International Sports, Sports

Kia Race to the MVP Ladder: Russell Westbrook, James Harden on the clock for final MVP statments

MVP frontrunners have about two weeks to make their lasting cases for the award

Sekou Smith

Sekou Smith NBA.com

Mar 31, 2017 11:56 AM ET

How will James Harden and Russell Westbrook separate themselves from the other down the stretch?

Time is of the essence in any race.

And in the case of this season’s crowded chase for the KIA MVP, the time between now and the end of the NBA regular season — some two weeks — couldn’t be more crucial for all involved.

The Maurice Podoloff Trophy could be won, or lost, based on what transpires between now and April 12.

For projected frontrunners Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, that means there are two weeks to make competing arguments as to why they are deserving of the most prestigious individual award the game has to offer.

That means each and every matchup, no matter the level of competition, could have a significant impact on who fits where when the dust settles on what has been a remarkable season for the deepest field in the MVP race we’ve seen in years.

That also means every triple-double, every clutch shot, every dramatic win, plays a part in this process. They’ll serve as closing arguments, if you will, for cases these superstars have been making all season.

Westbrook authored one of his finest efforts earlier this week, posting the highest scoring triple-double (57 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) in league history in Wednesday’s overtime win over Orlando.

It was a performance that had it all, the numbers, the dramatics and Westbrook, of course, playing hero for a Thunder team that never seems to let up.

1:59

Russell Westbrook sets an NBA record with a 57-point triple-double against the Thunder.

“You just got to want it more than other people,” Westbrook said after the game. “I think for me, every night I don’t think about getting tired. I just go out and keep going, keep going.”

Westbrook’s unwavering belief in himself, and the relentlessness that’s always been a staple of his game, is what’s fueling his campaign on a nightly basis down the stretch of this season.

Whether he acknowledges it or not, and for the most part this season he has refused to indulge, no matter how many times he’s baited, he was made for the chase.

“He never believes that he’s ever out of it or we’re ever out of it, and he plays with an incredible competitive spirit,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “He just plays with unbelievable spirit all the time. He’s got a huge heart, he’s a huge competitor and he finds ways to make things happen.”

1:00

Take a closer look at the numbers to know in this week’s Race to the MVP Ladder.

Westbrook will get another chance to make a compelling statement tonight if he can produce a fifth straight triple-double (and his 39 of the season) against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena (8 ET, ESPN).

Harden has his own opportunity tonight in Oakland (10:30 ET, ESPN), where he’ll face a streaking Warriors team that has won nine straight games and is raging towards the playoffs (and Kevin Durant’s return from injury to join then in their championship hunt).

Two weeks is all that remains, a limited amount of opportunities to make a defining statement in one of the most compelling competitions in all of sports.

And you better believe, time, as always, is of the essence.

Now to this week’s KIA Race to the MVP Ladder:

***

1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week: No. 2

Westbrook has a chance to get his fifth straight triple-double tonight when the Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs. And you know he’s licking his chops at the opportunity. He’s locked in on Oscar Robertson’s NBA record of 41 triple-doubles this season, with 38 and counting following the highest scoring triple-double in league history in Wednesday’s win over Orlando (33.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists in his last five games).

1:58

Russell Westbrook is nominated for the Kia Western Conference Player of the Month for March.

2. James Harden, Houston Rockets

Last week: No. 1

Harden refuses to make any excuses, but it’s clear that sore wrist he’s dealing with is having an effect on his game right now. The Rockets have dropped two straight games heading into tonight’s showdown against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Now is not the time to start sputtering, not with the playoffs so close and MVP ballots due in two weeks. (30.6 points, 11.4 assists, 7.6 rebounds in his last five games).

1:52

James Harden scores 30 points with eight boards in Houston’s loss to Portland.

3. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

Last week: No. 4

Leonard was solid in a win over Cleveland to kick off big boy week, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds and six assists. But he struggled a bit (five turnovers, 7-of-20 shooting) in a loss to Golden State Wednesday. But he’ll get a chance to straighten things out while also trying to slow down triple-double machine Russell Westbrook tonight in Oklahoma City (22.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists in his last five games).

2:01

Kawhi Leonard scores 25 points in a big win over the Cavs.

4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Last week: No. 3

LeBron passed Shaquille O’Neal for seventh on the all-time scoring list against the Bulls Thursday night, reaching yet another career milestone. But the Cavaliers are reeling right now, having lost six times in their last 10 games. No one wants March to end more than James and the Cavaliers, who are 6-10 with tonight’s home game against Philadelphia up next (23.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists in his last five games).

1:48

LeBron James scores 26 points against the Bulls to move to 7th on the NBA all-time leading scoring list.

5. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics

Last week: No. 5

The No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase is there for the taking if Thomas and his Celtics can take care of their business during the final two-plus weeks of the regular season. You can bet on Thomas playing with a heightened sense of urgency, fourth quarter mode at all times, to make sure it happens (29.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds in his last five games).

1:57

Isaiah Thomas scores a game-high 32 points against the Bucks.

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Last week: No. 7

It took him a while to find it, but Curry has donned his KIA MVP cape of the past two years recently for the Warriors, who have won nine straight games and host the Rockets tonight at Oracle Arena. He was at his best in that epic comeback win over the Spurs Wednesday night, scoring and assisting the Warriors to victory in a hostile environment (25.2 points, 10.0 assists, 5.2 rebounds in his last five games).

2:53

Stephen Curry scores 29 points with 11 assists in a big win over the Spurs.

7. John Wall, Washington Wizards

Last week: No. 6

The Wizards’ wicked road slate to finish the regular season continues tonight at Utah against a team that’s a mirror image of Wall’s upstart crew. Wall has certainly been up to the challenge, playing some of his best basketball of the season during this current, late-season grind. Clinching the franchise’s first division title since 1979 is more significant than realized, especially for Wall (31.2 points, 10.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds in his last five games).

1:44

John Wall explodes for 41 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against the Clippers.

8. Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz

Last week: No. 8

The Jazz have been average lately (5-5 in their past 10 games) and need to be better if they want the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff chase, which means they need even more from Hayward down the stretch of this season. And with a stout Washington Wizards team in town tonight, he’ll be challenged to do exactly that (22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists in his last five games).

0:15

Gordon Hayward drains a 3 and draws the foul for a four-point play opportunity.

9. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors

Last week: No. 9

DeRozan gets to match wits with Indianan Pacers All-Star Paul George tonight at the Air Canada Centre, continuing his late-season march against the best of the best. He’s proved to be more than up to the task, no matter who’s on the other side, during what has turned out to be a revealing season for one of the game’s truly elite wing players (32.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds in his last five games).

1:58

DeMar DeRozan is nominated for the Kia Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March.

10. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Last week: NR

Adding big man Jusuf Nurkic around the trade deadline was the boost Lillard and C.J. McCollum needed to revive the Trail Blazers’ season and it’s taken this long to do it. Lillard, snubbed yet again for an All-Star nod this season, will get the last laugh by driving his team to the playoffs when they were left for dead earlier this season (24.6 points, 7.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds in his last five games).

1:58

Damian Lillard scores a game-high 31 points with 11 assists in Portland’s win over the Rockets.

Next five (listed alphabetically): Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies; Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Next up?

An Inside Look at … Khris Middleton (from an Eastern Conference advance scout):

“When Jabari Parker went down for the season it looked bleak for the Bucks. They were already struggling a little bit and then that bad news hit. But Middleton was coming back at that same time and I don’t know if anyone realized just how important he would be for them down the stretch, but he’s made all the difference in the world for this team. His ability to stretch the floor deep beyond the 3-point line, especially at his size, opens up all sorts of mismatches for (Bucks coach Jason) Kidd to play with. They’ve already got the longest and most athletic roster in the league, and I mean that, they don’t get recognized for that the way they should. And Middleton is a huge part of that. He’s deceptively long and while not exactly an elite athlete in our league, certainly a better athlete than he’s given credit for being. You have him and the Greek Freak, John Henson, the rookie (Thon) Maker and the rest of those guys and they can be a handful, just dealing with them on the hoof. Middleton being a knockdown shooter, though, is what changes the game for them. He’s a 44 percent shooter from distance and shoots it at what, 87 percent from the line? That’s a huge boost for a team that doesn’t really have an abundance of quality shooters on the roster. When he’s added to that mix, they’re a completely different problem to deal with because he really opens the floor up, particularly in the halfcourt, for Giannis to take advantage of you and punish you in and around the basket. We handled them pretty well earlier in the season when Middleton was out. But that changed when he came back.”

Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

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International Sports, Sports

Russell Westbrook Makes NBA History With Triple-Double High Score

Russell Westbrook punches in highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history

NBA.com Staff

Mar 29, 2017 10:26 PM ET

In the chase to pass Oscar Robertson’s triple-double legacy, Russell Westbrook left a record-breaking footprint along the way on Wednesday night at Orlando.

Oklahoma City’s MVP candidate staked yet another claim to the league’s highest individual honor with the highest-scoring triple-double of all time, finishing with 57 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the Thunder’s 114-106 victory over the Magic.

Westbrook, who is closing in on joining Robertson as the only players in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season, is now tied with James Harden and Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor for most 50-point triple-doubles in a career (two apiece).

