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Kobe Bryant has won the NBA's MVP award for the first time, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Friday night, citing anonymous sources familiar with the outcome of voting by media members.

The newspaper reported that commissioner David Stern will be in Los Angeles next week to present the trophy to Bryant.

"We have not been told anything by the league," Lakers spokesman John Black told The Associated Press.

Bryant, who entered the season as the league's two-time defending scoring champion, had finished third in the MVP voting twice - after the 2002-03 campaign, when he averaged 30 points for the first time, and again last season, when Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki won the award.

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing in all 82 games despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie finger in February. A hand specialist recommended surgery, but Bryant decided to put it off until after the Olympics this summer.

He led the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference and a sweep of Denver in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers open the second round Sunday against Utah at Staples Center.

Bryant, second in the NBA in scoring behind Cleveland's LeBron James, will be the first Lakers player to win the MVP award since Shaquille O'Neal was a near-unanimous choice in 2000. Other previous Lakers to win the award dating to 1956, when it was first presented, were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, who each won it three times. Abdul-Jabbar also won three with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant has won the NBA’s MVP award for the first time, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Friday night, citing anonymous sources familiar with the outcome of voting by media members. The newspaper reported that commissioner David Stern will be in Los Angeles next week to present the trophy to Bryant.

Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal fear NBA commercial

The three NBA championships Kobe Bryant won during the early part of this decade filled him up, to be sure.

But now he says his appetite for a championship is greater than it has ever been, and more consuming than before he won.

"I'm a little hungrier now than I was the first time," Bryant said Friday, a serious tone in his voice.

All Bryant has done to feed this inner beast is average 40.5 points in his first two playoff games against Denver, the highest scoring average in these NBA playoffs.

He has made 50.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and guided the Lakers to a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in the best-of-seven series that resumes today in Denver.

After he spoke up last summer and put pressure on the Lakers to improve, then saw how the team had grown and the potential it had, he put an equal amount of pressure on himself to make the most of the opportunity.

"It comes with the territory," Bryant said. "You can't be Superman and not deal with the pressure of dropping somebody when you go to rescue them."

Bryant was 21 when he won his first championship in 2000. He's 29 now and doesn't want to wait much longer.

"The first one, I was so young," he said. "Plus I was sharing that pressure with somebody else. Me and Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal) both had the pressure on us to kind of get it done -- he more so than I. Now the pressure is squarely on my shoulders to try and bring another championship here. It's something that I accept."

Bryant, who seems driven like few others in the game, sees his influence rubbing off on teammates.

"I don't expect them to have the same hunger that I do," he said. "It's not the same that I have, but they are driven enough to get it done. No question about it. They are all hungry."

The first task is getting by Denver. The Nuggets are up against it, knowing they can't fall into a 3-0 deficit, a hole no NBA team has climbed out of to win a series.

"We have to be a little more physical, or prepare for more contact or duress, I guess," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Play through things that will happen to you out there on the court -- the contact, and through fouls."

What about Jackson's hunger? He led Bryant to those three titles and returned in 2005 to lead the Lakers back to the mountaintop.

He hasn't won an NBA title since 2002, so many wonder if Jackson has that same hunger as Bryant.

"Well, I haven't had breakfast since 8:30. I'm very hungry right now," Jackson joked. "I had to come out here to talk to you guys and it's past my lunchtime. So yes, I am hungry. But I just want to win the series."

Jackson, tied with Celtics legend Red Auerbach for most NBA titles as a coach with nine, was asked if he is hungry to pass his one-time nemesis.

"I'll see you guys later," Jackson said and walked away, a smile on his face.

Turiaf Hopes to Play

Ronny Turiaf, who missed Game 2 with tonsillitis, practiced some Friday and said he hopes to play today in Game 3.

"I'm actually eating and drinking today," said Turiaf, who said he lost 11 pounds in the past week. "I might be tired when I play but I think I can help."

Reach Broderick Turner

The Denver Nuggets couldn't defend Pau Gasol in Game 1 or Kobe Bryant in Game 2.

So, what makes them think they can turn things around in their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers?

"We're home, man," Allen Iverson said. "They got a chance to play in front of their home crowd, and we want that same type of advantage playing in front of ours."

The homecourt is about the only thing the Nuggets have successfully defended all season.

They rode the energy of the Pepsi Center to a 33-8 record, including a series of clutch must-win triumphs over the final six weeks that allowed them to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

"It's our turn to hold serve," Nuggets coach George Karl said Thursday. "It's a great challenge, a lot of fun. The homecourt's been kind of our biggest ally all year long."

Game 3 is Saturday and Game 4 is Monday night.

The Nuggets looked haggard as they filtered out of film study Thursday, most of them not wanting to stop and talk about being in a 2-0 hole after allowing a staggering 250 points so far.

