For the past 4 years, it has been argued that Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA, but has never won the MVP award. In fact he has never finished in the top 3 in voting, but this is the year he will finally take home the trophy that he righfully deserves. It is hard to imagine a player that has scored 81 points in one game against the Raptors and had a 4-games consecutive streak in where he scored 50 or more points, has not yet won the MVP. Although Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki had amazing seasons when they won their MVP's, but Kobe Bryant is a player that can take over a game just by himself.
The Lakers currently have the best record in the western conference and his late game heroics in last night's thriller win against the Warriors proved to skeptics that he is the most valuable player in the league. In the last 2 games, he has averaged almost a triple double and he is the major catalyst why Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Famar have been able to improve their game this season. The man has pretty much done everything humanly possible to win the award and it would be a devastation to see the league give it away to LeBron James or Kevin Garnett.
Furthermore, I don't think there is any other player in the league that is able to recieve MVP chants from the opposing team's fans at their home court! It is very strange to hear Boston Celtic fans or Sacramento Kings fans yell out "MVP, MVP, MVP" when Kobe Bryant is shooting free throws. There is no excuse and no valid reason why he shouldn't win this year especially since he has been doing all this with a broken pinkie finger. Most every other player would have opted to have surgery and sit at home while recovering. However, he has been playing through the pain and could you just imagine what he could do if he was 100% healthy?
Finalists for this year's Most Valuable Player in the NBA:
Kobe Bryant SG Lakers
Kevin Garnett F Celtics
LeBron James F Cavaliers
Steve Nash PG Suns