in the absence of an injured superstar. In 21 games without Durant, Westbrook is averaging 31.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists, numbers that have made a quantum leap in the last 10 contests without the reigning MVP. But in 30 games without Dwight Howard – that’s right, 30 – Harden hasn’t exactly been a slouch, averaging 28.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists.
But here’s the most important number. When Westbrook plays and Durant doesn’t, the Thunder are 12-9. Not terrible by any stretch, but a pace that would still have them eighth in the West. When Harden plays and Howard doesn’t, the Rockets are a spiffy 20-10, a pace just outside the West’s top four.
No one would argue that Howard is a better player than Durant. And no one would argue that the rest of Oklahoma City’s roster is better than the rest of Houston’s roster. Unless all of you Serge Ibaka fans would suddenly like to admit that you would rather have Josh Smith.
While no one would question the toughness of a guy who missed a grand total of one game with a dented face, Westbrook did lose 
14 games to a broken hand in November. That has to be a factor, especially if you want to compare him to Harden, whose only absence this season has been a one-game suspension for kicking The King in the family jewels.
And remember, this discussion doesn’t even include Stephen Curry, who has been part of the conversation all season, or LeBron James, who worked his way in well before Westbrook did. Maybe this is why Rockets GM Daryl Morey felt the need to campaign for Harden, whose steady-as-sunshine brilliance is being obscured by Westbrook’s comet crossing the sky.
Enough with the Short Attention Span Theater. Consider the entire body of work, which will be available soon enough. There are just under six weeks left in the season, and if anyone has shown what can be done in six weeks, it is Westbrook. But to vault him to the top of the MVP conversation is a tremendous disservice to Harden, who has been doing it better and with less around him for a lot longer than six weeks.
Westbrook has kept the Thunder afloat. Harden has kept the Rockets elite.
TRIVIA: Which current NBA player has the most career 40-point games without a 50-point game? Answer below.
THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Former All-Star Steve Francis got into a fight at a rap show in Houston and had his gold chain stolen. TMZ treated the incident as if the chain were a missing child.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Indiana Pacers forward David West, on the firing of Denver Nuggets coach and former Pacers assistant Brian Shaw:
“There are no grown-ups on that roster. You can’t win without grown-ups.”
TANKS A LOT!: Sam Hinkie’s tank in Philadelphia momentarily stalled Saturday night when the 76ers somehow beat the Atlanta Hawks, who decided to make the game more interesting by resting three starters. The win was the first in 41 games for the Sixers when being outshot by their opponent and prevented them from becoming the first team with 50 losses.
LINE OF THE WEEK: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City vs. Philadelphia, March 4: 42 minutes, 16-33 FGs, 1-4 3-pointers, 16-20 FTs, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, one block, three steals, four turnovers, 49 points in a 123-118 overtime win. It was the fourth straight triple-double for Westbrook, who had career highs in points and rebounds. He joined Michael Jordan (1988-89) and Pete Maravich (1974-75) as the only players with consecutive 40-point triple-doubles.
LINE OF THE WEEK BY SOMEONE NOT NAMED RUSSELL WESTBROOK: Anthony Davis, New Orleans vs. Detroit, March 4: 42 minutes, 17-30 FGs, 5-7 FTs, 13 rebounds, two assists, eight blocks, three steals, one turnover, 39 points in an 88-85 win. Davis missed six games with a shoulder injury, and New Orleans somehow went 5-1. In his return, the All-Star could have upset the applecart. Instead, he pulled it.
LINE OF THE WEAK: Klay Thompson, Golden State at Brooklyn, March 2: 31 minutes, 3-17 FGs, 1-9 3-pointers, 0-0 FTs, four rebounds, five assists, zero blocks, one steal, one turnover, seven points in a 110-108 loss. It was clearly the worst game of the season for the All-Star, who had a season low in points and his worst shooting game.
TRILLION WATCH: Two players crashed the season leaderboard this week – and they are teammates who play the same position. On Wednesday, Hornets rookie power forward Noah Vonleh – in his first game action since Feb. 10 – posted a 5 trillion at Brooklyn. That earned Vonleh a return seat on the bench in favor of power forward Jason Maxiell, who registered his own 5 trillion Sunday at Detroit. Lakers guard Xavier Henry still leads all heroes of zeros with a 9 trillion on Nov. 1.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Boston at Miami, March 9. After giving away Sunday’s game in Orlando, the Celtics need a win to stay 
in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They are 2 1/2 games behind the Heat, who are tied for eighth with Indiana and have Brooklyn (also 2 1/2 back) visiting Wednesday. After that, Miami has Toronto, Cleveland and Portland, so this is almost a must-win for both teams.
