With apologies to Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett, this year's NBA MVP race is boiling down to two candidates: Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.
Let's be clear, Lebron is a beast. He is a once-in-a-lifetime player. Lebron is an athletic freak.
His combination of speed, strength, and agility are unmatched in the game of basketball.
He's the best finisher in the game using his runningback upperbody strength to take any amount of contact and still make the shot. And one. Gotcha.
The kid is only 23, but looks like a man amongst boys. Nobody even comes close to his statistical production.
To put it into perspective, there are only two players in the history of the game to average 30 points per game, 7.5 assists and 8 rebounds while keeping a player efficiency rating of at least 30.
Lebron this season and Michael Jordan in 1988-'89.
Think about that, at age 23, Lebron is about to have a season that only he and the greatest player ever could accomplish.
Call Dr. J, cause that right there is sick.
So he's gotta be the MVP right?
Wrong.
In fact, Kobe is clearly the MVP of the league right now.
Despite Lebron's all-world talent and his obvious statistical dominance, he's still only the second-best player in the NBA.
Kobe is the best.
But forget the "who's better?" debate. Save that for the message boards and the talking heads.
MVP has never been about the best player in the league. If it were, Steve Nash wouldn't have two and Dirk Nowitzki wouldn't have one. MVP is about leading an elite team.
Take a look at Lebron's Cavs. They are 32-24, good for a .571 win record. Not bad, but not great either. Over the course of an 82-game season, that translates to 47 wins.
Remember that only other guy who had a season like Lebron is having this year? Jordan.
Yeah, that guy averaged 32 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals on 54 percent shooting and 85 percent from the line in 1988-'89.
As impressive as Lebron is this year, his numbers don't even come close to Jordan's '88-'89 season. That year the Bulls won 47 games, and Jordan didn't get MVP.
Didn't get MVP with stats that impressive? I told you, it is all about wins.
A guy named Magic Johnson captured MVP that season leading his Lakers to a .695 win percentage good for 57 wins. As sheer coincidence would have it, there is another Los Angeles Laker leading his team to a .695 win record this season...
You have to respect what Lebron did carrying his merry band of scrubs before Cavs management got a clue and traded for some respectable teammates.
Still, that doesn't make you a MVP.
Kobe led a team with Smush Parker running the point to the playoffs for two consecutive years in the West. And don't forget, the starting center was Kwa-MAY Brown!
Kobe had to be Superman to get his team into the playoffs.
Score 81, 62 in 3 quarters? Check. Avergage 40 for a month? Check. He was dropping 50 so often that when he got 40, it was like an off night. Like, "Damn, Kobe, they must've had Bruce Bowen on you tonight. You only got 44."
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