SECAUCUS, N.J., April 13, 2007 -- It's Friday and depending on where you work, you just got paid and the options for tonight are limitless.

Dinner with a significant other? Dancing with friends? Party at a family member's house?

While all three of these choices sound great, I know what I'll be doing tonight.

Yours truly can be found in front of a television watching the game between the Suns and Lakers at 10:30 ET on ESPN. And no, the only reason I'm tuning in has nothing to do with the fact that I'm on the schedule to work.

If you're a basketball fan, it doesn't get much better than this.

The matchup between Pacific Division rivals has the potential to be one of the most-entertaining games of the season. For starters, the stage is set for Phoenix's Steve Nash and Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant to make a now-or-never try at stealing the MVP award away from Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki.

The contest has heavy playoff implications for Nash and Bryant so it's a safe assumption that they will both bring their "A" games.

Nash has been spectacular this season, putting up better numbers than he has in his two MVP seasons.

Kobe is having a historic season in terms of scoring. According to Elias, Kobe's nine 50-point games are the third highest single-season total in league history. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player that has posted more.

Also, the Suns need the victory because they are trying to hold off the Spurs for the second seed in the West. Phoenix has a two-game lead on the Spurs but San Antonio holds the tiebreaker.

Following Thursday's loss to the Clippers, the Lakers are fighting just to make the postseason.

The seventh-seeded Lakers are just 1.5 games ahead of the Warriors and Clippers, who are tied for the final playoff spot out West.

Adding more drama to tonight's game is the fact that the two teams played an outstanding first-round series last season, won by the Suns four games to three.

This is what they had in mind when they came up with the phrase must-see television. Don't miss it. I won't.

Time to respond to some of your e-mails.

Eden in Israel: How does Vince Carter keep going down in the player rankings? He had one of the best triple-doubles in history.

Brooks: As amazing as his stat-filling game of 46 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists were in New Jersey's 120-114 win over Washington was, remember, it takes more than one game to move up the R2MVP charts. The Nets have way too many games like Thursday night against the Cavaliers where they lose in double digits.



Ling in New Jersey: Thank you so much for dropping Deron Williams out of the top 10. The MVP race is just between Dirk and Nash and as much as I love Kobe, I think he has dropped out of the race and belongs in fourth where you have him.

Brooks: I don't know what is happening with Deron and the Jazz, who have dropped five in a row, lately. As far as Kobe is concerned, what he is doing on the court this season is truly amazing. On Thursday he posted his ninth 50-point game of the season and there is no debate that he is the best offensive player in the game today. The Lakers need to get him some help during the offseason.



Paul in Ukraine: You know what Mo, it looks like you're enjoying the fact that Kobe and the Lakers have fallen to the seventh spot in the West. I'm not saying that you're a Kobe hater, but you gotta face the facts. You've dedicated a whole issue to those who topped the purple-and-gold.

Brooks: Paul, what you're saying couldn't be any further from the truth. I'm a Sixers fan. Although the Lakers stopped us from winning the 2001 title, I don't hold a grudge. Last time I checked, the Lakers weren't exactly considered a rival of the Sixers. Also, the Lakers have lost 39 games this season so that would have to be a pretty long column if I wrote about everybody who has topped them this season.



Norah in France: Are you drunk ? How can Yao Ming not be in the top five? How can you have Yao ranked 20th, while Shaquille O'Neal is 17th? There is no comparison between those two guys. Yao is having a huge season and Shaq is a shadow of the big man he used to be. You should really learn basketball.

Brooks: I'm writing this mailbag at 10 a.m. and I don't believe in drinking in the morning so no, I'm not drunk. It can be argued that Shaq belongs even higher on the list after holding it down for Miami while D-Wade was injured. While Yao's numbers before and after he got hurt have been great, Shaq's aren't bad either. Take a look.



Justin in Oregon: Nice to see Tim Duncan finally bumped up to third, but I think he should overtake Steve Nash at second. Their records are almost identical now and unlike Nash, Duncan is the leader of his team on both sides of the floor.

Brooks: Justin, it is fine to be excited that Timmy has risen in the rankings but don't take shots at Nash. Although R2MVP favors Dirk, it wouldn't be that much of a shocker if Nash three-peated.



