All-Star MVP

If LeBron James isn't already the best basketball player on the planet, he soon will be.
You can have Kobe Bryant and his scoring. You can take aging Shaquille O'Neal and his size. I'll even give you Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett with their lethal around-the-basket games.
Me, I'll take the guy who lifted a jaded Eastern Conference all-star team to victory almost by himself Sunday night, winning the first-ever all-star MVP by a Cleveland Cavalier.
You thought LeBron had to carry the Cavs on his back? Try a collection of the best players in an NBA conference.
The East trailed by as many as 21 late in the first half. Veterans like Allen Iverson and Shaq looked like they were playing at half-speed, perfectly willing to let the West run away and hand the MVP trophy to Houston hometown hero Tracy McGrady.
But not LeBron.
In an exhibition game long ago deemed meaningless by the basketball-viewing public, LeBron took control like it was the deciding game of a playoff series. Much like he does with his Cleveland mates, he sparked a competitive fire among his East teammates, driving, passing, shooting and playing with the combination of talent and exuberance that is becoming LeBron's calling card.
The hunger to win on the big stage, I think, is something stoked by LeBron's lousy experience in the 2004 Olympics. He sat on the bench while a largely-unmotivated USA team backed into a bronze medal.
Armed with a starting gig on Sunday, LeBron set about proving that when the game is on the line, you want him on the floor, because he wants to win. Olympics, All-Star Game, regular season, playoffs, it all counts.
Like I've been harping on for months, this is what clutch is all about. It's not about game-winning shots necessarily. It's about doing whatever it takes to win with the clock winding down. LeBron manages to do that without being selfish like Bryant or a taskmaster like Michael Jordan. He's ferociously competitive and still personable enough for his teammates to like him.
At 21, LeBron is the youngest MVP in the history of the the NBA All-Star Game. More MVPs, all-star and otherwise, almost certainly await him. Special doesn't come close to defining this guy.