Volume Four: Golden State's Golden Age — MVP Race
In March, Harden also began to turn it on. This season, Bogdan averaged 25.6 minutes per game, putting up 13.8 points, 3.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds, perfectly fulfilling the role of sixth man. The next day, the individual events were equally uneventful. No Warriors players took part in the Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest, or Three-Point Contest. Zhou Qi had no complaints whatsoever about Zhang Yu's arrangements. He had not played in the Summer League, but during the team's scrimmages, he had come to deeply understand the gap between himself and his teammates. On the MVP ladder, Westbrook had long been at a disadvantage. In the latest rankings, he was only sixth, while Harden retained the top spot, and the calls for him to win MVP grew louder. On February 24, Westbrook posted an absurd triple-double of 17 points, 17 assists, and 18 rebounds, leading his team to a 110-93 rout of the Lakers. The All-Star Rising Stars Challenge got underway, and the Warriors had only one representative: second-year player Bogdan, who was selected for the World Team. This season, Leonard's brilliance had become increasingly dazzling, overshadowing Wiggins' improvement. Inspired by Leonard, Wiggins trained relentlessly all summer, only to discover that while he had improved, Leonard had improved too—and by an even greater margin, directly crossing the threshold into superstardom. Zhang Yu paid close attention to Zhou Qi's training and guided him personally. Because of Zhang Yu, the Warriors players also took especially good care of Zhou Qi. On March 15, Harden casually put up 18 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, leading his team to a 139-100 demolition of the Lakers. This was also Harden's sixth 40-plus-point triple-double of the season, surpassing Westbrook and Robertson to set a new historical