After the Grizzlies' seven-game winning streak, Link had directly reclaimed the top spot in the MVP rankings.
Link still remembered the first time he had ever reached the top of the MVP rankings in his career. The entire world had questioned him, saying he did not deserve it.
But this time, practically no one stepped forward to say Link was undeserving.
If even Link did not deserve it, then no one in the league deserved that position.
This time, ESPN's reasoning for placing Link first was very simple.
"Winning is the goal of basketball. Triple-doubles are not."
Clearly, Westbrook's triple-double averages had fallen short against the string of highly valuable wins Link had led his team to.
Moreover, Westbrook's two matchups against Link had both proven that his triple-doubles did not necessarily bring his team victory.
The Thunder's current 25-19 record was indeed far from satisfactory.
Westbrook's deliberate stat-padding for triple-doubles had become increasingly obvious.
Thus, without question, Link had retaken the throne at the top of the MVP rankings!
Although this was only a ranking compiled by ESPN and did not represent the final result of the MVP voting.
Being able to maintain the lead on this list nevertheless proved that Link was currently the closest person to the MVP.
Link's return to the top of the MVP rankings was what everyone had hoped for. Even Warriors fans could not find fault with him.
He had the record, he had the stats. Even judging solely by his individual performances against other superstars, he still held the advantage.
Westbrook was deeply unwilling to accept it. To this day, he had never won a regular-season MVP.
Without winning a regular-season MVP, how could he prove that he was stronger than Durant?
But unfortunately, Westbrook's opponent was simply too powerful. Even stats