This year's MVP race will be one of the most intense races, and most of the fans would be fine with either candidate winning it. The two top candidates are Russell Westbrook and James Harden, both of whom are having incredible seasons. Westbrook is the first player to average a triple-double in the modern NBA, while Harden also had a great season from a statistical point of view, while leading his team to the third-best record in the entire league.

Aside from Harden and Westbrook, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard also received MVP votes, but neither of them will win the award since it's a two-player race this year.

So far, 62 MVP voters have revealed their results, and Russell Westbrook has a big advantage over his former teammate, Harden.

Russell Westbrook will be 2017 NBA MVP

At the moment, Westbrook has 522 total MVP points while James Harden has 456. Even though Harden is only 66 points behind the Thunder point guard, it will be hard and nearly impossible for him to catch up and take number one spot. What makes things difficult for Harden is the fact that Westbrook received the majority of first-place votes, with 39 so far. Harden, on the other hand, has only received 18 first-place votes, while Leonard and James received three and two votes respectively.

A first-place vote is worth ten points while a second-place vote is worth three points less.

Considering that Russell Westbrook received 39 out of 62 first-place votes, it is expected that many other MVP voters will give him a first-place vote, as 62 voters is a good sample size. In order for James Harden to win the MVP award, he will have to receive the majority of the remaining first-place votes, and he will also need voters to give Westbrook third-place votes, which gives only five points each.

With only 38 remaining votes, it is highly unlikely that James Harden will be the 2017 NBA MVP, as this title will soon belong to Russell Westbrook.

Harden vs. Westbrook in the playoffs

The Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing against each other in the playoffs, and James Harden's team currently has a 2-0 lead in the series.

The ext game will be played in Oklahoma, where Westbrook and the Thunder will try to bounce back and win a game, as a 3-0 deficit will be impossible to overcome.

Both Harden and Westbrook have had incredible games in the playoffs, and Westbrook became the only player to record a 50-point triple-double in the postseason. It will be exciting to see if the Thunder can win a game or two and give fans an even more amazing playoff series between the top two MVP candidates and their respective teams.
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