"I think it might just be a travel day of getting to bed at 4:30 in the morning," Karl said. "There's a heaviness to waiting sometimes. We'll have a good practice tomorrow. I thought we got a little bit better last night. We didn't get better enough to win the game, but we got a little bit better."

The Nuggets hung with the Lakers until the fourth quarter after watching Gasol tear them up for 36 points in a 128-114 loss in Game 1. But Bryant scored 19 points in a 4:19 stretch of the fourth quarter, leading L.A. to a 122-107 win Wednesday night.

The Nuggets, however, insist they'll show up Saturday with a swagger and not a stagger.

"My sense is all year long when this team had its true back to the wall, they've responded great and the homecourt's been a big part of that," Karl said. "I think there's an energy out there. Statistically there's all sorts of positives that come our way here. We play better defence here. We make people miss more shots here. ..."

And all those clutch wins late in the season give the Nuggets plenty of confidence they can come back on L.A.

"Well, to us they were pretty much like playoff games," Marcus Camby said. "Going down that stretch, especially, late March and all of April, were all must-wins. So, we pretty much know how to perform under pressure."

The Nuggets ranked next-to-last in the NBA by allowing 107 points a game in the regular season despite leading the league in both blocks (6.72) and steals (9.17). So, it's not surprising the Lakers have piled up 250 points.

"It's a high-paced game," Gasol said. "They keep it real fast, an up-and-down game. You take advantage of what they give you."

Opponents haven't had as much success against the Nuggets in Denver, and Bryant said it's imperative for the Lakers to duplicate their energy, execution and emotion on the road to change that.

"Not getting too high, not getting too low. Even keel, keeping our poise," Bryant said. "They're a great home team. I think altitude is a factor the first few minutes. They play with a lot of energy.

"I think we're doing OK, we're playing typical playoff basketball. That being said, we haven't put together four explosive quarters that I think we're capable of. The important thing is getting the Ws."

Lakers point guard Derek Fisher isn't expecting any surprises from the Nuggets in Game 3, either.

"I don't think you're going to see wholesale changes. They believe in their style of play," Fisher said. "Defensively, I think they'll play even more zone than we saw last night. I don't expect them to do too many things differently than they've done so far. I just expect them to do them better on their home court."

So do the Nuggets.

"We still feel good about ourselves," Linas Kleiza said. "We've got to do what we're supposed to do, and that's defend our homecourt. We've been good all year at our home, so it should be exciting if we do that and the series is back where it started."

Notes: Ronny Turiaf, who missed Game 2 with tonsillitis, is expected to make the trip to Denver on Friday. ... Karl on his son, Coby, playing against the Nuggets in Game 2: "It's a proud moment for the family that is to be cherished and celebrated. But it will not be done in the next two weeks."

Games like this are why you can't trust box scores. You could look at the numbers, see that Kobe Bryant scored 49 points, and think you had the story of the Lakers' 122-107 victory over the Nuggets in Game 2 of this opening round playoff series. You'd have no idea that Bryant and the Lakers were at their best during a five-minute stretch at the end of the third quarter when Kobe made only one shot.

That's when he took over the game in a manner reminiscent of a guy sitting in the baseline seats at Staples Center: Magic Johnson.
The score was tied when Bryant found Luke Walton for a layup and a foul. The next time down the court, Bryant fed Vladimir Radmanovic for a dunk. Three possessions later he threw the ball to Walton for a 3-pointer. All that giving brought him a gift in return, when Pau Gasol tossed an alley-oop that Bryant appeared to stop in mid-air before throwing it down. And Bryant closed out the quarter with a pass to Sasha Vujacic for another 3-pointer. Four of Bryant's 10 assists in that little stretch.

A 10-point advantage for the Lakers heading into the fourth quarter. Kobe's quarter.

"It's just about forcing them to make choices," Bryant said. "I knew in the third quarter they were going to try to zero in on me a little bit, try to Ttake me out of my groove.

"We're very used to those types of defenses. So my teammates are used to making cuts and taking advantage of it. I felt like it kind of softened them up for me to go back at it in the fourth."

A bunch of Walton and Vujacic body blows before Bryant could unleash the haymakers. The game's greatest closer put this one away with a flourish exceptional even by his standards, scoring 19 points in less than 4 ½ minutes.

After Bryant hit a 3-pointer to give him 46 points and put the Lakers up by 17 with 2 ½ minutes remaining, he took advantage of a pause while Carmelo Anthony shot free throws. Bryant walked by Marv Albert and Reggie Miller in the sideline announcer seats, pulled out his imaginary six-shooters and blew them off.

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith made the mistake of saying something to him, which only brought more pain. Bryant went at Smith the next time down the court, got a layup and-one to get to 49 points, one shy of the playoff career high he set against Phoenix in 2006.

"Better learn not to talk to me," Bryant said of Smith's jabbering. "You shake the tree, a leopard's gonna fall out."

The Nuggets shouldn't say anything to anyone right now. They picked up two more technical fouls in the fourth quarter, the first at a time when the Laker lead was still in single digits.