His scoring output in this particular effort sets him atop the all-time list, surpassing James Harden and Wilt Chamberlain’s respective 53-point triple-doubles. Harden’s occurred on Dec. 31, 2016, while Chamberlain’s original record-holding performance took place on March 18, 1968.

The highlight of Westbrook’s night occurred in the closing seconds of regulation, when the 6-3 guard stopped on a dime and, rising about two defenders, canned a 31-foot three-pointer that tied the game and put him at the 50-point plateau.

Westbrook accounted for 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists during the fourth quarter and overtime. He now has 38 triple-doubles on the season, just three shy of Robertson’s all-time single season record of 41. The Thunder (43-31) have eight regular season games remaining.

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News, Regional News, Travel

People and Partnership Needed To Keep Caribbean Competitive

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands, Tuesday March 28, 2017 – The head of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) called on the region to work together to ensure the Caribbean remains one of the world’s leading destinations.

Delivering the keynote at the Annual General Meeting of the U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association earlier this month, CHTA President Karolin Troubetzkoy noted that while Caribbean destinations are very different, they share many of the same challenges – from the impact of climate change to the high cost of operations.

Troubetzkoy, who is the executive director of operations at St. Lucia’s Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts, believes a collective resolve is needed, leveraging the strength of diversity and the commonalities of the region’s countries and territories to fulfill tourism’s true potential. She pointed to the some of the issues many regional destinations are facing, such as improving intra-regional travel, the high costs of airlift to the region as well as importing food, taxes and the growing activity of the sharing economy.

Troubetzkoy indicated she is encouraged by recent movements towards greater public-private sector collaboration to address the region’s tourism competitiveness and development. She cited a recent presentation by CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) at the CARICOM Intersessional meeting where the leaders gave the green light to the organizations to draft a plan for submission to the CARICOM Summit in July for a “sustained region-wide tourism development and marketing initiative.”

Quoting from a recent CTO report on the industry’s 2016 tourism performance, Troubetzkoy observed that while the Caribbean reported its seventh consecutive year of growth with an increase of visitor arrivals by 4.2 percent and a total of 29.3 million stay-over visitors to the region, that growth was unevenly distributed, with Cuba and the Dominican Republic being the primary beneficiaries.

Similarly, despite the increase in visitor arrivals, many regional hotel properties did not experience a successful 2016, as measured in terms of key performance indicators such as Occupancy, ADR (Average Daily Rate) and RevPar (Revenue per Available Room).

Underscoring the need for integrated regional approaches, Troubetzkoy reminded attendees that the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) expects the Caribbean region’s tourism share to decline from 2.1 percent to 1.7 percent by 2030.

The CHTA president issued a call to tourism professionals across the region to work together to make their destinations more competitive on the global market: “We also must keep an eye on the many international tourism destinations out there that perform better than us – destinations that have been able to offer 5- and 6-star products at a cost that probably would buy a 3- or 4-star holiday in the Caribbean.”

She called for stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors at the destination and regional levels to tackle the difficult issues of increased airlift, air travel costs, taxation, improved inter-regional connectivity and figuring out together how to price products more competitively in the global marketplace: “Our discussions may be uncomfortable and sometimes heated but they must take place because, in the end, we are in this together.”

Pointing to the rapid growth of the alternative accommodations sector through online platforms like Airbnb, she asserted: “Rather than fighting the trend we have much to gain by working with (them) to find ways of cooperating for the benefit of our visitors, our dedicated hoteliers and tourism professionals, as well as our hospitable citizens who are willing to share their homes with visitors from abroad, and from within our destinations.”

Key issues related to the sharing economy’s participation in the hospitality industry include the need to ensure safety and security for guests, and to establish policies that require the homestay community to make a reasonable contribution to each destination’s infrastructure maintenance and construction costs.

Noting that people are key to competitiveness, Troubetzkoy urged destinations to develop and fine-tune “every aspect of our customer service experience, enhancing our product itself – whether we are talking about availability of real, authentic Caribbean cultural and culinary offers, locally made products or renovated and enhanced hotel accommodations that have taken into account changing customer expectations.”

None of this can be achieved, she declared, without well-trained and informed people in the sector: “We have to ensure we are training people who will continually improve our product as they make fulfilling careers in tourism, and we need to also provide these stalwarts of our sector with continuing education and training. Because, let’s face it – our landscapes, adventures and beaches will draw travelers to our shores – but it is our Caribbean people who will keep them coming back.”

Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/travel/people-partnership-needed-keep-caribbean-competitive#ixzz4cvOfKAgB

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News, Regional News

Trinidad Wants In On Guyana Oil

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Thursday March 30, 2017 – Trinidad and Tobago has been making an all-out pitch to refine Guyana’s oil, insisting that such a move would be in best interest of CARICOM.

