To the utter amazement of all, Paul was not only ready for prime time in the West race in his third season, he was neck-and-neck in the MVP race with Bryant.

• 最让人惊讶的是，尚处于第三个赛季的保罗不仅已经进入了职业生涯的黄金阶段，而且在MVP的评选上也与科比不相上下。