Race to the MVP: Case dismissed as LeBron outduels Kobe

After a season-series sweep of the Lakers and Kobe, LeBron James seems positioned for another MVP.

I mean, really, The Race wants to know: Is there any reason for ambiguity any longer? Do we even need to debate?

Yeah, sure, we can discuss the third and the fourth or the ninth and the 10th players on this list until Cher stops looking like she's practicing Wicca.

But after Thursday night's Dream Game between LeBron and Kobe -- the Race means between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers -- the argument has been set forth, your honor, and we have a decision. The foreman is ready to approach to the bench.

Now The Race may be brought back into the judge's chambers and told that we did not deliberate long enough, that we did not pore over the facts and the evidence for the appropriate amount of time.

To which we will tell Your Honor, unless there is an entire bone yard in a closet somewhere about which we don't know, and unless that bone yard is brought to us forthwith, we are convinced.

Yes, by virtue of Cleveland's defeat of Los Angeles on Thursday night, which gives LeBron a two-games-to-none sweep of Kobe Bryant this season, The King remains the The King, deserving of yet another MVP award.

Let's face it, the Lakers have better talent around Kobe than the Cavs have placed around LeBron, who is going to be without Mo Williams for four to six weeks.

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are spry young men, while Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskus are creaky old geezers. Really-well-paid old geezers, but in the twilights of their careers nonetheless.

There is not really another player in the league like Lamar Odom, whose size and versatility make him unique. And Ron Artest, while kooky, remains a lock-down defender on most nights.

But LeBron's presence is so overpowering that he wills the Cavs to victory, as he did Thursday night against the Lakers, a 93-87 win in which James had 37, nine assists, five rebounds and a block, playing even better than he did when the Cavaliers defeated L.A. 102-87 on Christmas Day.

By contrast, in their two head-to-head matchups this year, Kobe has shot a combined 23 of 64 from the floor (36 percent), which is not precisely lifting one's game to stratospheric levels.

The biggest criticism of LeBron is that his outside shot is still suspect. But when you can get to the cup like he did when the score was tied at 87 and he zipped by one, two, three and then four Lakers unscathed, who needs an outside shot.

There is still plenty of basketball left to play this season. But The Race, for one, has seen more than enough to make a premature determination: LeBron has no peer.

1. LeBron James, Cavaliers

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
44	38.7	29.7	7.1	7.8	1.6	1.0	.510	.349	.781

Last Week's Rank - 1
LeBron's shooting percentages are higher than his career averages, his assists are up and his turnovers are down. If you can believe it, he is becoming a more efficient player. Yeah, that's what we like about LeBron, his efficiency.

2. Kobe Bryant, Lakers

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
42	38.4	28.4	5.2	4.5	1.8	0.3	.461	.317	.825

Last Week's Rank - 3
Youngest player in NBA history to score 25,000 points. Now that is a feat. Sadly, when The Race was interviewing Bryant last month, he said he did not think he would play long enough to try to reach Kareem's record. Bryant is going out on an eight-game road trip, which should give some insight into the Lakers' DNA.

3. Kevin Durant, Thunder

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
42	39.8	29.2	7.2	3.0	1.3	0.8	.485	.365	.875

Last Week's Rank - 2
Would you take the Durant, who at 21 already is leading his team to a winning record and has them positioned for the seventh spot in the tough Western Conference, or would you take the 25-year-old Carmelo Anthony, a proven winner and scorer? Tough call.

4. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
37	37.6	29.7	6.4	3.3	1.3	0.4	.469	.366	.861

Last Week's Rank - --
Anthony left The Race for a few weeks due to injury and was probably brought back tardy. But here he is again, healthy and leading his team to five consecutive victories, getting them past that odd stretch in late December when they seemed to momentarily implode.

5. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
41	38.1	25.5	7.9	2.5	1.0	1.2	.480	.389	.883

Last Week's Rank - 6
The Race still remembers seeing Nowitzki play his first NBA game, against Seattle in the Emerald City. He was deer in the headlights, to say the least. At the time, it was unimaginable to think he would become the bedrock he has. Reminds me of another Texas forward who produces on a nightly basis.

6. Tim Duncan, Spurs

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
38	32.3	19.8	10.4	3.2	0.6	1.9	.546	---	.736

Last Week's Rank - 7
This would be the aforementioned Texas forward who produces on a nightly basis. Yes, the guy whines like the Napa Valley, but he is there every night, leading his beleaguered team to victory after victory with double-double after double-double.

7. Steve Nash, Suns

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
43	33.3	18.6	3.1	11.2	0.4	0.2	.538	.427	.942

Last Week's Rank - 4
It's good to see that the fans came to their senses and voted Nash as a starter on the All-Star team instead of Tracy McGrady. (Now if we could only get the Iverson thing fixed.) As we have said in this space all season, Nash is deserving, playing as well as he played in those years he won back-to-back MVPs. However, the Suns are struggling of late, losing five of their last seven.

8. Chris Bosh, Raptors

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
43	35.6	24.2	11.2	2.1	0.6	1.0	.525	.429	.791

Last Week's Rank - 10
Bosh held up his end of the deal and helped the Raptors defeat the Knicks last week, which was a prerequisite to remaining in The Race. He even solidified his spot by helping beat the Mavericks. Since then, Toronto has lost two in a row, back to their inconsistent selves, though Bosh scored 44 in a loss to Milwaukee.

9. Gerald Wallace, Bobcats

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
39	41.6	18.6	11.3	1.9	1.7	1.2	.478	.351	.766

Last Week's Rank - --
As a rule of thumb, The Race is not a big fan of the Bobcats. Too much animus there over the years. But what Wallace is accomplishing cannot be ignored, a double-double (18.6 points, 11.3 rebounds) from a 6-foot-7 forward not to be taken lightly. He and Stephen Jackson have the Bobcats rolling and in the thick of the playoff race.

10. Dwyane Wade, Heat

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
41	36.8	26.9	4.8	6.0	1.8	1.2	.457	.288	.761

Last Week's Rank - 9
Losing by 40 points is almost enough to get Wade kicked out of The Race -- possibly for good. That he remains is an indication of just how highly The Race thinks of his incredible game and the onus that is placed on him to be successful on a nightly basis. It'll be interesting to see how the Heat handle the remainder of the season, knowing they are very average. It'll also be interesting to see how Wade handles the rest of the season, knowing a summer of uncertainty is ahead.