NBA's MVP award should land in Boston

When the Lottery gods finally spoke last spring, the Boston Celtics’ season-long dive into the NBA draft tank appeared to be a waste of time and creative excuses. Instead of getting the first pick and adding Greg Oden to their tradition of big men, or even grabbing the second spot and spending it on Kevin Durant, the Celtics were confined to the fifth position. In Philadelphia, you could hear the guffawing of long-time Sixers fans, who remembered previous draft-day coups staged by the Celts, like the deal for Bill Russell, the early selection of Larry Bird, the trade for Robert Parish and selection of Kevin McHale. At last, Boston had failed on draft day.

Or had it? Instead of grabbing a rookie phenom, GM Danny Ainge turned that fifth overall pick – along with some roster detritus – into Ray Allen, a much-needed perimeter weapon. Then, in a move that many around the league considered fishy, since it was assembled by a pair of long-time friends, he traded Al Jefferson and spare parts for Kevin Garnett. In the span of just over two months, the Celtics had reinvented themselves, going from a young, largely rudderless team into a title contender with three All-Stars. That laughing in Philly was replaced by a large stomachache.

Boston proceeded to rampage through the regular season and headed into Tuesday’s contest in Milwaukee with 61 triumphs, an NBA-record 37 more than it managed last season. The Celtics have locked up homecourt for the post-season and are looking more and more as the de facto Eastern Conference representative in the Finals, thanks to their steady play throughout the year.

That may be a rehash for some, but it’s instructive when it comes to the growing debate over the ’07-08 MVP. Right now, it appears to be a three-man race between Garnett, New Orleans’ Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant. Each candidate has his strong suits, but the pick here is Garnett.

First, a couple words about the other candidates. Paul has been amazing for the Hornets this year, leading them to the top of the standings in the Western Conference, perhaps the best combination of teams in league history. Paul has grown quickly from rookie star into an established point man and is arguably the best at his position right now, Steve Nash or no Steve Nash. He’s scoring, dishing, stealing, shooting from distance and basically playing like a man who’s five years older. Think Milwaukee (Andrew Bogut) and Atlanta (Marvin Williams) would like to have their ’05 draft picks back? (We’ll give Utah a pass, because Deron Williams is pretty darn good.)

Bryant has been spectacular all year, despite beginning the season with petulance and trade-demand drama. No matter what is swirling around him, he is always able to put forth a top-shelf effort. He can score almost at will and has become more of a leader this year, bringing his young teammates along with him. It hasn’t hurt that L.A. fleeced the Grizz for Pau Gasol, a great second-in-command, or that Andrew Bynum was playing fine ball until hurting his knee. Even with those two combining with Lamar Odom to form the league’s top frontcourt, it’s still Bryant’s show.

With those two in the race, choosing Garnett isn’t easy. But he gets it for the sheer force of will that he has exerted on the Boston franchise this year. Many (including some highly esteemed columnists) figured the Garnett-Allen-Paul Pierce union would be an unholy one, with nightly battles for ball control and petulant star tantrums dwarfing any efforts to form a cohesive unit. That was never the case, and it was because of Garnett. Allen and Pierce behaved, for sure, but Garnett led. He established the team’s identity with his single-minded devotion to winning. Garnett sublimated his need to score and even gave some rebounding statistics in order to make sure players were filling their roles the best ways possible. All the while, he was playing tremendous defense and doing whatever job was necessary.

Paul and Bryant have had top-notch seasons, but neither has had the overwhelming impact Garnett has on his team. His MVP candidacy is less about tremendous statistics and more about winning, and that’s how every great player should be judged. What began as a Lottery folly has turned out to be one of the seminal moments in a great franchise’s storied history.

GAME OF THE WEEK I

Atlanta at Indiana, Tuesday, April 8. The Hawks can’t clinch a playoff berth with a victory, but a victory here would put them up four games with four to play. Both teams have been playing well of late (7-3 in last 10), so this should be a corker.

GAME OF THE WEEK II

Phoenix at San Antonio, Wednesday, April 9. This could be a first-round matchup or a Western finals preview. The way things are going out there, who knows. What is certain is that the Spurs have it going (9-1 in last 10) and are still trying to get past the Hornets for the West’s top spot. Phoenix, meanwhile, is trying to catch the Lakers and win the Pacific. The key, of course, is whether the Suns can force tempo, or if San Antonio controls things.

GAME OF THE WEEK III

Denver at Golden State, Thursday, April 10. Dallas still isn’t safely in the playoffs, but the Mavs have distanced themselves somewhat from these two teams, meaning Thursday’s game will have a huge impact. Denver would particularly like a victory, because it would give the Nuggets a 3-1 season series edge. Of course, whichever team loses will watch the Eastern playoffs with a jaundiced eye, since it will have a better record than at least five of the participants.

IN THE PAINT

Now that Shawn Marion is on the shelf for the rest of the season, the Heat are without three starters and three key reserves. If Miami wins the Lottery, and it will have the most ping-pong balls, just imagine an ’08-09 lineup of rookie point Derrick Rose, the star of Memphis, Dwyane Wade, Marion, Udonis Haslem and Mark Blount/Dorell Wright/Rony Seikaly. Hello, playoffs.

The Sixers have an interesting off-season decision to make regarding forward Andre Iguodala. He turned down a five-year, $57 million extension before the season, and now that rookie Thaddeus Young has proven himself quite capable at the same position, the Sixers need to decide whether they want to sign Iguodala for the long term, ink a one-year deal with him, pull off a sign-and-trade or let him go all together.

This was a big week for comebacks, with Gilbert Arenas (knee) returning for the Wizards, and Elton Brand (Achillies) coming back for the Clippers. Brand’s return will be quite short, because L.A. isn’t in the playoffs, although Arenas will get a chance to play through April.

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