"As a team, I think we lost our focus, lost our composure," Carmelo Anthony said.

Sometimes it seems as if the Nuggets don't care if they win the series. In the second quarter George Karl sat Allen Iverson for what seemed as long as an afternoon at the DMV (in reality it was four minutes and 15 seconds). And even though Lakers backup big man Ronny Turiaf sat out with a sore throat, the Nuggets didn't make a point of attacking the Laker frontcourt players to get them in foul trouble.

Instead it was Denver's Kenyon Martin who fouled out halfway through the fourth quarter.

The Lakers know their way to win, and it requires getting everyone involved through the first three quarters. In the first quarter, Bryant had 20 points but the Lakers only had a one-point lead to show for it.

"Defensively, we couldn't find the combination of what to do," Phil Jackson said. "We were just a step behind defensively, they were attacking with a lot of confidence."

It wasn't that Bryant dominated the ball. He got transition baskets. He scored when the defense rotated away from him. One time a loose ball bounced his way, he gathered it up, didn't see anyone around and he calmly shot a 3-pointer.

And when a guy's shooting 60 percent, common sense dictates he should be taking all the shots. But that's not what got the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference this year. This was the season when a three-point drop in his scoring average coincided with a 15-win increase in the standings.

"You definitely play better when you're touching the ball and you're involved," said Walton, who had another big playoff performance with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "Basketball is so much of a rhythm game and just being in the flow, not even realizing what's going on. When you're involved and touching the ball and making passes and making plays, it makes you involved in defense. You can read the court better, you can do all of the little things. It definitely helps."

Those were the Lakers of the third quarter, much more similar to the way they played this season.

Now the Nuggets need to make more adjustments. They went with Martin on Bryant again, but replaced Anthony Carter with Linas Kleiza in the starting lineup to avoid the size mismatches that allowed Pau Gasol to score 36 points in the first game. They tried zone defense. They put Smith on Bryant. None of it worked.

"The way he was going we could have put 10 people on the court and it probably wouldn't have been able to stop him," Allen Iverson said.

It's not about throwing everyone at Bryant. It's the way he has used every player on his team that's made the Lakers more of a threat this year, and certainly a class above the Nuggets in the first two games of this series.

J.A. Adande joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist in August 2007 after 10 years with the Los Angeles Times. Click here to e-mail J.A.

The Nuggets could not have even hoped to contain Kobe Bryant in Game 2.

Bryant led all scorers with 49 points to go with 10 assists as the Lakers prevailed 122-107 at STAPLES Center on Wednesday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Walton scored 18 off the bench for Los Angeles. But it was Kobe's show as he went 18-of-27 from the floor and finished one point off his career playoff high. He scored 20 points in an electric first quarter and 25 in the half as the Lakers went into the lockerroom with a 10-point lead.

Bryant was replaced by Coby Karl, the son of Denver coach George Karl. It was the first time in NBA playoff history that a father has coached against his son.

The Nuggets played much better in the second half as Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 17 points in the third quarter. Iverson led Denver with 31 points and Anthony added 23.

Down 11 with 10:39 to play, Denver went on an 8-2 run to pull within five on J.R. Smith's 3-pointer with 10:25 to play. The Nuggets got within five again on Anthony's layup with 7:16 remaining, but Bryant heled trigger a 13-2 Lakers run with under seven minutes to play to help put the game out of reach.

Bryant scored 19 of the Lakers' final 24 points in the game.

The teams will square off again on in Game 3 on Saturday at 5:30 ET ON TNT.

To understand big-shot-Bob’s legacy, you have to see one play. That’s all. The background is simple: Sacramento was leading L.A. 2-1, Western Conference Finals. The Kings were also leading game four 99-97 with few ticks on the clock and, possibly, the Lakers’ season.

Or so we thought. The purple-and-gold had final possession. Kobe Bryant received the ball top-of-the-key; playing for the tie, he missed a tough drive left. Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t convert an easy put-back.

The Kings, in desperation, batted the ball to the top of the three-point arch. Waiting patiently was Horry. He gathered possession, calmly stroked the game-winning three, back-pedalling as time expired.

The Lakers won 100-99. The series may have been tied 2-2, but it was over. Three weeks later, L.A. won another NBA Title, while Sacramento has never recovered.

Looking for toughness, Bucks hire feisty Skiles


The Milwaukee Bucks need to play tougher defense, and start sharing the ball on offense. So they're turning to Scott Skiles, the man who owns the NBA's single-game assist record and who once got into a fight with Shaquille O'Neal in his playing days.

The Bucks introduced Skiles as their new coach Monday, signing the former Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns coach to a four-year deal to replace Larry Krystkowiak.

And while Skiles said he learned some lessons after the Bulls fired him in December, he isn't backing away from his reputation for demanding a lot from his players.

