After 12 seasons, three championships, over 20,000 career points, two scoring titles and 10 All-Star appearances, Kobe Bryant finally got the the piece of hardware he has long deserved - league MVP.

In my mind, Bryant has been the NBA’s best player for years, and it’s about time he got the recognition he deserves. Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals, while leading the Lakers to a 57-25 record and No. 1 seed in the West. Only LeBron James, who finished fourth in the MVP voting, had a higher scoring average than Bryant this season.

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The thought of the league’s top two MVP candidates squaring off in the Western Conference finals is an intriguing one, and, judging by Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul’s performances over the weekend, it is looking more and more like a slam dunk.

Paul didn’t have astounding statistics in New Orleans’ 101-82 over San Antonio on Saturday night - a relative statement for Paul, who still finished with 17 points, 13 assists, just two turnovers and four steals. His quick, controlled aggression broke down the veteran Spurs’ defense and got all of his younger, more athletic teammates into the mix. Read more »

The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns knew that adjustments had to be made if they were to make a run at an NBA championship. Neither of their longshot trade experiments - the Mavs’ with Jason Kidd and the Suns’ with Shaquille O’Neal - panned out, as the Mavs were eliminated by the New Orleans Hornets and the Suns by the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Forcing the action on the trade market, which the crowded Western Conference forced these two teams to do in February, is rarely a good move. It’s easy to say in retrospect that these were foolish deals to make, but they were foolish far before the two teams were bounced from the playoffs. Read more »

One of the things we have learned from the NBA playoffs is that solid point guard play is vital for success. A point guard does not have to do anything special for his team to win, just manage the game. However, there are some point guards who are capable of taking over a game. Two players in particular have been doing it for years, but now it appears that two young guns are primed to take their spots as the elite NBA point guards. Read more »

With two games in the books, the first round of the NBA playoffs has been dominated by chalk. In seven of the eight series, the higher seed has jumped out to a 2-0 lead. However, as the old adage goes, “the lower seed is never finished until they lose on their home court.” We’ll see what happens as the games switch venues, but in the meantime, here’s a recap of the last two nights’ games.

TUESDAY

New Orleans Hornets 127, Dallas Mavericks 103; New Orleans lead series 2-0.
Chris Paul showed why he should be the league’s MVP this season, scoring 32 points and dishing out 17 assists in the convincing win. Paul was constantly doubled, but it didn’t seem to matter as the Mavericks had no answer for the speedy guard. David West scored 27 points and Peja Stojakovic added 22 for the Hornets, who shot 61 percent as a team from the field. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points but received little help outside of Brandon Bass.

San Antonio Spurs 102, Phoenix Suns 96; San Antonio lead series 2-0.
For the second straight game, the Suns jumped out to a solid halftime lead only to let it slip away in the second half. Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal dominated the paint in the first half, but ultimately, the Suns had no answer for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who penetrated into the lane and scored at will. Parker finished with 32 points and Ginobili had 29 for the Spurs, while Stoudemire led the Suns with 33 points.

Orlando Magic 104, Toronto Raptors 103; Magic lead series 2-0.
Orlando escaped with the one-point victory thanks to another dominating performance by Dwight Howard. Just like game one, Howard recorded a 20-point, 20-rebound game to help the Magic maintain home-court advantage. Toronto’s Chris Bosh, who led the team with 29 points and 10 rebounds, had a 16-footer at the buzzer to win the game, but it clanked off the front of the rim. Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis each scored 18 for the Magic.

WEDNESDAY

Los Angeles Lakers 122, Denver Nuggets 107; Lakers lead series 2-0.
Kobe Bryant didn’t have to carry the load in game one thanks to Pau Gasol’s 36-point, 16-rebound effort, but in game two, Bryant returned to his usual role, exploding for 49 points and 10 assists. The Nuggets had no answer for the superstar, a discouraging, season-long theme for the team. Allen Iverson led the Nuggets with 31 points, and Marcus Camby grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked four shots, but unless Denver figures out how to play team defense, this series is over.

Boston Celtics 96, Atlanta Hawks 77; Celtics lead series 2-0.
With five guys in double figures, the Celtics used a balanced attack to slowly devastate the Hawks by 19 points. Kevin Garnett, who received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award before the game, led Boston with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Atlanta also put five guys in double figures, but none scored more than 13 points. Mike Bibby, who criticized Boston fans before the game for being fair-weather fans, scored 12 points but dished out only one assist.

Detroit Pistons 105, Philadelphia 76ers 88; series tied 1-1.
Fueled by a surprising loss in game one, the Pistons came out on a mission in game two. Four Detroit players, led by Richard Hamilton’s 20, scored at least 16 points in the must-win game. Louis Williams led the 76ers with 17 points and Andre Miller added 14, but the game was never really in doubt for Detroit. The Pistons jumped all over Philadelphia in the first-half on their way to a 17-point lead at the break.