Russell Westbrook has been on a serious last-second MVP campaign

Russell Westbrook has hit the pinnacle of a season that will go down in NBA immortality.

On Sunday, he picked up his 42nd triple-double of the season, breaking Oscar Robertson’s record that stood untouched for more than 50 years. Two days earlier, he solidified his double-digit assist average for the year, joining Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. In the same game, he also joined The Big O and Nate “Tiny” Archibald as the only players to average 30 points and 10 assists for a season.

In all, Westbrook’s posted eight triple-doubles in his last 10 games. But for a player having such an incredible season, there seems to be indecision among voters penning ballots for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player of the Year award.

Voters point to James Harden, who has helped orchestrate a Rockets’ offense gunning its way to the West’s third-best record. They point to Kawhi Leonard, whose two-way play has the Spurs affixed into the conference’s No. 2 seed. And they look at LeBron James, as they do every season, leading his team to an anticipated third straight NBA Finals appearance.

None of those players are having the season Westbrook has had. And if his season-long campaign to drag the Oklahoma City Thunder into the playoffs wasn’t enough, his play in recent weeks served as a stark reminder not to leave The Brodie off of your MVP ballot this year.

In his last 10 games, Westbrook is averaging 37 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 11.1 assists. The latter stretch of his season has been a microcosm of one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history.

Westbrook finished with 18 points (on 6-of-6 shooting from both the field and the foul line), 11 rebounds, and 14 assists. He posted the first-ever perfect-shooting triple-double in NBA history. His response?

Westbrook scored 57 points in a win over the Orlando Magic, hitting a game-tying triple to send the game into overtime. It was the most points ever scored by a player to post a triple-double in NBA history.

He scored 19 fourth-quarter points to erase a 10-point Orlando lead with under eight minutes left in the quarter. The possession before, he made one of the most difficult layups look like poetry in motion.

Westbrook finished with 12 points (on 4-of-12 shooting), 13 rebounds and 13 assists to lead the Thunder to a 31-point win over the Bucks. Despite his minimal points total, he recorded his seventh consecutive triple-double, tying Michael Jordan for the most consecutive triple-doubles in NBA history.

It was the second time Westbrook tied Jordan’s mark this season.

Westbrook fell short of a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Phoenix even intentionally fouled him down the stretch to prevent the two dimes that would have earned him the record.

But it was his sixth assist in the third quarter against the Suns that solidified his season average of a triple-double. It was during this game Westbrook officially joined The Big O as the only players to average one for an entire season.

Westbrook went ahead and broke the record for his 42nd triple-double of the season, the most ever in league history. He found Semaj Christon for a corner three-pointer that etched both of their names into the record books.

Westbrook then turned around and erased a 10-point deficit, scoring 18 of the Thunder’s final 21 points and nailing a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer. The shot both won the game for Oklahoma City and knocked the Denver Nuggets out of playoff contention.

If that’s not MVP basketball, I don’t know what is.