James Harden
Get ready for Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden in first-round playoff duel
James Harden

Get ready for Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden in first-round playoff duel

Published Apr. 9, 2017 12:22 a.m. ET

Too bad the MVP votes already will be cast when Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder face James Harden and the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/850908263772286977

The Thunder secured the sixth seed in the West with the Clippers' win over the Spurs on Saturday night. Second-seeded San Antonio will face seventh-seeded Memphis in the first round and the Clippers will face the Jazz, however we won't know their seeds until next week, or who the Warriors will face as the eighth seed.

But Thunder-Rockets will be the best first-round series thanks to the teams' MVP candidates: Westbrook will finish this season averaging a triple-double while Harden is having the most prolific offensive season in NBA history. What are the chances that they both average a triple for the series?

Westbrook will have his work cut out for him, as the third-seeded Rockets won three of four from the Thunder this season despite games of 49 and 39 by Russ. But Westbrook has faced an uphill battle since Kevin Durant left, so what else is new?

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