Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News:

"He's my little man," said Iverson, a Nuggets guard who was named MVP with Philadelphia in 2000-01. ...

Iverson said it was a "good feeling" entering the record books as the shortest MVP. But now he doesn't mind if [Chris] Paul, rapidly gaining support as the Hornets continue to have the West's best record, joins him.

"I like his overall game, everything about it," Iverson said. "His team has the best record, so I'd give (the MVP) to him. He can handle the ball. He can shoot it. He can finish. He has the ball in his hands pretty much 99 percent of the time, every possession. He's starting the offense, so it's tough to deal with."

Last night there was the feeling that Denver vs. Golden State would likely decide who gets the West's eighth playoff spot. We'll see if that holds true. 

Tonight, I can't shake the feeling that the winner of Lakers vs. Hornets -- Kobe Bryant or Chris Paul -- might have the inside track on the MVP award.

Also, remember there were a lot of stories last summer about Kobe Bryant going to Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and begging to guard the other team's best player night in and night out? He did a great job of it, too, and it turned the tide for Team USA.

It's not practical for a top offensive threat like Bryant to wear himself with injuries and fouls doing that for 82 regular-season NBA games. But it sure would be fun to watch Bryant assign himself to Paul down the stretch tonight. If that happens, and it leads to a Laker win, voters would have a lot to think about.