Oklahoma City Thunder: How Paul George has become an MVP favorite

Oklahoma City Thunder: How Paul George has become an MVP frontrunner

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Paul George #13 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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The Winning Argument

Typically, for a player to have a legitimate shot at winning the MVP award, their team needs to win at least 50 games and secure a top 3 seed in their conference. The one recent exception to this rule was Russell Westbrook (George’s teammate) who won the award in 2017 on a Thunder squad that only won 47 games and finished as the sixth seed.

Currently, PG and the Thunder sit with a record of 37-20 (on pace for 53 wins) and are locked into the third spot in the Western Conference, three games ahead of the Blazers and just two games back of the Nuggets for the 2-seed.

And despite Denver remaining above OKC in the standings, if I’m a team like the Lakers, for example, I’d rather get the seventh seed than the sixth seed since this Thunder squad is looking like it could be a really tough out in the playoffs. Not only that but they have far more playoff experience, collectively than Denver’s young core.

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