The NBA Most Valuable Player award has a thigh race in their hands. There are two players with the upper hand and a few others trying to make a push in the end.
The meaning of the MVP could take a hard turn, depending on who wins it. The numbers back up Russell Westbrook and his ridiculous season by all NBA standards. However, many will say the league doesn’t play defense anymore, and it allows players to inflate numbers for that reason.
The more purist NBA fans will admire what James Harden or Kawhi Leonard have done this season. The numbers support them, but also both have helped their teams win; which, by the way, it’s the essence of the Most Valuable Player. How better can you make the ones around you?
These are the 2017 NBA MVP Betting Odds with fewer than two weeks left in the regular season:
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder): 5/7
It’s an understatement, but the only reason Russell Westbrook is leading the MVP race is because this is an individual award. You can see it in two ways. The positive would be we are witnessing history. The cynical would say he’s been unreal yet his team has not shot at the NBA title. Both will be correct statements.
The pay per head services expect Russell Westbrook to win the NBA MVP award as he averages a triple-double throughout the season. Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson with the most triple-doubles in a season with 41. He will have a chance to surpass him with a week and a half left to play in the regular season.
Westbrook’s numbers are crazy. He’s averaging 31.9 points per game, 10.6 rebounds and 10.44 assists. That should seal the deal, right? Well, he has also taken and missed more shots than anyone in the league, and he leads the NBA in turnovers.
OKC is the sixth place in the Western Conference. They have no shot at the NBA title. But Westbrook is the favorite to win the NBA MVP. It’s hard to say if that’s a consolation prize.
James Harden (Houston Rockets): 1/1
The arrival of coach Mike D’Antoni has helped James Harden take his game to the next level. While Harden had a shot at the MVP award two years ago, this time, his performances combined with a winning team.
The Houston Rockets are third in the Western Conference with a legitimate shot of getting to the NBA finals. That’s the edge Harden has over Westbrook in this discussion. The online bookie software made the bet over Harden an even money play. It means you collect what you bet if he wins the MVP award. If you invest $100, you will get $100 plus the investment.
The Rockets can’t catch the San Antonio Spurs in the second seed in the Western Conference, but Harden can remind us in the last games how good of a season he’s having. Right now he averages 29.2 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 11.2 assists.
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs): 12/1
Unlike Russell Westbrook and James Harden, Kawhi Leonard has won the NBA title in the past. In fact, back in 2014, he ended as the NBA Finals MVP. For Leonard to win the regular season MVP award, the voters will have to forget about numbers.
The number’s guys won’t vote for Leonard, but those appreciating a pure basketball genius might back him up. Leonard can play on both sides of the ball. He has grown to become the best player on one of the best teams in the NBA.
Leonard understands that his primary value comes on the defensive side of the ball. But he also knows this is his team now. For many years, San Antonio was led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. With Duncan retired, Parker and Ginobili have taken a seat back to let Kawhi run the show.
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers): 16/1
Lebron James the MVP award four times in his career. He’s not thinking about another MVP run. He needs to fix whatever is wrong with the Cleveland Cavaliers with just two weeks away from the playoffs.
The pph sportsbook rated Lebron at 16/1, but even if that’s a sexy number, it’s too far of a long shot. The Cavaliers have stumbled around for him to be considered the MVP. He has the numbers, yet, his defensive efforts are not the same he has shown in the past. To make it worst, he has been resting a lot this season. It doesn’t help.
Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors): 40/1
The reigning two-time MVP winner wasn’t on this list a month ago. It all changed when Kevin Durant went down with a significant injury. The Warriors improved their playing style, and Curry went back to being the small three-point assassin he has been over the last two seasons.
Curry has helped Golden State keep the top spot in the Western Conference. Since Durant went down, Curry is averaging 29.7 points per game, almost five points more than when KD was on the field.
Golden State just went back to basics. Curry went back to being the best his position and the per head sportsbooks recognized it by putting him back on the list.
Isaiah Thomas (Boston Celtics): 50/1
At this point in the season, it’s crazy to put money on anybody other than Russell Westbrook or James Harden. But Isaiah Thomas listed at 50/1 by the price per head bookies is an abysmal number.
Thomas is the number one reason why the Celtics have a shot at the first place in the Eastern Conference. He’s the reason people in Boston are thinking about another NBA Finals for the franchise. He’s the reason they are in the conversation.
Overall, the Celtics roster has a lot of young talent, but they are not supposed to be in the NBA Finals conversation. Because Thomas has carried with this squad averaging 29.1 points per game this, the Celtics are fighting with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the East.
Nobody told Isaiah Thomas he shouldn’t have been this good. He just went off this season and took the NBA by surprise. He has been particularly good in the fourth quarter. That’s why he’s on this MVP list.