Was the Spurs' third quarter flopfest legit?

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Were these offensive fouls legitimate, or did All-Defensive First Teamer's Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan sell the calls to the referees?

David West taunts Fabricio Oberto

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It's better than slapping Dirk Nowitzki's face, but David West is playing with fire.

Bowen and Paul have another (mini) tussle

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You'd think Bruce Bowen would've learned from his suspension for stepping on Chris Paul's jewels March 12.

Jerry Stackhouse can't stand the Hornets

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Facing a quick playoff exit to the New Orleans Hornets, Jerry Stackhouse picks up a dumb second technical foul and is ejected from the game.

Chris Paul shakes off ankle sprain

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Chris Paul has struggled with ankle sprains earlier in the season, and seems to reinjure it here. Paul, however, quickly shakes off the pain and steps to the foul stripe.

Chris Paul gets rocked by Dwight Howard

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The announcers bring up a good point. Dwight Howard is a threat to everyone's health: Tony Battie, Jameer Nelson, Brian Cook (broken knuckle yesterday), and now Chris Paul! Is Dwight Howard a player assassin?

Chris Paul tweaks ankle

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Paul remained in the game, but this looks like it's going to be sore in the morning.

Bowen kicks Paul in 500th consecutive game

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Bruce Bowen is known for dirty plays, and he got away with another during this career milestone game

Paul to Chandler magic!

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Tyson Chandler and Chris Paul beat up on the Phoenix Suns.

Chris Paul rips it from Bosh

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Chris Paul playing like the West's MVP.

Chris Paul cross overs (3x)

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Chris Paul dominates Anthony Carter not once, not twice, but thrice! Rarrrrrrr!

Chris Paul misses open layup

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Chris Paul misses a wide open layup against the Nuggets. I think he confused himself at the last second if he wanted to dunk or lay it in. Thankfully, he was able to get the ball quickly back and pickup his 14th assist.

Daily Dime reactions

I tend to agree that Paul is the MVP. You look at what he's done with his team this year, now that he's fully healthy, and you see the tremendous impact he's had. A huge win against the defending champions last night also is telling. The difference between Paul and Garnett is the caliber of team on which they play. The Cs have two other HOF players, the Hornets...none.

LBJ's stats are the best in the League, no doubt. But, yeah, somehow a team's record plays a immeasurable bias in the MVP voting. I totally agree with your assessment that the Cavs need to be first in their division (or at least a close second behind the Pistons) for LeBron to merit any sort of consideration for the award. It's just interesting to see how much record plays a part, especially when one's opinion about it can be so subjective.

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Garnett's production is still the same. He's just playing less minutes...which lowers his overall numbers. Yet, he's still deadly effective when on the court.

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Dirk and Mavs won 67 games. C'mon now...and Nowitzki was playing lights out all seasons long. He was thrown into an early season funk premeditated by his offseason sabbatical and lack of training.

The Celtics are on a similar pace this year. KG clearly is the difference maker and should win the award if the current trends continue. I think Paul's still too young to win the award. I know it's trite to say, but age also seems to play a role -- whether a cat's earned his stripes long enough.

The Cavs need to land a fourth or fifth seed this season, otherwise they have no hope of playing the Celtics for rights in the East. If the Cavs land a sixth of seventh spot (which they probably will), they've got no chance beating Orlando and Detroit to get to Boston in the Eastern conference finals. No chance whatsoever.

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I feel like you all are hating on some of the best players to ever play the game -- Kobe, KG, Dirk? Wow.

For one thing, I'd much rather put the ball in any of their hands than Paul or LeBron at the end of a game because of their massive experience. They all know how to get to the line in those situations and stop the clock. You need to look at their ability to lock it down and Odenize themselves at the times of extreme pressure.

LBJ and CP3 have not proved their ability to Odenize and make the right play when it really comes down to it. They haven't learned how to lead a team with their heart and sole.

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If the Lakers do NOT fade, and play over .500 ball, then there's no question Kobe's the League's most valuable, regardless of how many shots he puts up and how well he shoots. A team without key cogs Ariza and Bynum is nothing, and to carry that on your back for two months is Atlas-esque.

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The only thing the Lakers were predicted to do was trade Kobe to the Chi or trade Bynum to the Nets. Somehow they didn't do either, and overcame all the diversity to become an elite team. What a story. You have to recognize this with an award for Kobe, who was the key person in the 180 turnaround.

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The MVP this season may be the most debated selection in recent history. That said, there's still a half a season to consider after this. How players' team's perform will without doubt play a large role.