"I always feel like I'm supposed to apologize for that," Skiles said. "Anybody that is going to come to work with enthusiasm, concentrate and play hard will never have a problem with me. I don't care if they throw the ball in the seats 25 times a game."

Skiles, who was drafted out of Michigan State by the Bucks in the first round in 1986, said he has a "fond place" in his heart for Milwaukee. But he has no illusions about the difficult task he faces in turning around a team that began the season with playoff aspirations but finished 26-56.

"It's not going to be easy," Skiles said. "I don't have any magic dust to sprinkle on people. We're going to have to do it by working harder and playing better [defense], and the first step will be getting competitive every single night. The team has not been competitive every night and if we do that, good things will happen."

Skiles spent nearly three full seasons in Phoenix after taking over for Danny Ainge early in the 1999-00 season. He was fired by the Bulls in December after making the playoffs in three of his first four seasons in Chicago.

Ginobili wins award

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili won the NBA's sixth man award given to the league's best reserve.

Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring, averaging a career-high 19.5 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Ginobili came off the bench in 51 of his 74 games he played.

Kobe wants to stay

Kobe Bryant, who demanded a trade last May, now says he wants to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers and is open to finishing his career with them.

"I love the weather," Bryant said. "I love my '63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys."

The fog on Kobe Bryant’s relationship with the Lakers has officially cleared. On Monday, the superstar made public what many have suspected for some time: he wants to stay long-term in Los Angeles. Check out the highlights from this story from the Associated Press:

On being a Laker:

"Absolutely. I’ve always wanted to be here. I just felt like I was in a position where I didn’t really have a choice. They wanted to go in an opposite direction. My legs aren’t as young as they used to be. Just let me know. I love the weather. I love my ’63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys."

On this season’s success:

“The journey we’ve been on is fun. It’s been a blast. With that being said, we play for titles. We want to win the championship. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t. But if it does happen, we’ll regroup and go at it again. We’ve got some great pieces here. Now it’s time to put it all together. We get that big fellow [Andrew Bynum] back down there and we’ll really be rolling."

My Quick Take: Bryant isn’t staying on the left coast because of the Impalas, warm weather, and freeways. Here are his true reasons for sticking in L.A.:

• Mamba is winning on his terms. During their championship run, Bryant played second fiddle to Shaq; the ultimate Robin, capable of taking over when Batman (O’Neal) was bricking free throws or grappling with his ‘spare tire’. Now the Lakers are winning and Bryant has his starring role.

• The Lakers finally got their business right. Zen-Master Phil re-signed. The front office seems more stable; Mitch Kupchak is in charge, no more black sheep members of the Buss family posting state of the franchise briefings on their myspace pages.

• This team will compete for years. Pau Gasol can play, Andrew Bynum will evolve into a top centre, and Lamar Odom is a well-rounded talent. Derek Fisher stabilizes and the bench is stacked.

He belongs in purple-and-gold. The number, eight or twenty-four, doesn’t matter. Could you see Bryant suiting up for another team?

Can we end all this now, please?

Stop pretending, or demanding, there's some great debate here?

What there is, is a clear and obvious choice.

Kobe Bryant is your league MVP.

Got that? There is no monster controversy. No great injustice to be done, unless Kobe is inexplicably stiffed.

All these people down on Kobe have run out of excuses to turn away.

Make his teammates better - check. Have to win the division - check. Absolutely must finish with the best record in the West - check.

He is not simply the most talented player in the NBA, he is its most valuable. Not just the greatest show, the player who gives you the best chance to win.

He has enjoyed a career season. Led a Lakers team many weren't sure could make the playoffs to the best record in the most competitive conference in NBA history.

Yet every time you hear about some supposed poll, it's really, really close. Could come down to those second- and third-place votes. Might not be decided until the convention.

What a crock. His critics are searching for some justification to not give him an award he has plainly earned.

The problem is many voters - I do not have a vote - simply do not like Kobe. They think he's spoiled or a ball hog or calculating or arrogant. Hold animosity from Denver. Resent him personally.

Hey, it's not a popularity contest. It's an award for being the NBA's Most Valuable Player. You don't have to invite him to the backyard barbecue, just recognize his achievement.

Early on when the talk of Kobe and the MVP started to heat up, his detractors started championing LeBron James. James had all these gaudy numbers to support the pretext.

Of course, to truly be an MVP, you must be on an excellent team. Should be on one of the top teams.

James' Cavaliers fell 20 games back of Boston in the weak East, and there went that campaign.

Then the main challenge over the second half of the season emerged as New Orleans point guard Chris Paul.

Paul has enjoyed a truly marvelous season. He's averaged 21.1 points, and led the league in assists (11.6 per game) and steals (2.73).

And he gets all these bonus points because the Hornets went from 39 victories to this year's 50-plus.

The theory here is, Paul has less talent to work with than Kobe, which although might be true, it isn't that significant.

Peja Stojakovic, David West and Tyson Chandler aren't exactly three guys drudged up from the local playground.

