Race to the MVP: Halfway home, it's LeBron, Kobe and ...

On Tuesday, the NBA reached the halfway point of the 2008-09 season. So far, it's been quite a year. For example, four teams -- the Celtics, the Cavs, the Lakers and the Magic -- have more than 30 wins and fewer than 10 losses.

It's no coincidence that three of those four 30-win teams have the top three MVP candidate. We've discussed and debated all season long as to whether team success is of paramount importance to a Most Valuable Player candidate. While some people have advocated MVP candidates can emerge from teams that struggle, we're going to put an end to the debate for this season.

To be considered a legitimate candidate to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy, your team must be very good, if not exceptional. We understand the MVP is an individual award, but that's the beauty of basketball. It's a team game, but the exceptional player can flourish, and in doing so, lifts his teammates to new levels of excellence.

That's what you want from an MVP. That's what you expect from an MVP. And that's why we're excited for the season's second half.

We should expect more superior play from the candidates on this list because their teams are in the hunt for both division titles and for home-court advantage. The Race to the MVP will tighten in the next 12 weeks.

But right now, if we had to name our pick for MVP of the season's midpoint, it would be Cleveland's LeBron James by a wide margin, with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant slowly closing the gap.

On first glance at James' stats, one could point to him averaging fewer points per game (27.8 this season compared to 30.0 last season), averaging fewer rebounds and fewer assists per game and say James isn't having as good a season as he did last year.

But the reason his numbers aren't as good is because James and the Cavs have been ruthlessly efficient in dispatching foes, especially at home, where the Cavs are 20-0. The Cavs have the highest point differential of any team, +11.07, which is nearly 1.5 points better than the Celtics and 2.3 points better than the Lakers.

Like a surgeon who operates and then lets the resident suture the patient, James often has taken a seat in fourth quarters and watched Cleveland's reserves close out many a decisive win. James' averages in points (35.8), assists (8.7) and steals (2.6) over 48 minutes are career highs while he's punching the clock at a career-low 37.3 minutes per game.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown, who built a solid defensive foundation, finally has opened up the offense and let LeBron work off the ball instead of having James initiate the offense. This has allowed James to attack opposing defenses from the wing, where he is better able to drive to the basket. These sets have helped James hit a career-high 49.6 percent of his field goals.

James also has put in the work on the defensive end. He's averaging a career-high 1.3 blocked shots and at 2.0 steals per game, is only 0.2 below his career high.

As well as James has been playing, he has flaws. His jumper, because of an inconsistent release point, makes him streaky on the perimeter. And as we saw late in the game against the Lakers, he has the tendency to miss crucial free throws down the stretch. These small blemishes leave the door open for Bryant to make his mark in the race.

The reigning MVP has better overall talent surrounding him. Also, Bryant has subjugated much of his individual brilliance to make the Lakers one of the favorites to win the NBA title. And if the Lakers need him to take over and push them to the league's best record, there's no doubt Bryant can carry that load.

The biggest difference between Kobe and LeBron is Bryant's late-game stoicism. Few, if any in league history, have been better in the clutch. According to the league's GMs, no player in the NBA is better than Bryant when the chips are down.

The great thing about Bryant is he wants the ball in his hands. He is not afraid of failure. LeBron has not reached Kobe's level in crunch time ... yet. This difference could sway a lot of voters down the stretch.

So, don't expect Bryant to give up his MVP crown easily. Still, it wouldn't surprise anyone if that crown were placed on the King's head at season's end.

Questions, comments? You can mail us at RacetotheMVP@gmail.com.

Hoops Line of the Week: Houston's Yao Ming, Jan. 17: 26 points and 10 rebounds vs. Miami.

OK, what's so special about a 26 and 10 game from a guy who stands 7-foot-6? Well, it's special because he went 12-for-12 from the field. That's tough to do in practice, but with defenders flying at you? Not easy. The irony of Yao's perfect performance was he went 2-for-3 from the free throw line.

Rise of the week: Dwight Howard (from No. 5 to No. 3)
Drop of the week:Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki (out of the Top 10)

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | Team Record: 32-8 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 27.8 7.2 6.8 2.0 1.3 .496 .777 Last Week's Rank - 1 If the traditional stats above aren't enough of an indicator of LeBron's excellence this season, we can point to other statistical measures: John Hollinger's PER, the NBA's efficiency rating and the Roland Rating. Heck, BasketballReference.com even went as far to compare LeBron not only to another No. 23, but the greatest offensive force in NBA history -- Wilt Chamberlain.

2. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers | Team Record: 34-8 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 26.4 5.6 5.2 1.3 0.4 .472 .862 Last Week's Rank - 2 Is there a tougher player? Don't answer. That was rhetorical. Last season, Kobe nabbed MVP while playing much of the season's second half with a broken pinkie. Now, he's playing with a dislocated ring finger on his shooting hand. Why is Kobe continuing to play while rest would be the best thing for him? He needs to keep the Lakers in the hunt for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

3. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic | Team Record: 33-9 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 19.9 14.0 1.4 1.0 3.2 .559 .582 Last Week's Rank - 5 After a sterling 4-0 swing through the West, including wins over the Spurs, Lakers and Nuggets, Howard and the Magic were brought back to Earth when the Celtics came to town on Thursday and snapped Orlando's winning streak. "It felt like a playoff game," Howard told reporters. "But we didn't play like we needed to. We got to find a way to score in the half-court against them."

4. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets | Team Record: 26-13 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 21.2 5.5 11.0 2.7 0.2 .499 .867 Last Week's Rank - 4 With the exception of the beatdown in Cleveland, Paul and the Hornets had a pretty good week. They've run off three consecutive wins and Paul has put up 26.3 points and 10.3 assists per game over that stretch. And thanks to the fans for rightfully pushing Paul past Tracy McGrady as a starter for the All-Star Game. As NBA.com's John Schuhmann says: The All-Star Game needs good point guards.

5. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat | Team Record: 22-19 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 28.8 4.9 7.3 2.3 1.5 .474 .754 Last Week's Rank - 3 Despite his team's mediocre record, Wade's candidacy can't be questioned. Here's Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on a Miami radio show on what Wade means to the Heat: "I think that's probably the biggest reason why our young guys have progressed faster than people anticipated, because they saw his example starting from training camp. He has not missed a practice, doesn't miss a turn. It's really kind of similar to what Michael Jordan was for the Bulls all those years."

6. Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets | Team Record: 28-15 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 18.6 2.7 6.9 1.4 0.2 .416 .909 Last Week's Rank - 6 Despite two losses this week, the Nuggets have a 26-12 record with Billups running the point and lead the Trail Blazers in the Northwest by 2.5 games. Do you think the Nuggets would be where they are without Billups? "What Chauncey does for us is not necessarily statistics," Nuggets coach George Karl told the Denver Post. "It's savvy, it's leadership, it's locker room, it's big shots in the fourth quarter, it's orchestrating for most of the game."

7. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs | Team Record: 28-13 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 20.4 10.2 3.5 0.5 1.8 .514 .691 Last Week's Rank - 7 Thanks to the fans, the Big Fundamental will play in his 11th consecutive All-Star Game. He held the Spurs together in the first half while Manu Ginobili missed 12 games recovering from ankle surgery and Tony Parker missed nine games with a sprained ankle. The Spurs have won 13 of their last 16 and Duncan has been his usual steady self. He's even hitting his free throws, shooting .722 in the last four games.

8. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets | Team Record: 27-16 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 19.9 9.6 1.8 0.4 1.7 .544 .867 Last Week's Rank - OLI Yao is Houston's last man standing these days as it will be news when Tracy McGrady or Ron Artest aren't injured. Yao will start at center for the Western Conference All-Stars and deservedly so. He's deadly from the field and from the stripe and he's the only reason the Rockets have their collective heads above water in the West.

9. Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers | Team Record: 25-17 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 22.3 4.7 5.2 1.0 0.4 .463 .818 Last Week's Rank - 9 It was a rough go for Roy and the Blazers last week as they went 1-2. While there's no shame losing to LeBron and Co. at the Rose Garden, losing in OT at Charlotte wasn't a good way to end a road trip. "I haven't felt great since I came back from my hamstring," Roy said after the loss to the Bobcats. "My mid-range game doesn't feel as good as before I got hurt."

10. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics | Team Record: 36-9 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 16.1 9.1 2.6 1.2 1.3 .521 .855 Last Week's Rank - OLI Welcome back to the Top 10. Last season, KG finished third behind Kobe and CP3 in our final rankings. In winning seven straight, it looks as if the Celtics have regained some of their championship swagger. KG is the man who gives the Celtics that attitude, but even more than that as of late, he's been aggressive and most important, efficient at the offensive end of the floor.

Outside Looking In (OLI)

11. Dirk Nowitzki
12. Joe Johnson
13. Pau Gasol
14. Jameer Nelson
15. Tayshaun Prince
16. Paul Pierce
17. Devin Harris
18. Steve Nash
19. Amar'e Stoudemire
20. Tony Parker

Readers' favorites: Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Danny Granger, Al Jefferson, Chris Bosh, Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Rodney Stuckey