ISO: Peer Recognition
After a hard-fought regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers are to be commended as the number one team in the Western conference. The first round playoff schedule has been determined and Purple and Gold are set to square off against the Denver Nuggets starting on Sunday, April 20th. The Lakers beat the Nuggets all three times they faced each other in the 2007-8 campaign but haven’t seen them since the middle of January so care should be taken not to underestimate the eight seed, lest they suffer the same fate as the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s opening series upset courtesy of the Golden State Warriors .
Today is the deadline for MVP voting and Kobe Bryant is an odds-on favorite to receive the award for the first time in his career. The winner won’t be announced for another week or two, so #24 still has a few more games at Staples Center to soak in the deafening chants of “M-V-P” before the league potentially bequeaths the honor upon him. New Orleans Hornets’ All-Star point guard Chris Paul is also in the running for the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, but in my estimation there really is no contest with who should take home the accolade. Kobe Bryant motivated the Lakers’ front office to make a trade that ensured a dominant position going into the postseason when they obtained Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and has shared the ball more than ever, inspiring his team mates to reach their potential and perform at an incredibly high level. I hope the drought Kobe has endured from the voters ends soon and he earns a fourth championship ring to go along with it, dual proof of just how special this season has been.
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