Tyrese Haliburton Crowns OKC Thunder Superstar As NBA MVP

The NBA MVP race rages on in the media but Vegas and players around the league have started to put the debate to bed before.

This is a two-man race for the honor with Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeking his first NBA MVP award to join elite company and Nikola Jokic aiming for his fourth honor to etch his name in historic heart-to-hearts.

Everyone has boldly taken their stance on who should stake claim to the award and no matter what evidence is presented to favor the other side, no one is budging an inch. In reality, both candidates are posting historic numbers and are worthy of the award but voters have to make a tough decision in a couple of weeks to decide who takes home the hardware.

On Saturday, Gilgeous-Alexander posted 33 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and a steal while shooting 43% from the floor, 3-for-6 from deep and 10-for-12 at the charity stripe in the Thunder's lopsided win over the Indiana Pacers.

After the contest, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was asked about the Thunder superstar's chances of winning the NBA MVP award.

"MVP, No question," Haliburton said of the Thunder superstar "I grew up in an era where the best player on the best team wins MVP every time. I think our era is kind of getting away from that a little bit, which is fine. I think [Nikola] Jokic and those guys are warranted when they win. But, I think if you took away them having the best record, [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] would still be MVP, then you throw on the fact he has the best record, it kinda makes it an easy decision. I don't have a vote but I bet you, if you took a player poll, on Shai, he would win."

This is high praise for the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar from his peers and something that Gilgeous-Alexander is used to as the players around the league continue to speak glowingly of him.

Soon, the Oklahoma City Thunder should be celebrating its third NBA MVP in franchise history with Gilgeous-Alexander joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the other two Thunder players to take home the hardware.