O'Neal casts his MVP vote - and it's a big no
This wasn't going to be one of those KG-for-MVP columns - again - but Shaquille O'Neal gave me no choice. There had to be better occasions for Shaq to weigh in on the looming MVP race - and to purposely and emphatically reject the notion that Kevin Garnett might be a worthy candidate. Not after KG schooled the Suns' mighty Amare Stoudemire in the second half of last night's 117-97 laugher, finishing with 30 points, 6 assists, and 2 blocked shots in 34 minutes.
But Shaq being Shaq, well, he isn't going to dodge the issue. So when asked for his thoughts on the MVP race, O'Neal didn't hesitate.
"The Kobester," he said, referencing his old teammate and occasional foil, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers. "He's an assassin, with LeBron [James] coming in right behind. After that, I really haven't been paying attention."
Ah, duh. How about Chris Paul, for instance?
So some brave soul raised the possibility that the guy across the hall in TD Banknorth Garden - no name was needed - might be in the discussion as well. O'Neal shook his head. No way.
"I'm going to have to go with my guy before him," he said, motioning to Stoudemire's locker. "All day, every day."
When O'Neal was done speaking to the media mass, I went over and asked him if I had heard what I thought I heard. Did he really say he'd take Stoudemire over Garnett, especially after Garnett had put a Ziploc bag on Stoudemire in the second half? We know that one of Shaq's missions in Phoenix is to bump up Stoudemire, but this seemed to be a bit far-fetched.
"They've got the same numbers," O'Neal said. "Yeah, I would."
For MVP? This year?
"Yeah."
But Garnett is anchoring the best defensive team in the NBA and has totally transformed the Celtics.
"Garnett doesn't play defense," Shaq said.
After that, what was there to say? What games have you been watching this season? Garnett doesn't play defense?
Garnett is probably not going to win the MVP Award, but it's not because he doesn't play defense. And that's not going to stop the thousands at TD Banknorth Garden from chanting, "M-V-P, M-V-P," when he's at the free throw line. As Paul Pierce noted after last night's game, "The whole face of the Celtics turned around when the trade happened with this guy. Everyone talks about the MVP and they talk about numbers [hello, Shaq], but this guy has changed the whole culture around here, and I think that says a lot for everything."
But here's what's going to doom Garnett's chances. The Celtics play in the East, which means they don't have a tong war every night out. The Western Conference voters will jump all over that. And the Celtics went 7-2 when Garnett was out with an abdominal strain, so, in essence, how valuable can he really be? Never mind that after last night's win, they are 49-13 with him in the lineup and that he has presided over a team-wide transformation, making the Celtics the best defensive team in the league. He's the best player on the team with the best record.
Doesn't that count for something? It usually does.
Garnett, of course, couldn't care less about the MVP than winning his first NBA title, which would surprise no one. Asked about the chants last night, he quickly turned to Pierce and said, "My MVP is sitting next to me." You'll hear no campaigning from him.
And Shaq is right about Kobe. It may simply be his turn. He's generally acknowledged to be the game's best player - or if he isn't, it's LeBron - and he has led the Lakers, improbably, to near the top of the tough Western Conference. And given the Lakers' cushy schedule the rest of the way, they may end up as the No. 1 seed with Bryant leading them. At worst, he's No. 2.
The MVP has long been a subjective vote, but this year it seems to be even more so. Garnett, James, and Dwight Howard represent the three most logical candidates from the East. Bryant and Paul seem to be the leaders from the West. Someone from the Spurs should get some votes, but Spurs watchers will tell you that day in and day out, their go-to guy this season has been Manu Ginobili. What if the Rockets win the West? They could. Where does that put Tracy McGrady?
It's hard to remember such a cloudy MVP picture. Sometimes it's obvious, like when Shaq won in 2000 or when Steve Nash won in Phoenix. Even last year, Dirk Nowitzki was a runaway choice, then pretty much had to put a bag over his head to accept the award after the Mavericks were upset in the first round of the playoffs.
Stoudemire will get some support this year, but he's sort of like the Joe Biden or Chris Dodd in this race. It's pretty hard to see him cracking the top five, Shaq's ringing endorsement notwithstanding. Stoudemire and Garnett may have similar numbers and play similar positions, but that's where the similarity ends in my mind. I'll go with No. 5, all day, every day.
Peter May can be reached at pmay@globe.com.
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