An argument could be made for any of these top five M.V.P. candidates; although outside of the top three it would be quite a stretch. In reality, the race has been run, and Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul are pushing each other on the final lap around the track. Just when Kobe hits his stride and begins to break away, CP3 reaches deep down and puts the pedal to the metal with another stunning performance that leads to victory for the New Orleans Hornets. Paul guns it over the finish line, while Kobe finishes a close second.

You might be wondering, “Certainly you’ve checked the standings and know that the Lakers are much improved and landed the number one spot in the Western Conference. How could you give the award to Chris Paul when Kobe is possibly the best player in the League?” The obvious answer is that Kobe Bryant has all kinds of help on his Lakers squad, whereas Chris Paul has turned P.F. David West into an All Star this year and makes everyone around him better simply by showing up. Don’t get me wrong. Kobe Bryant is as astonishing a talent as the National Basketball Association has ever seen, but the M.V.P. race is all about the player’s value to his team.

To further prove my point, close your eyes for a short moment. You are inside New Orleans Arena nibbling on some pink cotton candy when, suddenly, Chris Paul skies for a finger-roll.CP3 tumbles to the floor after getting the short end of the stick on a U.F.C.-like flagrant foul. He squirms on the ground in agonizing pain, anxious to make friends with a hospital bed and watch the playoffs from the E.R.. New Orleans relies so heavily upon the playmaking of Paul that this loss would end their playoff run immediately. With their point guard in street clothes, the Hornets don’t stand a chance in the Western Conference (or even the lowly Eastern Conference, for that matter).

Next, follow me to Los Angeles for a Los Angeles-Sacramento showdown. The Kings are playing the game of their lives, and Ron Artest is in Kobe’s grill the entire night, constantly talking smack and occasionally throwing cheap shots when the referees have their heads turned. Bryant, after allowing Artest to get into his head, cannot break out of his game-long shooting slump. Steaming in anger, Kobe finally snaps. A fight ensues between Bryant and Artest; Kobe is then used as an example for the rest of the League. David Stern brings the hammer down by sentencing him to a suspension that would hold him out of the rest of the regular season and all through the playoffs.

In this situation, the Los Angeles Lakers would undoubtedly be stung by this tragic loss. However, the Laker’s season would not necessarily go completely down the drain. Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum could work together (ala the Washington Wizards without Arenas) to overcome this obstacle and still win some basketball games. The Hornets without Paul are the equivalent of the Minnesota Timberwolves; the Lakers without Bryant are a good team, not a great team. Case closed!

1. CHRIS PAUL (New Orleans Hornets) -- 21.1 ppg, 11.6 apg, 4 rpg, 2.7 spg, 85.1% (FT%), 48.8% (FG%), 36.9% (3p%), 37.6 mpg