Kobe living up to MVP billing

While the NBA still hasn’t officially announced the MVP voting as of this post, Kobe Bryant sure looked like the MVP with a 38-point, six-rebound, seven-assist performance in the Lakers’ 109-98 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
You could’ve made a case for three or four players to win the MVP this season. But what will truly define those candidates this year is how successful they are in the postseason. A look at the MVP candidates’ numbers heading into Sunday’s games:
Kobe Bryant: 39.3 mpg, 33.5 ppg, .500 FG%, 5.3 RPG, 6.3 APG
Chris Paul: 40.4 mpg, 24.6 ppg, .500 FG%, 5.6 RPG, 12.0 APG
Kevin Garnett: 38.3 mpg, 21.5 ppg, .459 FG %, 8.5 RPG, 4.0 APG
LeBron James: 41.5 mpg, 29.8 ppg, .483 FG%, 9.5 RPG, 7.7 APG