MVP race heating up

With stretch run looming, Kobe has edge over LeBron

by Marty Burns

Back in December, I offered my early views of the MVP race. At the time, the Celtics were running roughshod over the NBA, and Kevin Garnett was my choice. Now Boston has come back to the pack a little, while teams like the Lakers, Hornets, Pistons, Jazz and Rockets have surged.

With the season now almost two-thirds complete, it's a good time to take another look at the MVP race. Right now, it appears to be a three-man race between Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. It probably will come down to how voters view the award. If they go with the best player, then it will be between Kobe and LeBron. If they go for the guy who has made the biggest impact in terms of leadership and team success, Garnett still has a great chance.

As for me, I usually opt for the best player approach. But there are years when a guy makes such a huge difference in terms of leadership and clutch play while leading his team to the top that it cannot be ignored. Steve Nash would be a prime example of this in recent years.

Anyway, this is how I see the MVP race at the moment. But don't hold me to these selections. There is still a lot of basketball to be played before I have to cast my official ballot in April.

(All stats and records through Wednesday's games.)

1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers: If the vote were held today, I think the Lakers' star would get the nod. While he doesn't have the across-the-board stats of James, and his sizzling team still hasn't won as many games as Garnett's, his overall body of work has been the best.

He is still one of the game's top scorers (27.8 points, along with 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists), but he has found a way to mesh his skills with newcomer Pau Gasol and the rest of his cast to vault the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference standings. Kobe's defense, which had slipped a bit in recent years, has returned to its old nasty form. His leadership has been good. He has played hurt.

If L.A. keeps rolling, he has a great chance to win this year's MVP. The fact that the 11-year veteran has yet to win one, and that LeBron, 23, will have many more opportunities, will definitely play into Bryant's favor. But the Lakers are going to have to stay near the top of the league.

2. LeBron James, Cavs: The King has to be asking himself, What more do I have to do? Nobody can match his numbers (NBA-high 30.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 7.4 apg). He has almost single-handedly kept his team afloat despite two major holdouts and several key injuries. He even took home MVP honors at the All-Star Game. But fair or not, the league MVP is usually about more than being just the best overall player. It's possible that, like a lot of previous greats, he will just have to wait his turn.

Plus, LeBron still has areas in which to improve. He might rebound and dish it more than Kobe, but he isn't as spirited a defender, for example. His biggest problem, though, is that the Cavs as a team aren't as good as the Lakers. In a battle that's otherwise a toss-up, you've got to go with the guy whose team has the better record.

3. Kevin Garnett, Celtics: The early MVP front-runner has sagged a bit of late, along with his team's fortunes. He missed nine games before the All-Star break with an abdominal strain (the Celtics went 7-2). Since returning, he has been somewhat lackluster while being eased back into the lineup.

Over the past two months, Paul Pierce arguably has been the Celtics' best player. But Garnett still deserves to be a top candidate, and maybe the right choice (depending on how one views the award). After all, his MVP candidacy is really about the intangibles he has brought to Boston: the intensity, the leadership, the sacrifice of personal stats, the anchoring of the league's top defense. Also, the Celtics still own the NBA's best record. If Boston returns to its dominating ways, I might return to KG. But for now, he drops to this spot.

4. Chris Paul, Hornets: Talk about a surprising candidate. Before the season, Paul probably would have ranked behind Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Tony Parker and Deron Williams on most people's list of best point guards -- in the West alone. But the 6-foot floor general has elevated his play this season, even outplaying Nash and Jason Kidd in head-to-head meetings.

Paul is scoring (20.8 ppg), dishing (10.8 apg), pilfering (league-best 2.7 spg) and leading like a 10-year veteran instead of a third-year newbie. Most important, he has made the Hornets one of the NBA's biggest surprises. There is no way he wins MVP this year, but he has definitely put himself in the discussion.

5. Dwight Howard, Magic: The 6-11 center has slowed down a bit after his monstrous first two months, but he remains a leading candidate. And not because he has become the leading All-Star weekend showman. Howard leads the NBA in rebounding (14.4) while ranking third in shooting (60.3 percent), fourth in blocks (2.4) and 15th in scoring (21.6). More important, he has helped the Magic to the third-best record in the East (37-22). The 22-year-old Howard, like LeBron, is going to be in the mix a lot in coming years.

Honorable mention: Nash, Yao Ming (before he got hurt), Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer, Dirk Nowitzki.

Source:si.com