That said, here's who I project to be the top three MVP candidates at the season's end: 1) KG, 2) Kobe, 3) Paul

I'm not trying to diminish LeBron's game in any way. I'm just saying that playing .540 ball in the East is not good enough.

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Yes, I think the big three really play as a unit -- helping each other out and complimenting each other's game. Still, Garnett is the piece that makes it all work. There's no saying how good the team would be without Garnett (because they theoretically would still have Ryan Gomes and Al Jefferson...and Gerald Green...and Sebastian Telfair), but I'd wager it wouldn't be anywhere near 60-65 wins at the end of the season.

Garnett's the key to the Celtic's resurgent season. That's why he's the MVP.

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I'd totally disagree about the career achievement. Steve Nash, when he won his first MVP, was an All-Star, but certainly not deserving of the League's best player award in Dallas. He came into his own when he signed with Phoenix, and the NBA rewarded him for his spectacular performance during those seasons.

On the other hand, I do think a player needs to have played at least a couple years in the League before he wins the MVP. I can't think of an MVP in recent times who's won an the award in his first three seasons. Or am I wrong? I think you have to earn your stripes in the NBA before you can be seriously considered for the award. That's why Paul's not winning anything but an First Team selection this season...which is no chump change by any means.

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Not only are the starters in New Orleans playing more minutes than other teams, they're also young. There's two things going on here, in my mind: 1) They're young and they can handle the burn, and 2) They're young and don't have the experience to "pace" themselves for when it comes playoff time.

It's a long season and I definitely agree that the Hornets most likely will not make it to even the Western Conference Finals. However, if they do make it that far, I'll be leading the NOH bandwagon with the rest of Bayou.

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The younger a player is, the less likely he'll be given the reigns to a team. The only exceptions would be poor, rebuilding teams who have no other choice but to let their young guns play (I.e. Seattle this season).

However, in those instances, when a young player is a main option, only very rarely will that team also be also a factor in the playoff picture. Most of the time, these young teams don't even make the playoffs.

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If teams are blowing people out the majority of the time (Hornets recently, Celtics not so recently), there's no need to "close out" teams. I guess being a good closer implies that you're not doing enough during the first three quarters to be comfortable going into the final period.

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Howard and Paul are different. Paul's a small guard and very prone to injury. Whereas, Howard is about one of the League's biggest (most muscular) players in the NBA. Howard's never missed a game in his career. Not only that, but he's played one year longer.

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Sometimes I get caught up looking to the numbers for answers to these questions. Still, nothing substitutes for watching a player play the game to really assess how valuable he is.

Scott could hand pick Chandler, West

Watching the New Orleans Hornets finish of the Milwaukee Bucks this afternoon was beautiful.

Play-by-play guy Bob Licht (absolutely awesome to listen to) and color commentator Gil McGregor were of course basking in the glory of a Hornets’ dream season. And, naturally, since the All-Star game is coming to their very backyard, the two courtside announcers began to speak about coach Byron Scott becoming the Western Conference’s head coach.

It may be urban legend, but Licht and McGregor confirmed the All-Star head coach can hand-pick two or three of his players to make the All-Star squad.

Certainly, Chris Paul, the best point guard to play basketball since Isaiah Thomas will be a shoe-in for the game. But the real question remains: Will Tyson Chandler or David West make the roster?

This decision is difficult because, truly, both Chandler and West deserve All-Star births.

Chandler leads the NBA in offensive rebounds and his team in total rebounds. West averages 20 and 10 and leads the team in blocks.

But here's the crux. It’s difficult to place Chandler above other western centers Marcus Camby, Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire and Chris Kaman. Even if Chandler deserves the bid, and even if Scott is the coach, I doubt Chandler can be chosen without someone yelling bloody murder.

West, on the other hand, might have slightly more of a chance, but not much. Carlos Boozer, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Al Jefferson and Carmello Anthony each legitimately deserve to be in the mix.

Anthony may sit it out with an ankle sprain (sustained 01/21), and Tracy McGrady might take the weekend off to rest his back. This opens up two more spots on the bench. Then, snubbing Jefferson for West, forwards on teams at the polar opposites of the conference standings, doesn’t seem as bad.

Byron Scott has said for weeks he will literally campaign for David West and Tyson Chandler like Barack Obama is campaigning for the presidency. Yet, if his team continues to lead the conference in wins, he may be able to “hand pick” his two gunners to play on his bench.

It may be the only chance Chandler and West have to make the team.