GAME OF THE WEAK: New York at LA Lakers, March 12. These two storied franchises are a combined 28-95 for a winning percentage of .228. That is by far their worst combined percentage in any season. Is it any wonder that TNT dumped out of this game a month ago?
TWO MINUTES: The trading deadline was all about point guards changing teams. The most prominent moves were Goran Dragic to Miami, Brandon Knight to Phoenix, Reggie Jackson to Detroit and Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee. But relocated backup point guards have had much more of an impact. The Pelicans are 7-2 since acquiring Norris Cole, who is averaging career highs of 10.0 points and 3.6 assists. The Celtics are 5-4 with Isaiah Thomas, who is averaging 21.0 points and 5.6 assists. And the Hornets are 6-3 with Mo Williams, who has been starting for the injured Kemba Walker and is averaging 21.7 points and 8.7 assists. Williams has been a godsend for Charlotte, and coach Steve Clifford has said that he and Walker will play together when Walker returns from his knee injury in the next week or so. “They’re two of our best three scorers,” he said. Meanwhile, the Heat 
are 4-4 when playing Dragic, who has a back injury; the Suns are 4-5 with Knight, who is shooting 36 percent; the Pistons are just 1-6 with Jackson, who is shooting 38 percent; and the Bucks are just 2-4 with Carter-Williams, who missed three games with a toe injury. … The reeling Wizards have lost eight of their last 10 games. Their two wins came over Detroit after squandering a 21-point lead and over Miami when they blew all but one point of a 35-point third-quarter lead. … Monta Ellis scored 31 points in Sunday’s win over the Lakers, and that could be really good news for the Mavericks, who have slipped of late. On Feb. 9, Ellis suffered a hip injury in the first quarter of a loss to the Clippers. He didn’t miss any games due to the injury, but it clearly impacted his effectiveness. Over the next 10 games, Ellis averaged just 13.1 points while shooting just 35 percent (53-of-151) overall and 5-of-31 from the arc. More important, Dallas was just 5-5 during that stretch and is now fighting off surging San Antonio for sixth in the West. … According to Elias, when Blazers guard Damian Lillard grabbed 18 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers, he became just the second player standing 6-3 or shorter since the 1976 merger with that many rebounds, joining former Nuggets guard Fat Lever, who had 22 on April 20, 1990. Lillard shot just 1-of-13 in that game but wasn’t chasing his own misses; he had just one offensive rebound. … On Tuesday, Josh Smith returned to Atlanta for the first time as a member of the Houston Rockets. The fans at Philips Arena didn’t care what uniform he was wearing and booed him virtually every time he touched the ball. A Georgia native who played nine seasons with the Hawks, Smith put his finger to his lips twice after 3-pointers in the second half to silence the crowd. But after that, it was all downhill for Smith, who missed a three, was whistled for a charge, missed a layup, threw away a pass and missed 
another three before heading to the bench for good with 3:10 to play. The Rockets blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead and lost, and Smith was in a sour mood afterward. “All I’ve been doing was positive things in the community and with the basketball team,” he said. “I mean those fans are fickle, very fickle. And you know, bandwagoners, so it really doesn’t mean anything to me.” … Three players have scored a league season-high 21 points in the fourth quarter of games this season, and all are primarily reserves: Clippers guard Jamal Crawford, Hornets guard Mo Williams and Raptors guard Lou Williams, who did it Wednesday vs. Cleveland. Mo Williams did it with Minnesota in his 52-point game, which he started. … In the aftermath of longtime Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt replacing the fired Brian Shaw, here’s this less than ringing endorsement of Shaw from forward Kenneth Faried: “Coach Mel knows us. He’s been around us a lot longer than coach Shaw has. Coach Mel was around when George Karl was here. When I first got drafted he was here. (Assistant Patrick) Mutumbo was here for us. They just know our game and our people, and basically how we play off each other.” The Nuggets are 2-2 since Hunt took over.
Trivia Answer: James Harden has 11, one more than Russell Westbrook and Chris Bosh. … Happy 46th Birthday, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. … I’m sure NBA referees are overjoyed that every call they miss in the last two minutes is now available for public consumption.
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.