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Instead of major NBA awards being announced throughout the course of the playoffs, the NBA has decided to wait this year until after the season is over to host an awards show, during which they'll announced the recipients of major awards such as MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and others. 

While there's still over a month until we know the winners, the league has thrown us a little bone here, as before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night, they announced the three finalists for the MVP award.

Drum roll please

Thank you. 

Okay, they are...

Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard

Here, to review, are brief synopses of their resumes:

Westbrook: 31.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 10.4 apg, first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for the entire season, set the NBA record for the most triple-doubles in a season

Harden: 29.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 11.2 apg, did everything for the Rockets as they jumped from a 41-win team that finished eighth in the West to a 55-win team that finished third in the West

Leonard: 25.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, best two way player in the league, lead the Spurs to a second-place finish in the West as they won 61 games

This of course, comes as no surprise, as these three were among the four leading candidates all season long. Really the only thing to argue here is about whether or not LeBron James should have been one of the finalists.