The completely serious way James Harden and Russell Westbrook can decide the NBA MVP vote

We can’t stop fighting over who should win MVP: Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

The cases for each are convincing as the two are making history by the day. There might not be a correct answer for which of the them is more deserving based on advanced statistics. But we have a much better way to pick between them.

The world, being the beautiful place it sometimes is, gave us an unforgettable NBA regular season and is now leaving us with a Rockets-Thunder opening round of the playoffs. It’s a sign that we should use this head-to-head matchup to crown our King.

Saying the winner of the series should take the honor would be a misleading way to assign the throne. Harden’s Rockets are clearly superior, and as the No. 3 seed they’ll be favored over the No. 6 Thunder. So we here at SB Nation have our own scorecard to measure what is truly important. (Points will be added over the course of the series and the score is currently 9-5 in favor of Westbrook.)

Before the game even tips, some points will be decided. Whoever has the most facial hair earns two points and so will whoever delivers the best dance. We know who should win each category, but there’s still time for the Brodie to chuck the razor and for Harden to let loose. This. Is. April. After all.

As they say, heroes never die, but memes live forever. It’s extremely important that each candidate produces multiple pieces of viral content. Five points for anything deemed a meme (unlimited uses).

We’ve all screamed several times while watching both of these guys play and each yelp deserves a tally, too. Every time you audibly scream, whether it’s because of a violent dunk or nasty crossover, give that candidate three points.

Few things are more important to Westbrook or Harden than their undeniably, um, unique, fashion. There’s going to be some debate here, but we’ll try to keep things simple. If they wear something normal like a plain suit (which they won’t) award them no points, but if they are on-brand (which they will be) and wear something outrageous, give them four points. Our MVP needs to be stylish. (If the clothes also become a meme they are awarded a total of nine points.)

Harden has been unclutch in the closing few minutes of games, but here’s his chance at redemption. Each game-winner earns the candidate six points (we have to measure some basketball things here).

It’s weird when either Harden or Westbrook doesn’t accumulate a triple-double. The Brodie is averaging one for the entire dang season. But now it can prove costly if they’re contained to any single-digit stats. Each time they post the inevitable, award them four points.

We are very excited to finally learn who will become the 2016-17 season’s MVP and this feels like the only fair way to choose. You are very welcome.

The Rockets may have taken the game easily, but it’s Russell Westbrook who currently leads the duel between MVP-candidate guards, 9-5.

Here is the scoring breakdown:

Westbrook - 9 total points

Harden - 5 total points