The TRUTH has arrived.

This post to me has two different meanings. I'm a Celtics fan, don't get me wrong, but my true allegiances are with Allen Iverson. Love me for it, hate me for it, either way is fine with me. That's just the guy I grew up watching after Jordan retired, and I'm not the type of fan to just give up on a guy when he goes through struggles. When Iverson retires I will probably start following Chris Paul even more than I do now. So I am not able to get extremely excited about this Celtics win. That being said, part one of this is about the Celtics, and specifically Paul Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP. He has always been a star, but this year showed he could potentially go down as one of the best. To come back from being stabbed in the back 11 times in a night club to what he has become is unbelievable. It wasn't Pierce's scoring that impressed me, I knew about that from my many trips to the Garden. It was his defense, and more importantly, his leadership. He put aside his ego and took his team to the top. There is no other way to look at it. He did what very few players, especially in the game of basketball, do. He still knew when to take over, and knew when to let his teammates do it and stand aside. That is something that Kobe didn't do, and as far as I'm concerned he will never do. That brings me to part two...

Kobe Bryant is not, nor will he ever be, Michael Jeffrey Jordan. If there was any doubt about it up until this point there cannot be any doubt now. MJ doesn't allow his team to lose a 24 point lead at home. MJ doesn't allow his team to get blown out by 39 points in the most important game of the season. MJ knew when to take over, and when to let someone else shoot. And perhaps the most important thing; MJ would NEVER allow Phil Jackson to put him on Rajon Rondo for the entire series. He just wouldn't. He would guard Pierce, and that would be the end of the discussion. That's what wins championships. The desire, the need, to be the best, even if it means potentially getting embarrassed. Kobe doesn't have it, Pierce did. Kobe took the easy road and guarded the Celtics worst shooter, Pierce and MJ get up for the challenge and don't take the easy road. And don't tell me that Scottie Pippen was the guy playing the best offensive player for the other team. Sure, sometimes he did, but when it came down to it, you could expect MJ right there.

One of my buddy's last night went as far as to say Kobe would be better than MJ if they were both playing now, because it's a different game. I cannot begin to tell you how wrong he is. Sometimes there are just players that transcend the sport, transcend the time they are in, and can dominate anyone. Wilt Chamberlain was one of those players. Magic Johnson was one of those players. And Michael Jordan was the best of those players. Never mind the fact that the rules in the NBA now favor offensive guards, so Jordan would be having a field day just about every game.

So congrats to the Celtics. They were the better team, they deserved it more, and they accomplished something collectively that the individual parts never thought would happen until they came together. And for Kobe, well, if you haven't learned what it takes to be great by now you never will. The talent is there, but to be at the top you need to be there mentally. And when you get there, as Kevin Garnett put it last night, anything is possible... ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

~Aaron Jackson

Kobe 4 MVP

Oh, there are those of you out there that will say Kevin Garnett or Chris Paul, but it has to be the Kobe LeBron race to the finish. The stats they put up and how they carry their teams just stands out too much.

“You can’t just continue to take what Kobe is doing for granted,” Pistons president and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars said. “The guy is one of the truly great players and he should be recognized as such.”

No one needs historical context to make the case for Bryant this year. His season stands on its own. At 29, this isn’t a lifetime achievement award. Kobe is still the best of the best. MVPs, however, are never won overnight in the NBA. Mostly, it takes constructing credibility over the years. He’s been so great, for so long that Dumars is right: People do take him for granted.

Voters have to running out of excuses.

Still, Bryant is an MVP. He’s been the best player, a three-time champion and voters must ask themselves: If I don’t vote for him this year, what will it ever take? His talent, his accomplishments, his place in history, command multiple MVPs. This has been a season when everything has come together to make his candidacy unimpeachable.

His time, his trophy.

The time for Kobe is now. Kobe for MVP. If not Kobe this year, what more does he have to do?

-Ryan-

The Value Of It All

The NBA MVP has been something that is always contested, with multiple players always being able to make a case for the trophy. This year Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Chris Paul all can make a bid for the prize, and to me only one stands out.

Chris Paul is the 2008 NBA MVP. He is the MVP because he lead his team that no one thought could win to a top seed in the Western Conference. He is the MVP because he averaged 21 points and 12 assists a game. He is the MVP because his team was one of the only teams not to make a significant trade, yet he didn't say anything and continued to lead his team. He is the MVP because he took a team in New Orleans that no one cared about and made them care. He is the MVP because he was the Most Valuable Player in the league.

I get it. Kobe Bryant was "snubbed" for a few years in a row. Kevin Garnett took a team that was horrible last year and helped make them the best team in the league. Lebron James almost averaged a triple double and led the NBA in fourth quarter scoring. All these guys have claims to the MVP trophy. But none of them took a bunch of role players and led them to the top of a conference that is probably one of the toughest conferences ever in the NBA. Kobe didn't make his teammates all that much better, and he has much more talent around him than Paul. Garnett had two other superstars playing along side him, and his numbers are not overwhelming. Lebron's numbers are amazing, but his team wasn't that great and played in the weaker conference. Combine all those things and it means one thing; Chris Paul deserves the MVP. Kobe, you're going to have to settle for second place again.

~Aaron Jackson