It should be noted that last season Stojakovic played in only 13 games and West 52, so credit for that dramatic turnaround doesn't go solely to Paul.

And as to that unequal talent, Stojakovic has appeared in three All-Star games and West one. Kobe has a single teammate who has appeared in one All-Star game, Gasol.

Kobe's numbers need no explaining. His 28.3 points per game were second-best in the league. He added 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 blocks. And really, who would you most want to take the game-winning shot as time expired?

You want to hand out bonus points, Kobe deserves plenty for playing much of the second half with a finger that needs surgery. He sucked it up and kept playing. That's what MVPs do.

What we can agree on is, this is not a lifetime achievement award. This isn't John Wayne winning an Oscar for "True Grit."

Kobe remains the most talented player in the game, but has never been MVP. You don't get the award for a body of work, though it's best to have something significant to legitimize your resume. This is Paul's third year.

Kobe has enjoyed a tremendous career, but deserves the award based simply on this season.

By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008

PHILADELPHIA: The Most Valuable Player ballots are due at the NBA office in New York by Thursday afternoon. LeBron James doesn't have an official vote, but he's got a pretty strong opinion.

He is in the mix and one of his best friends in the league, Chris Paul, has an excellent chance of winning it in what is expected to be a very close race. Yet James, as he has done numerous times in his career, is deferring to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. He didn't take long to think about it, either.

''I'd give it to Kobe,'' James said. ''What he's done this whole year, to carry that team to the No. 1 team in the West right now. He's playing his best basketball all around. I've watched him the whole year. I saw it last summer when I played with him with USA Basketball and the sacrifices he's made for the team and he's done that with the Lakers.''

Various polls done around the country have Bryant and Paul in a dead heat for the award with James coming in third or fourth. Two years ago, James finished second in the voting. Last year, he finished fifth. Bryant hasn't won the award in his 12 years in the league, but this appears to be his best shot.

''I've been quoted millions of times saying Kobe is the best player in our league for the last five years,'' James said. ''He hasn't received the MVP. This is his year I think.''

James is completing the best regular season of his career. He has a chance to become just the third player in history to average 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a season. The other two, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan, won MVPs in those seasons. But the Cavs are on pace to win their fewest games in three seasons and that plays a role.

''For me as an individual, if you look at the numbers, this is the best I've played in my career and this is the best I've felt,'' James said. ''Team success plays a big part in what the MVP is all about, so there it is.''

Dribbles

• In recent games, there has been a little increase in squabbling between Cavs players both on the court and in the huddle, including a rather intense exchange between James and Anderson Varejao in the second half against the Miami Heat on Sunday. Not to mention other players who have been frustrated with constantly changing levels of playing time.

Cavs coach Mike Brown said he is concerned a bit about the team chemistry.

''You always worry about that,'' Brown said. ''It's tough when you have so many new bodies. Chemistry you can't force, it has to come. Hopefully it clicks sooner than later.''

• Successful St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli was in the locker-room area before the game to see former players Delonte West and Dwayne Jones, who starred for the Hawks. It was the Cavs' first and only visit to the Wachovia Center this season.

LeBron James' pull

WKYC (Channel 3) reporter Chris Tye gave his audience a unique story about the allure of LeBron James on Sunday's newscasts.

Tye told the story of a group of high school seniors from the tiny village of Natulo, Alaska, who came to Cleveland on their senior trip just to see LeBron James and the Cavaliers play.

The teens, who live 300 miles from the Russian border, had their choice of cities to visit. Their goal? Meeting James.

They watched Sunday's game and will attend Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons.

Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/. Sportswriter George Thomas contributed to this report.

PHILADELPHIA: The Most Valuable Player ballots are due at the NBA office in New York by Thursday afternoon. LeBron James doesn't have an official vote, but he's got a pretty strong opinion.

He is in the mix and one of his best friends in the league, Chris Paul, has an excellent chance of winning it in what is expected to be a very close race. Yet James, as he has done numerous times in his career, is deferring to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. He didn't take long to think about it, either.

''I'd give it to Kobe,'' James said. ''What he's done this whole year, to carry that team to the No. 1 team in the West right now. He's playing his best basketball all around. I've watched him the whole year. I saw it last summer when I played with him with USA Basketball and the sacrifices he's made for the team and he's done that with the Lakers.''

Various polls done around the country have Bryant and Paul in a dead heat for the award with James coming in third or fourth. Two years ago, James finished second in the voting. Last year, he finished fifth. Bryant hasn't won the award in his 12 years in the league, but this appears to be his best shot.

''I've been quoted millions of times saying Kobe is the best player in our league for the last five years,'' James said. ''He hasn't received the MVP. This is his year I think.''

James is completing the best regular season of his career. He has a chance to become just the third player in history to average 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a season. The other two, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan, won MVPs in those seasons. But the Cavs are on pace to win their fewest games in three seasons and that plays a role.

