Kobe finally gets his MVP award

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will be named MVP, according to a story in The Times.
After leading the league in scoring the previous two seasons at 35.4 and 31.6 ppg, Kobe actually began to distribute this year and was second to scoring champion LeBron James at 28.3 this past regular season. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
So after 12 seasons, Kobe will finally get his MVP — and it comes during the one year that he’d probably prefer an NBA title over an individual award like the MVP. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Kobe’s ability to make his teammates better — a lot like New Orleans guard Chris Paul and Boston’s Kevin Garnett did — is what put him over the top this season. That and leading the Lakers to the top seed in the Western Conference.
Don’t tell RK this, but I think Garnett (docked for playing in the East, which they dominated, and alongside Paul Pierce and Ray Allen) should’ve earned as much consideration as Kobe (who played in a balanced conference with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom — maybe Kwame Brown should be the MVP, for being so bad the Lakers traded Phil Jackson's pet kitty away for Gasol). But after being taken to a Game 7 by the Atlanta Hawks, that KG4MVP campaign isn’t looking so hot.
Kobe also jumped over a car this year, so maybe that was what swayed the MVP voters (writers and broadcasters).
This is one year it would’ve been beneficial to wait on voting for the MVP until after the postseason. If that were the case, Tim Duncan or CP3 would have something to say about Kobe taking home his first MVP trophy.
Whoever the MVP candidate, you can bet they'd rather be holding up the Larry O'Brien Trophy at season's end. The Maurice Podoloff Trophy just doesn't have the same (championship) ring attached to it.