Most Intriguing first-round National Basketball Association matchups

We'll likely get it as much as we got with LeBron James and Derrick Rose in 2011.

The series will pit Spanish brothers Pau Gasol (Spurs) and Marc Gasol (Grizzlies) against one another for the first time in the playoffs. For those who will be voting, they will have a lot of freedom to choose a candidate.

"I think it's fantastic", D'Antoni said.

Russell Westbrook against James Harden is a sensational start to the National Basketball Association postseason. Each has done plenty to solidify themselves at the top of many analysts lists, and they are nearly equally likely to win. Oscar Robertson, the only player to average a triple-double for a full season prior to Westbrook, finished third in the MVP vote in the year of his achievement. Houston is a better shooting team than Oklahoma City so offensive rebounds are going to be very important for the Thunder. They seem to win 60-plus games a year, regardless of who the best player or players on the roster are that season. From the opening whistle to the closing buzzer, Westbrook has lit the court on fire accounting 31.9 points (first in NBA) and 10.4 assists (third in NBA) per game, while leading Point Guards in rebounds with 10.7 (11th in NBA) per game.

Elsewhere, the banging bodies of Adams and Kanter will need to take advantage of their opportunities against Clint Capela, Nene and Anderson in the paint, but most of the Thunder defenders will also struggle to chase the latter around the arc - setting up nicely for a clash of opposing frontcourt strengths and weaknesses.

Westbrook has gone into most of the high-stakes games in his career with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka at his side. The Rockets set a record for three-pointers made with 1,181. They play at an average pace, score 106.6 points per game and are in the middle when it comes to defense and points allowed (105.8). They run, they get the ball in Harden's hands, and they either slash to the hoop, or they drive and ditch to a succession of spot-up long-range bombers.

Westbrook said the fact that Oklahoma City is matching up Harden does add a little something to the matchup. Giannis Antetokounmpo is officially at a level of talent where he can just will his team to win games. With only one game left to play, Harden at 54-37 could fall short of that bench mark. Houston plays the Thunder, and the Clippers battle Utah.

It's actually pretty impressive that Kawhi, as a forward, is averaging 3.5 assists a game when he rarely brings the ball up the floor. You can debate if it's fair to punish the Spurs for wanting a brighter spotlight or not, but an MVP award should come in the near future for Leonard because is unquestionably one of the few superior two-way players in the league. There are usually multiple players who could make a strong case for being deserving of the award.

Curry, in addition to being a great all-around player himself, makes his teammates around him better, too, and does so at a rate better than any of the other MVP candidates. Depending on what the panel bases their vote off of, James could easily be squeezed into the MVP conversation. As exhibited throughout the season, it's tough to bet against Westbrook in these high-intensity moments, but the series will still swing on the help he receives and Roberson's cagey defense on Harden.

Just because Malcolm Brogdon and Dario Saric played all year doesn't mean they were better rookies than Embiid.

Despite that, Westbrook has had a historic season against the most stacked position in the National Basketball Association - say what you will about the usage, how he doesn't make his teammates better and chasing stats, but it's clear no team has truly stopped him this season.

Ultimately though, the two styles that have clashed all season long in the MVP race will be on display once again.

Mention something about sustaining production through the season and he'll be quick to remind you he plays the same way every game.