''For me as an individual, if you look at the numbers, this is the best I've played in my career and this is the best I've felt,'' James said. ''Team success plays a big part in what the MVP is all about, so there it is.''

Dribbles

• In recent games, there has been a little increase in squabbling between Cavs players both on the court and in the huddle, including a rather intense exchange between James and Anderson Varejao in the second half against the Miami Heat on Sunday. Not to mention other players who have been frustrated with constantly changing levels of playing time.

Cavs coach Mike Brown said he is concerned a bit about the team chemistry.

''You always worry about that,'' Brown said. ''It's tough when you have so many new bodies. Chemistry you can't force, it has to come. Hopefully it clicks sooner than later.''

• Successful St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli was in the locker-room area before the game to see former players Delonte West and Dwayne Jones, who starred for the Hawks. It was the Cavs' first and only visit to the Wachovia Center this season.

LeBron James' pull

WKYC (Channel 3) reporter Chris Tye gave his audience a unique story about the allure of LeBron James on Sunday's newscasts.

Tye told the story of a group of high school seniors from the tiny village of Natulo, Alaska, who came to Cleveland on their senior trip just to see LeBron James and the Cavaliers play.

It feels blasphemous to even think it, much less say it aloud, but these Lakers, Kobe and Pau's Lakers that is, just might end up being better than Kobe and Shaq's dysfunctional, but brilliant bunches of the early 2000s.

It's still very, very early. And this Denver Nuggets team the Lakers easily dispatched 128-114 Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series seemed like it could implode at any moment.

But every time you watch Gasol play, and the way the Lakers play with him, and the way Kobe plays with him, when it all really gets rolling, and especially when the other team doesn't bother to play much defense, you can't help but think it.

These Lakers, Kobe and Pau's Lakers, could end up being better than any of those Diesel-powered teams.

"Pau is a great, great basketball player and this is the perfect offense for him," said Lakers forward Luke Walton, who is one of just three Lakers who played with both O'Neal and Gasol.

"When we get everyone involved, and (Pau) is in the middle, finishing plays and making passes, we are a very tough team to beat."

The triangle offense, in simplistic terms, is designed to create spacing, open passing lanes, and easy jump shots. Gasol excels at all three of these skills, which is exactly why the Lakers have wanted to trade for him for the past two years.

Sunday afternoon, Gasol had his best game as a Laker, dropping 36 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and most importantly, dishing out eight assists.

"I think this offense has freed him up a little bit and showcased more of what he can do instead of being in the post all the time," Bryant said of the Lakers Spanish acquisition.

The Lakers, during the Shaq-Kobe era, ran the triangle offense, but like they are now. During the 2004 NBA Finals, their last dance before that dynasty fell, the triangle was so ineffective the Lakers dumbed it down, then largely abandoned it.

But now with Gasol in the middle, it looks elegant. Simple even.

Sunday, he had the Denver Nuggets chasing the ball around the court, franticly trying to catch up. By the end, they were so frustrated, Allen Iverson blew up at a referee and got himself ejected, Anthony Carter was slamming Bryant into the basket support and Kenyon Martin was jawing with him during breaks in the action.

They tried to make adjustments. Coach George Karl called some zone defenses, tried the 6-foot-9 Martin on the 6-foot-6 Bryant, then the ultra-quick J.R. Smith on him. But nothing worked.

The Lakers were just too good. Too fast, too smooth, to smart.

After the game, Karl came into the interview room looking ragged. He wore a simple, team issued long-sleeve t-shirt, then, half-heartedly tried to claim this was just one game.

"I don't think anybody in our lockeroom is deflated," he said, not seeming entirely convinced of his own words. "I think it's good we have two days to put some pieces together and study the film."

In other words, figure out just how and why and what the Lakers did to beat them so easily.

"I don't think it was Gasol," Karl said. "I think the film will show the L.A. Lakers tore us up," Karl said. "I think Coby Karl could've scored the baskets."

The other thing, and it's a big thing actually, is that Kobe and Pau's Lakers actually seem to dig each other. Their elegant, team-oriented, ball-sharing approach on the court has created a happy lockeroom.

Players on the bench cheer for those in the game, spend half their post-game interviews lauding the play of their teammates and celebrating their shared achievements.

Gasol has the perfect temperament for this club. He's happy to be Kobe's running mate and let Bryant hear the M-V-P chants.

And with Odom, who was actually being criticized last year for not being selfish enough, as the No. 3 option, a rather harmonious pecking order has been created.

"We're actually a very close team," Odom said. "This is a team where one day on the plane, I might have a conversation with Ira Newble, the next day might be Sasha, the next day might be Pau. We try not to get segregated at all."

The Lakers of the Shaq-Kobe years were anything but. In fact, they were defined so entirely by their discord you wondered if they began to need the "creative tension" in order to rev the engines up.

Phil Jackson had to be in full Zen-master mode just to keep things to a war of snippy words and glowering looks.

