The Suffolk Voice

Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: msnbc.com Will Garnett and Kobe settle this MVP dispute in the NBA Finals?

The 2007-2008 NBA Season was without a doubt one of the most memorable seasons in the past decade. From the dominating performance of the Celtics in the East, to the season-long battle for the number one seed in the West, this has been one of the most competitive seasons in recent history. The race for MVP of the NBA has been just as competitive throughout the season as-well. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Chris Paul have all competed at a level above all the rest. It is easy to choose anyone of these players for the award, but only one should win it. We narrowed it down to the best player on the best team in the East, and the best player on the best team in the West, and debated the topic.

Jimmy: So Phil, here we are on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 debating on whether Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant should win the MVP. A year ago, as I watched the playoffs, the only thing I was debating was whether the Celtics should draft Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. My, how the times have changed…

Phil: Times sure have changed my friend, but let's not forget Kevin Garnett isn't the only player in the league this season that has had a more than a significant impact on his team. Kobe Bryant has had the biggest impact on any team this season. Not only has he played in every game which is rare for the 29 year old, but he has also carried his team to the best record in the best conference. He has had to go against the best competition night in and night out with every day presenting new challenges and higher expectations.

Jimmy: Ok, so you come out and knock the East for being weak, and that is justified to some extent. The East has four-five legit teams, while the West has about nine-ten. Let's get one thing straight though, the East is much better than it was last year. Speaking of last year, I believe the Celtics record was 24-58, good for worst in the Eastern Conference and second worst overall. They won a measly 12 games at home all year and only 16 total in the Eastern Conference. Cut those 16 games in half and that's how many they won in the West. Flash-forward only one year later and the Celtics end the regular season with a 66-16 record (the biggest one season turnaround in NBA history) going 35-6 at home and winning 41 games in an improved Eastern Conference. Oh, and they went 25-5 in the "dreaded" Western Conference. Kevin Garnett has carried his team to the best record in the entire league, and has dominated the West in the process.

Phil: You're just repeating what every Celtics fan tries to convince themselves every time this MVP thing comes up. Listen, I'm as much of a Celtics fan as the next person but we have to take a long look at the numbers here. How can a guy who is averaging less than 19 points per game get an MVP award? I know he averages 9 rebounds and shoots a tremendous 54% from the field and 80% from the free throw line, but the guy has got two other all-stars in the same starting lineup. Paul Pierce is the leading scorer on the team with 19.6 points. Don't you think that Kevin Garnett would be leading his team in scoring if he was really the MVP? If you're an MVP you have to be leading your team in scoring. Kobe is going out there and dropping 28 points every game and shooting 46% from the field and 84% from the line to go along with it. Take Kobe Bryant off the Lakers and you have a cellar dweller like the Sacramento Kings. Take Kevin Garnett off the Celtics and you've got a playoff team with a shot at getting to the second round. We are talking about the most valuable, not the most helpful.

Jimmy: You need to lead your team in scoring to win the MVP? Steve Nash won the MVP back in 05-06 and he had 18.8 points (the same amount as Garnett) while Shawn Marion had 21.8. What Garnett doesn't do on the offensive end of the court, he does on the defensive end. Last year the Celtics gave up 99.2 points per game. This year, 90.3 points per game, good for second lowest in the league behind Detroit. Are you going to tell me that he had nothing to do with that? It's not a coincidence that he is the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Along with an average of 1.41 steals and 1.25 blocks, Garnett also averages less than 2 turnovers per game. Like I said, what Garnett doesn't do on the offensive end, he does even better on the defensive end.