Top officials in the twin-island republic made a strong case at the Guyana Oil and Gas Conference held on Sunday.

Vice President, Refining and Marketing at the state-owned Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Petrotrin) Astor Harris told Demerara Waves Online News there was “a viable market for Guyana’s oil” at Petrotrin and the company had the capacity to refine Guyana’s crude oil to deliver a quality that should match the West Texas Intermedia valuation standard.

VICE PRESIDENT, REFINING AND MARKETING AT THE STATE-OWNED PETROLEUM COMPANY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (PETROTRIN) ASTOR HARRIS

 

“The oil to be produced by Guyana can be refined in Trinidad. Even if it’s a bit light, we can blend it with other crudes because we purchase a range of crudes and then we blend them to get the products that we need,” he said

Harris’ comments are in direct contradiction to a recent statement from former Trinidad Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine who said Petrotrin would not be in a position to refine Guyana’s oil when commercial extraction begins in 2020/2021.

He explained that Petrotrin’s refinery is configured to refine heavy to medium crude, but Guyana’s reserves have been defined as light, sweet crude.

“It is possible that some of it could be used as a diluent to dilute some of the heavier crude in Trinidad, but I don’t think the refinery diet in Trinidad is what you all [Guyana] want. There could be scope for configuring the refinery to refine light crude, but upgrading the refinery to do that will require money and Petrotrin is strapped for cash. So I think the immediate best bet would be to refine that crude in the US, which is what I think Exxon is going to do in the beginning,” Ramnarine told Demerara Waves Online News.

Harris, however, signalled that Port of Spain was not about to surrender the opportunity, declaring that Trinidad had a “major interest” in ensuring that Guyana was successful.

He explained that if Guyana’s oil is refined in Trinidad, it would allow Petrotrin to use its excess capacity.

According to Harris, Petrotrin has a refining capacity of approximately 168,000 barrels per day and it refines 150,000 barrels per day.

“So there is room for Guyana’s oil,” he insisted.

Acknowledging that the remaining capacity was just 18,000 barrels a day, he stressed that Petrotrin could make necessary adjustments by varying its intake and reducing the amount of international oil.

“There is room for the Guyanese oil. We will just reduce and optimize how much we take from the international market,” he said.

So serious is Trinidad and Tobago’s bid that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley headed to Texas on Tuesday to meet with top Exxon officials and other energy companies including BP Amoco and Shell.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the discussions centre around strategies for navigating the challenges facing the energy sector and opportunities for growth and partnerships in Trinidad and Tobago and in the region.

Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/business/trinidad-wants-guyana-oil#ixzz4cvNtl1OT

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News, Regional News

Barbados Private Sector Warns Job Cuts Could Be Coming

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday March 30, 2017

Barbados’ private sector has put the Government on notice that it can no longer maintain current job levels as it struggles to withstand the pressure from the deteriorating economy.

President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce Eddy Abed told the grouping’s monthly business luncheon yesterday that businesses have been able to maintain employment for well over 100,000 people, but this was a result of “restraint and maturity.”

“This has however come at a cost of lower profit levels and reduced capital investment in new and existing ventures,” he warned.

Though staying clear of saying the layoffs were imminent, Abed cautioned that it could not be business as usual.

He advised Barbadians to brace for further austerity measures, as he expressed concern that the country’s economic future remains uncertain.

Abed lamented that the island was headed in the “wrong direction with only over-optimistic promises to comfort us.”

Citing a string of economic woes, the BCCI president said Government had failed to halt the economic slide, resulting in staggering debt and successive economic downgrades by rating agencies, among other things.

“Sadly, this calamitous situation has continued unabated; the results are everywhere to be seen. Government services have drastically deteriorated, as generally there has not been any realistic allotment for maintenance or replacement of essential equipment. Yet we are told that our Central Bank continues to print money at the dizzying amount of $50 million per month to pay public servants…”

Stressing the need for an urgent overhaul since time was running out, Abed said Barbadians have to play their role by adjusting to paying their own way for critical services that the Government could no longer afford to fund.

“I am aware that the entitlements that many take for granted for the last two generations must be reviewed and a buffet of options guided by means testing, user fees and outsourcing will have to be embraced.

Unless all Barbadians recognize that the gravy train will no longer provide an easy ride as before, and every citizen must be meaningfully engaged in a work environment, we will forever be chasing an elusive lifestyle that cannot be maintained,” he added

The businessman called for a “reboot of a generally poor customer service and generally low productivity in both the private and public sectors.

Abed urged the Government to take the BCCI’s advice to lower its expenditure, improve the ease of doing business and grow the economy.  

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