To some extent, Bryant still needs that dynamic to get himself into rhythm and his competitive fire lit. But now that energy is directed outward, at opponents, at referees - he led the league in technical fouls after all - and even the occasional slight by the media.

Sunday, Bryant began the game in a woeful shooting slump, missing nine of the first 10 shots he took. At first, he tried to stay poised to correct the problem. But then he looked up and was still just 5 for 20 from the floor.

It wasn't until Carter slammed him into the basketball support midway through the third quarter that Bryant found his touch. And from there, he proceeded to jaw with Martin loud enough to draw a technical foul during an exchange at the free-throw line late in the third.

"Just a healthy conversation," Bryant joked, when asked what he and Martin were talking about.

And about whether the chippyness of Sunday's second half would color the rest of the series with angry subplots, Bryant said:

"Hopefully," he said with a laugh, then turned serious.

"It's playoff basketball, this is when the game is most fun. Guys want to win and they're going to commit hard fouls, play physical, talk a little trash. "

After chasing the Lakers around Sunday afternoon, that's all the Nuggets had left. They got frustrated, lost their cool and all but threw their hands up by the end.

These Lakers are really good.

It's early, so don't say it too loudly just yet, but they might end up being great.

"Every team is highly qualified. Ever since I started watching basketball, I can’t remember a race this tight."

The Lakers earned the top seed in the West by winning eight of their final nine games, giving them 57 victories. Five other teams in the West had at least 54 wins, and the Nuggets earned the eighth spot by winning 50 games for the first time in 20 years.

"A team that’s won 50 games and is the eighth seed, I think that’s remarkable," Lakers star Kobe Bryant said.

Game 1 will be played Sunday at Staples Center, where the Lakers have a 15-2 record against the Nuggets since the arena opened in 1999. The second game will be played Wednesday night before the best-of-seven series shifts to Denver. [ESPN]

Video Review from Los Angeles Lakers - Phoenix Suns 119-98
Video Review from Cleveland Cavaliers - New York Knicks 110-106. LeBron Scores 45 points
Video Review of Boston Celtics - Washington Wizards 103-83. Kevin Garnett leads his team to victory

L.A. Lakers 119, Phoenix 98

PHOENIX, Nov. 2 (AP) -- Vladimir Radmanovic made all four of his 3-pointers and scored 19 points, and Kobe Bryant added 16 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a stunning 119-98 rout of listless Phoenix in the Suns' home opener on Friday night.

The capacity crowd at US Airways Center booed the home team, often, for the first time in recent memory as the Suns lost at home to the Lakers for the first time in the regular season since Steve Nash came to Phoenix in 2004.

Phoenix, the three-time defending Pacific Division champion, fell behind by 17 in the second quarter, 29 in the third and an embarrassing 33 in the fourth, giving up a seemingly endless series of layups, dunks and open jumpers.

Radmanovic, questionable before the game because of a sore throat, shot 6-of-7. Bryant, coming off a 45-point game in Los Angeles' season-opening loss to Houston, was just one of the guys in this one as five Lakers reached double figures.

The Lakers shot 57 percent, 8-of-13 from 3-point range. Andrew Bynum had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Leading 63-50 at the half, the Lakers outscored Phoenix 27-11 to go up 90-61 with just under two minutes left in the third quarter on Ronny Turiaf's dunk, on a pass from Bryant.

After Boris Diaw scored four, Radmanovic made a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer and Los Angeles led 95-67 entering the fourth.

Amare Stoudemire was 2-for-10 shooting for four points and had one rebound in 24 miserable minutes for Phoenix.

Nash had 19 points but only three assists and sat out the fourth quarter, as did most of the Lakers' starters. Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 23, 17 in the fourth quarter. Shawn Marion had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Grant Hill scored 12 in his first home game for the Suns.

In a late-game exchange with the Lakers' coaching staff during a timeout, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni shouted "We're good. We've got three more games.''

After giving up 58 first-half points in Seattle in their opener on Thursday night, the Suns were even worse, and this time the lousy defense lasted the whole game.

The Suns were bad from the start, and Bryant was only a role player in a 17-2 Lakers' run that put Los Angeles ahead 25-14 after Jordan Farmar's two free throws with 2:38 to go.

In all, the Lakers outscored Phoenix 31-10 in the last nine minutes of the opening quarter to lead 33-20. It got worse for the Suns in the second quarter.

Luke Walton's uncontested inside basket put the Lakers up 48-31 with 7:23 left in the half.

Phoenix cut it to 56-44 when Brian Skinner made one of two free throws 3 minutes before halftime. The Lakers stretched it to 17 again, the last time at 63-46 when Sasha Vujacic made two free throws with 40 seconds to play. Nash scored the last four of the half to cut the margin to 13.

