Week 21 NBA MVP race: James Harden holds steady at the top
USA TODAY Sports' top five candidates for the 2016-17 NBA MVP award (from Sunday, March 19 through Sunday, March 26).
Also receiving votes: Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Washington Wizards' John Wall
► NBA power rankings: Celtics move past Cavs into top four
► ROY race: Suns' Marquese Chriss moves into top three
5. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics (48-26)
Season statistics: 29.1 points, 5.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 46.2% shooting
Thomas has carried the Celtics to the top spot in the Eastern Conference (and the No. 4 spot in our power rankings). He's not only in the MVP conversation, but with career highs in scoring and shooting percentages across the board, he's in the Most Improved Player conversation as well. Thomas' turnaround, and his night-by-night, fourth-quarter heroics, have undoubtedly been one of the NBA's top story lines in the league this season. But it hasn't been enough to warrant anything higher than our No. 5 spot. And that's hardly a knock against him. The rest of the race is just too tight.
GALLERY: Isaiah Thomas through the years
4. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (56-16)
Season statistics: 26.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals, 48.6% shooting
As he continues to add to his offensive repertoire, Leonard — arguably the NBA's top two-way player — has led the Spurs to yet another 55-win season. The only problem? We're in the midst of one of the tightest MVP races in NBA history, led by two players putting up video game numbers, rewriting the record books almost nightly. At this point, there's no question that Leonard deserves to be MVP. The question is: does he deserve it more than these next three guys?
3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (47-25)
Season statistics: 26.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 54.2% shooting
James — who's averaging the most rebounds and assists of his career while shooting the third-highest he ever has from both the field and beyond the arc — is having an MVP-worthy season. But Cleveland's recent struggles (second-worst defense in the NBA since the All-Star break), combined with the fact that he's missed six games this season (five for rest) while Russell Westbrook and James Harden are both on pace for 82, James may not finish any higher than third in this year's voting.
GALLERY: LeBron James through the years
2. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (41-31)
Season statistics: 31.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 42.3% shooting
On paper, Westbrook outperformed Harden when the two faced off Sunday evening. He finished with 39 points (on 13-of-24 shooting), 13 assists and 11 rebounds — his 36th triple-double of the season. Harden finished with 22 points (on 8-of-15 shooting), 12 assists and five rebounds before leaving late in the game with a minor wrist injury. But it was Harden who led his Rockets to a 137-125 victory, ending the season series with the Thunder, 3-1.
Westbrook's quest for history is still alive as he needs just five more triple-doubles to tie Oscar Robertson for most in a single season, and he has 10 more games to do so. But the question still remains: Are Westbrook's numbers enough to take home the MVP award despite the fact that his team likely won't finish any higher than fifth in the West?
1. James Harden, Houston Rockets (51-22)
Season statistics: 29.4 points, 11.3 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 44.8% shooting
Westbrook's MVP case is fueled by his triple-double diet, while Harden's is fueled by the fact that he's pacing this high-octane Rockets squad to the second-winningest season in franchise history. Westbrook isn't the only MVP candidate chasing history, though. Harden, who ranks second in the league in points per game and first in assists, is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a single season. He also has the most 40-point triple-doubles in a season in league history (six) and is just the third player to have 2,000 points and 800 assists in a season. What's more, Harden gets to the line more than anybody in the league, leading the NBA in both free throws made (9.3) and attempted (10.9).
Each player on this list — particularly Leonard, James, Westbrook and Harden — makes their own compelling case, and once one is crowned, the basketball world should have little reason to be up in arms. But as of right now, with nine games left in the regular season and the Rockets essentially locked in as the No. 3 seed in the West, the award is Harden's to lose.
List of voters: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick, Kevin Spain, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Michael Singer; The Arizona Republic's Doug Haller; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery; Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis; Indianapolis Star's Nate Taylor; The (Bergen) Record's Steve Popper; HoopsHype.com's Jorge Sierra and Raul Barrigon; USA TODAY Sports Weekly's Howard Megdal; For The Win's Adi Joseph.