James Harden and Russell Westbrook are teammates on the Houston Rockets in 2020. But three years ago, they were playoff rivals.
In a season defined by their epic battle for the MVP award, it was only fitting that Harden’s Rockets and Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder met in the playoffs. On April 16, 2017, it was Harden who had the upper hand in a blowout 118-87 win (box score) in Game 1 at Toyota Center.
Harden tallied a game-high 37 points (46.4% FG) and nine assists. Westbrook led the Thunder with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but he struggled at 6-of-23 (26.1%) from the field. Longtime guard nemesis Pat Beverley, who helped fluster Westbrook into a tough shooting night, was more efficient with 21 points (8-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds.
The third-seeded Rockets went on to defeat the sixth-seeded Thunder in the series, four games to one. Westbrook, however, had the upper hand on Harden in MVP voting following that season’s conclusion.
Today, considering Harden’s award in the subsequent 2017-18 season, they’re both MVPs. Best of all, after Westbrook’s July 2019 trade from Oklahoma City to Houston, they’re reunited as teammates.
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