Steve in Alaska: Sigh Maurice, what is wrong with you? Man I love your column but when you put Duncan ahead of Kobe, LeBron and T-Mac it made me vomit. Apologize to me.

Brooks: Steve, you sure it wasn't the bad fish you ate for dinner last night that made you sick? I mean, if you're not into players who anchor their team's defense, lead their team's offense and are a perfect example of a leader for one of the top three teams in the league, that is on you. Not only is Duncan a super player, he truly is a role model for playing the right way.



Jim in Dallas: I look forward to reading your article while at work each week, but this week, I was let down. I don't see why this week you chose to write the entire article about the Nuggets.

Brooks: Let's see, I've written over 40 columns this season and I chose to highlight the team that is currently playing as well as any other team in the league and I let you down? I know you are from Dallas, but I think I've written about your boy Dirk plenty. Every now and then somebody else gets a chance to shine.



Saad in California: Why is it that the Warriors don't get any recognition? That's why I hate you writers. I can't wait for the day that you jump on the Warriors' bandwagon.

Brooks: When you're right, you're right. The Warriors have gone 12-5 over their past 17 games and are tied with the Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Golden State (38-40) hasn't made the playoffs since 1994. Baron Davis, who is on the cusp of entering the R2MVP Top 20, is the key to whether the Warriors get a first-round playoff date with the Mavericks.



Sebastian in Chile: With a week left in the season, Nowitzki has done everything he needed to do to win MVP. With the MVP case almost being closed, it's time to talk about who is going to win the other important awards. Personally I think the Blazers' Brandon Roy is the Rookie of the Year, Chicago's Ben Wallace is the Defensive Player of the Year, New York's David Lee is the Most Imporved and Utah's Jerry Sloan is Coach of the Year. What are you picks?

Brooks: Roy is ROY, the Nuggets' Marcus Camby is the best defender, the Warriors' Monta Ellis has improved the most, the Raptors' Sam Mitchell has done the best coaching job and my selection as Sixth Man of the Year goes to the Suns' Leandro Barbosa.



Wilmar in Philippines: My season awards look like this:
MVP: Dirk Nowitzki
Best in assists: Steve Nash
Best in scoring: Kobe Bryant
NBA champs: Dallas Mavericks
Should retire: Dwyane Wade.

Brooks: Well done, Wilmar. I see you're still not over Wade's Heat taking the title from Dirk's Mavericks last June.



Jay-R in Texas: I love your column and I read it every week except for the weeks where I gave it up for Lent. Then I read Week 23 and I was expecting the Rockets' Tracy McGrady to be fourth in the rankings if not higher. I can't believe you dropped him.

Brooks: Duncan playing great, combined with the Rockets losing three in a row and the fact T-Mac missed 1.5 games because of his back are the reasons he dropped in the rankings. He has bounced back nicely, scoring 40, 27 and 32 in Houston's last three games, which have all been victories.



Joseph in California: Keep up the good work and you really should be writing more than just two articles a week for NBA.com and perhaps you should ask for a salary raise, too. I really enjoy reading your articles and comments every week and your analysis is insightful and thought-provoking.

Brooks: Joseph, I'm printing this e-mail out right now and taking it to my bosses!



Cole in Canada: You say that fan is short for fanatic, that we root for one single team, totally oblivious to anything that does not have to do with them. Were you talking about us or yourself? Take a look at your bio. Iverson is one of your favorite players and now take a look at your most recent column. Do you see the connection? I'm the fan here Maurice, you're the fanatic.

Brooks: Dude, are you serious? I wrote about Iverson because the Nuggets are on a seven-game winning streak. You make it seem like he was putting up 10 points and four assists a game and Denver was out of the playoff race and I dedicated my column to him. Wake up.



Kimi in Brooklyn: When's the last article and are you going to be writing anything throughout the playoffs? If so, please let me know because I don't know what I'm going to do without your article to look forward to every week.

Brooks: Man, this feels like when I broke up with my first girlfriend back in high school. Anyway, there is probably going to be two more R2MVP columns and one more mailbag and that is it for the season.