Notes: Nash was presented with the J. Walter Kennedy citizenship award before the game. The award, announced earlier, is for outstanding community service. ... D'Antoni has 199 victories as Phoenix coach. ... The Lakers beat Phoenix for the third time in their last 13 regular-season meetings, and just the second in 12 tries with Nash in the Suns lineup. ... Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo will be inducted into the team's "ring of honor'' at halftime of Sunday night's game against Cleveland. ... The Suns were outrebounded 54-34.

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KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports on John Paxson pulling the Bulls out of the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes:

There’s not a deal to be done. It’s time to put it to rest," Paxson said. "Today sends a message that our guys don’t have to worry about anything anymore."

My Quick Take: The player seen as the next Michael Jordan won’t be joining the Chicago Bulls. Yesterday, the Bulls dropped out of the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes because they were getting squeezed over Luol Deng.

The Lakers wanted Deng included in any trade. And Bryant, through his no-trade clause, threatened to veto any deal if the Bulls sent Deng out west. For what it’s worth, Chicago wanted to keep their young small forward.

Here’s the real question: can Bryant have it both ways? The All-Star requested a trade, so how can he justify dismissing potential suitors through his no-trade clause?

L.A. was only accommodating their disgruntled star by trying to send him to Chicago-a team he wanted to play for. So Bryant, after requesting a trade, shouldn’t stop the Lakers from getting a good deal, right?

But the all-world guard can do as he pleases. Back in 2004, Bryant’s agent negotiated the best contracts in sports. The Lakers gave him a no-trade clause, a trade-kicker payment, the option to get 70% of his annual salary up-front, and a ’max’ contract.

Now Bryant says where and who. He picks where he wants to play and, in the case of Deng, who with. After all, why leave L.A. for another losing situation?

But Bryant made his bed with the Lakers. Now he should lie in it. Kobe, waive the no- trade clause and accept some responsibility for a situation you helped create.

Copyed

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson said that trade talks on Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers have ended for now and downplayed the notion that the teams were ever on the verge of a deal.

“There’s not a deal done,” he said Thursday. “There’s not going to be a deal done. All the things that were out there were really unfair to all of us who were trying to do our jobs. The misinformation … I think gets in the way of the process. It’s just such a complicated thing and we kind of put it to rest now.”

Paxson said they discussed “parameters,” but the sides “never got down to the nuts and bolts of it because there was never a deal to be done. That’s the reality of it.”

But Paxson was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times Thursday as saying he could not rule out the possibility of reopening talks on Bryant.

“‘Who knows?” he said. “‘The reality now is it’s done. There are a lot of people out there searching for information, and it becomes ridiculous half the time. I’m not going to separate fact from fiction because there’s so much fiction out there.”

Paxson expressed concern that the flurry of rumors surrounding Bryant would have an adverse affect on his team’s focus and execution.

“It’s like this every trade deadline, too,” he said in the Sun-Times story. “People want to get a story, and they’ll go to any limit. I didn’t see myself quoted or anybody from the Lakers quoted. I wanted to try and go through this the right way. The fortunate thing is I know what really happened and [Lakers GM] Mitch Kupchak knows what really happened, and that’s all that really matters.”

Bryant drew some boos during introductions before the Lakers’ season-opening 95-93 loss to Houston on Tuesday, after calling the front office a mess and asking to be traded during the offseason. The jeers turned to cheers as Bryant scored 18 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter to lead a comeback.

The trade deadline isn’t until February, so it’s possible talks between the Lakers and Bulls could resume.

“I think today sends a message that our guys don’t have to worry about anything right now,” Paxson said.

Then again, coach Scott Skiles wondered: “What’s resolving anything in all sports until the trading deadline?”

“Just because this rumor at some point dies down, does that mean another one’s not going to crop up in two weeks?” he asked. “It’s ongoing, it’s all the time. Now, this is one that involves a very, very high profile player, so I understand the extra attention on it.”

With the rumors swirling, Chicago played a flat first half and was just as bad at the end in losing the season opener 112-103 at New Jersey on Wednesday. Just about every Bull’s name has surfaced in rumors, and Luol Deng acknowledged the Kobe questions are wearing on him.

“I am,” he said when asked if he’s annoyed by them. “But you guys want to get to the bottom of it so I’ve just got to keep answering your questions.”

Several issues stand in the way of a Bryant deal.

Bryant has a no-trade clause and can opt out in the summer 2009, although he has said he wouldn’t mind playing in Chicago.

ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan, citing a source with knowledge of the trade talks, reported Wednesday that Bryant continually threatened to veto almost any deal in which Deng would be included. Bryant wants to be sure that the team he joins has enough talent remaining to compete for the NBA title.

Paxson does not want to gut his roster or part with Deng, who appeared to be on the verge of stardom last season.

Paxson and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Bryant when he was a free agent in 2004. He wound up re-signing with the Lakers for seven years and $136.4 million, with that opt-out clause.

“He liked what he heard,” Paxson said. “For that reason, he likes the Chicago Bulls, which is obviously flattering.”

But he apparently won’t be joining them in the near future.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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