Kobe Wins NBA 2008 MVP Award
Bryant Becomes First Laker to Earn Top Player Honors Since Shaq
May 3, 2008
It seems the debate is over between which player should win the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Most believed it was down to just two candidates; Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and point guard Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets.
Though Paul certainly had an MVP type of season, it's been reported that Kobe Bryant will receive the honor. Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing in all 82 games this season. What makes his full 82 game season impressive is the fact that he tore a ligament in his right pinkie finger in February. Though a hand specialist recommended surgery, Bryant toughened it out and led his team to the best record in the Western Conference and a sweep over Denver in round one of the NBA playoffs.
Bryant's the first Laker to win the MVP award since Shaquille O'Neal did it in 2000.
Chris Paul led the New Orleans Hornets to the second best record in the West, while averaging 21.1 ppg, 11.6 apg (led league), 2.7 spg (led league), 4.0 rbpg and shot 49% from the field. He also was the key factor in the Hornets-Mavericks series, where New Orleans defeated Dallas four games to one.
Both Bryant and Paul had similar supporting casts. One could argue that Bryant had Pau Gasol and Bynum, but Bynum missed most of the season and Gasol didn't join the team until after the All Star break. Meanwhile, Paul played with David West and Tyson Chandler, and not only are they no slouches, but both played with Paul for the entire season. The Lakers' Lamar Odom had a fantastic season to aid Bryant, but Peja Stojakovic was also sensational for the Hornets. The bottom line is that those who claim Kobe had more of a supporting cast than Paul aren't giving the rest of the Hornets' team enough credit. They had a much worse record last season, but they didn't have to endure the vast amounts of injuries this season that they did last season.
In all, this might've been one of the tightest MVP races in recent years, and will likely be debated for some time.
Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic also had MVP-like seasons and are worth mentioning, but none of them had the kinds of seasons that Bryant or Paul had.
