Russell Westbrook’s NBA MVP case is more than just triple-doubles

DALLAS — Russell Westbrook’s voice was nearly gone, but he didn’t seem to mind. That’s standard. That’s the norm for him.

“My voice is always gone,” Westbrook said. “After a game I never have my voice. But it’s alright.”

Anything would be alright with Westbrook after he single-handedly willed the Thunder into this win. Down 13 points with 3:30 left in the game, it felt like Oklahoma City had been slogging through an offensive malaise for more than three and a half quarters. Certainly, a 14-0 run to close the game with a win didn’t seem likely. At that point, it seemed like a 4-0 run might even be too much to ask.

Then, like we’ve seen a time or two before, Westbrook seemed to decide this wasn’t a game he was willing to lose anymore. After that, the points came in a flurry.

“It was just, like, trying to get out of his way,” Steven Adams said. “And he did the rest, which was awesome.”

Westbrook scored 16 of the Thunder’s final 18 points, but he was still mad when he clanked a 19-foot jump shot off the rim that would have put the team ahead. He let head coach Billy Donovan know that he wouldn’t disappoint if they got the ball back.

“I told him I’m not gonna miss another one,” Westbrook said.

Still, Oklahoma City needed the ball back. They smothered Dallas in the backcourt once, forcing a timeout and another inbounds play. On the second, Westbrook read a pass perfectly, leaving his man to tip it out of bounds and off J.J. Barea. If you wanted to see more than triple-doubles — which, by the way, he recorded his 37th one on Monday — there you have it. If you need to see winning plays from Westbrook, not just him tallying up uncontested rebounds, then just rewatch the final 3:30 on Monday. Everything Westbrook did contributed directly to a win.

Like this game-winning jumper itself.

After all, he told Donovan he wasn’t going to miss again.

“The thing that I think is really great for our team, and the thing that any coach wants from his team, is to have a never-say-die attitude and to work and to be relentless and passionate and to play all the way to the final buzzer,” Donovan said. “He embodies that in every possible way, shape or form it could be. It’s just, he’s got this desire, this drive and he’ll just find a way. Nothing’s too insurmountable to overcome. It’s a great credit to his disposition and competitiveness, and I also think it trickles into our team, especially during timeouts and huddles, because he really encourages and inspires the group.”

Oklahoma City is now 30-7 when Westbrook records a triple-double. There’s no scenario where the Thunder win in that scenario, down 13 with 3:30, without Westbrook taking over as he did. Oklahoma City’s defense and Dallas fading offensively both factored in as well. But in a season that has revolved around the mercurial point guard leading the charge without abandon, so did this win.

“I just come out and compete every night,” Westbrook said. “I just try to find ways to help my team win and always ‘never quit,’ that’s my mentality. Always keep it going.”

Amazingly, this isn’t the first Westbrook has done even this — he scored 15 points with just 2:35 left in the fourth to steal an even more improbable victory from Memphis in February. If there’s something from Westbrook that pushes him out from the crowd — his vibrant fashion sense aside — it’s this.

Every team with an MVP candidate would be worse without them, but what would the Thunder be? The Rockets, the Cavaliers, and the Spurs could still win some games. But Oklahoma City is so singularly reliant on Westbrook’s skills to make everything else on their team properly tick. They are outscored by 10 points per 100 possession whenever he’s off the court this season, after all.

After Westbrook’s game-winning shot, the Mavericks only had seconds left. The best shot they got, however, was a deep three from Harrison Barnes that rattled off the rim to the right. The buzzer sounded, and Oklahoma City came after Westbrook in a celebration scene at mid-court.

If Westbrook hadn’t lost his voice yet, it had to happen there.

“Emotions get into the game and as you know I’m full of emotion,” he said. “I love winning on the road and seeing my teammates celebrate.”