NBA Exclusive Moments Captured

LeBron James easily takes NBA MVP

LeBron James is the NBA's Chosen One.

Unstoppable at both ends of the floor this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers' star claimed MVP honors on Monday, the league announced on its Web site. James was to receive the award in the high school gym where he first made his name.

James received 109 of a possible 121 first-place votes to easily outdistance Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. James totaled 1,172 points in balloting by media members in the U.S. and Canada.

Bryant, last year's winner, got two first-place votes and finished with 698 points. Miami guard Dwyane Wade was third with 680 points and was named first on seven ballots. Orlando center Dwight Howard (328) was fourth followed by New Orleans guard Chris Paul (192).

NBA playoff picture clearing up

There’s a pretty good chance that the current top eight teams in each conference will be the same 16 teams that make the playoffs. According to John Hollinger’s playoff odds, the Charlotte Bobcats have a 4.5% chance and the Indiana Pacers have a 1.1% chance to earn a spot. The Bobcats are four games back of the Bulls and the Pistons with five games to play, so they essentially have to win out or go 4-1 and hope either Chicago or Detroit has a complete meltdown. The Pacers are five games back, so their margin for error is even slimmer.

In the West, the Suns’ recent play (2-4 over their last six) has whittled their playoff chances down to 1.2%. Last night’s game in Dallas was pretty much a must-win, but the Suns lost by 24 points. There is a logjam amongst the likely playoff teams in the West; #3 San Antonio and #8 Dallas are separated by just 3.5 games, so we could see a serious shuffling of playoff matchups over the last week of the season.

NBA 2009 Official Trailor

This official trailer has just been released by 2K Sports and shows a tonne of in-game footage. Showcasing Lebrons’ new and improved signature shot, Kobe’s dunks in traffic and even Jamal Crawfords signature style, this is the trailer the fans have been waiting for. You can view the low resolution video below, or check out the high resolution version right here.