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Sports InsiderWhy Kobe Bryant is the 07/08 MVP
April 30th 2008 20:24
Then we have Kobe Bryant, who has been the lone superstar in Los Angeles for the past few seasons. Kobe assisted in the growth of a young Laker squad and put them atop the West early on in the season. While it may not have been his best season statistically, the 2007-2008 campaign was definitely Kobe's most impressive season as a leader and teammate. As a result, the Lakers finished first in the very tough Western Conference.
Bryant is the NBA MVP for a number of reasons. First of all, he was his team's most valuable player. Some of you may laugh at this, but it's easily the first step. Can we all say with absolute certainty that KG is the most valuable player on the Celtics? Didn't think so. KG and Pierce were almost even with regards to stats and I give Garnett the edge in defense. But KG only played 71 games during the regular season while Pierce played in 80. Is an MVP allowed to miss 11 games in a season? That's 13% of the games... which brings me to my next point.
Bryant played in all 82 games this season. A good portion of these games were played while Kobe was injured. If you watched him play, you wouldn't guess that he has to have surgery on his hand/finger at the end of the season, but he does. The guy did not take a break; he gave you an MVP-type performance almost every night. And he's still going strong into the playoffs as the Lakers just swept the 8th seeded Nuggets.
The Lakers finished first in the West. It doesn't make Kobe the MVP, but it sure adds to his case. He's the best player on the best team in the West (which also happens to be the best conference). Doesn't that sound good? The Lakers weren't even expected to win the division, much less the entire conference.
And to top it all off, Kobe had a monster season. He was second in the league in scoring and had another top-notch defensive season. He brought out that killer instinct when the time was right (see Dallas game). He dropped dimes as if he was a PG, and had some great all-around performances (see Denver playoff game). He's been doing this for the past few seasons and has evolved and learned even more ways to beat his opponents. He is the most effective game-changer in the league today, the most talented player in the league today, and above all else, he makes his team better. This is why Kobe Bryant will be your 2007/2008 NBA MVP.
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