MVP Times Three...Chauncey Billups, LeBron James, Steve Nash - All Deserve Award

By Scott McLean

Superstars make basketball exciting with their spectacular plays and big games. But sometimes a superstar's stats take the focus away from basketball being a team sport.

Still, the most important thing in basketball is winning, which becomes obvious in the playoffs. You must win or you're done for the season.

That's not to say statistics don't matter. Huge stats are what superstars one reason superstars are paid so much money.

An MVP need not be a "superstar" in terms of scoring the most points, as long he does several other things to make his team a winner.

Leadership is a quality of winners as well as playing well under pressure, making the clutch shots, those buzzer-beaters, and creating scoring opportunities for teammates.

They make average players look great by passing the ball to the open player when they are double-teamed. And they do it over and over again, making what is difficult seem effortless.

Those were my criteria for deciding which player was most valuable this season. Here are my short lists for the first half of the season and the second half of the season. It's the way I chose to do it, which I feel allowed more players to be mentioned. The following are my MVP lists:

MVP List - 1st Half:
1. Chauncey Billups, Detroit - The best player on a great team!
2. Steve Nash, Phoenix - With Stoudamire out, Nash kept Suns hot!
3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers - Unbelievable plays, outstanding scorer!
4. Tony Parker, San Antonio- Thanks to Tony, Spurs were best in the West.
5. LeBron James, Cleveland - Spectacular all-around play improves Cavaliers.

MVP List - 2nd Half:
1. LeBron James, Cleveland - With little help, he took Cavs to No.4 seed!
2. Chauncey Billups, Detroit - His unselfish leadership made Pistons great.
3. Vince Carter, New Jersey - Fades, Boards, Dishes, Dunks...Uh, WINS!
4. Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns- Last season's MVP as good as ever.
5. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas - His great all-around game made Dallas better.