Phil: Big Deal. Hey, in case you didn't notice, Kobe has 1.84 steals per game this season; not to mention all the other categories Kobe is putting up above average records. Bryant is above his career average in steals, minutes, fg%, 3fg%, ft%, rebounds, assists, and points per game. It sounds like the best player in the league is having his best season ever. This is a perfect opportunity to give Kobe the hardware he has deserved for a while. By the way, Garnett isn't the only player playing defense on the Celtics. Rondo is there too, stealing the ball and harassing any opposing player. OK, so Garnett made his teammates buy into a system that was created by another person Tom Thibodeau. You're looking too into this. I can't stress enough how much Kobe makes people afraid of him. Yeah, KG makes people afraid of him, but mainly because he screams like a maniac on the court.

Jimmy: Yeah, you got me there. Kobe doesn't scream on the court. Instead, he screams to the media, demanding trades during the off-season and openly stating that the Lakers should "ship out" Andrew Bynum. What's the "P" stand for in MVP- Punk? Look, Kobe went about his situation in the most unprofessional way possible. Although he didn't get his wish to be traded, his team did get Pau Gasol during this season. Talk about value. The Lakers were an average team before the acquisition of Pau Gasol. That's why Garnett and the Celtics beat them by 14 points the first game in Boston, and 19 points the second time around in L.A. before the acquisition of Gasol. The Lakers' record with Pau Gasol in the lineup is 22-4, without is 35-21. You can't tell me that it's all Kobe. Also, Tom Thibodeau can teach defense all he wants but if Garnett doesn't lead by example the team won't respond. You're quick to say that Garnett is having a down year numbers wise, but the same can be said about Pierce. How is it that Pierce is playing the best basketball of his career with down numbers, but Garnett isn't? Face it, Garnett's game has rubbed off on every single one of those players. When you see Rondo harassing the opposing team's PG, or Pierce making the extra pass down low in the paint, think Garnett. When you see Posey, House, Cassell, or Brown in the game, know that they are here because of Garnett. Sure Kobe has better numbers than Garnett, but does that mean he's more valuable?

Phil: The same can be said about Kobe's effect on players like Andrew Bynum who benefits from the attention Bryant receives from defenses, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Luke Walton. Here we go again with Kobe crying to the media. Last time I checked, KG wanted nothing to do with the Celtics until he found out they added Ray Allen to go along with Paul Pierce. Garnett wanted to be a Phoenix Sun all summer long. Kobe Bryant is just like any other superstar; he wants nothing to do with a team who makes no effort to give him a supporting cast. Even while Kobe was going through his normal drama with Lakers management, he was still leading his team to a winning record and a top 8 seed in the conference. Like a true team leader, Kobe did not let his guard down even while he was unhappy. You can call his mentality selfish, but it's his selfishness and his desire to win that has made him make sure the Lakers received the number 1 seed in the best conference. KG pulled out 66 wins with all-stars, while Kobe pulled out a very impressive 57 wins and an 8-1 record down the stretch with lesser players. Don't forget the fact that the Celtics went 9-2 without Garnett this season, further showing how good Boston can be without KG.

Jimmy: After Kobe, the top three scorers on the Lakers- Gasol, Odom, and Fisher combine for 44.7 points per game. For the Celtics, the top three scorers besides KG are Pierce, Allen, and Rondo, combining for 47.6 points per game. The idea that KG has way more help than Kobe is somewhat ignorant. Kevin Garnett should win the MVP award; he has single-handedly transcended a franchise in one season. Last year fans in the Boston Garden were chanting "M-V-P" for Kobe Bryant when the Lakers came to town. This year the same chant could be heard during the Celtics-Lakers game, this time for the rightful winner, Kevin Garnett.

Phil: You have made some very good points. There is no question Garnett is the Celtics' MVP and the Eastern Conference MVP for that matter. What this article all boils down to, is who will be right come the day the MVP trophy is handed out. All the talk has been how this is Kobe's year to win the award and I have a really hard time believing the voters will forget that. These awards are always a popularity contest. Kobe is a more popular pick than Garnett this year. Garnett is great and if this award took the playoffs into consideration, KG would be the MVP. However, this is a regular season award, and Garnett will just have to settle for an NBA Finals MVP.

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