It's not aesthetically pleasing basketball

He's impossible to match up against, a prolific scorer, a phenomenal passer, a tenacious defender...you name it, he's got it. This should be more of a knock on the Cavs coaching staff than LeBron, but it still reflects on him.Watch the Cavs for the first three quarters in any game They move the ball beautifully. They set each other up for open jump shots, back door cuts, and clear paths to the hoop. And James is the catalyst.But in the fourth quarter (this year it's been worse than ever), all of that stops Mo, Parker, Moon & Gibson stand at the three-point line.

Shaq, Z, and Hickson camp in the middle (Varejao is the only one that moves with a purpose) Everyone stares at LeBron and waits for him to go 1-on-5 And he obliges.And again, this isn't all his fault He needs help from his coaches and teammates. He'll settle for jump shots against smaller defenders instead of taking them to the post. He throws his body around when he does drive to the hoop, looking for bailout fouls. It's not aesthetically pleasing basketball.Second, and this is more nitpicking from a basketball perfectionist, but the Cavs just don't seem to be having as much fun this year.

Last year they seemingly had the perfect balance between good-natured fun (especially before games) and focusing on the court (let's face it, they beat up on most teams).This year, they just seem tightly wound; I can't quite put my finger on it, but their overall body language suggests that they're not having much fun (and they're not playing that great as well) Again, this isn't all on LeBron. But as the leader of this team, it reflects back on him.Bottom line: I think LeBron James is the best player in the NBA and I hold him to much higher standards than every other player (aside from Kobe). He hasn't quite fulfilled them yet, so I couldn't in good conscious give him the MVP.I hope in four months I'm singing a different tune.. Stats: 18.1 pts, 11.4 ast (1), 3.0 reb, 53.2 FG percentage (19career-high), 94.3 FT percentage (1career-high), 44.3 three-pt percentage (10)Steve Nash defies the laws of time. This year is no exception.The casual basketball fan won't appreciate Nash's skills.

The die-hard fan loves how easy he makes the game for his teammates.It's the simple things about Nash's game that I love. Like how everytime he drives baseline to the hoop, he always keeps his dribble alive, circles back toward the top of the key and finds an open man. Or how he can whip a pass across the court when he sees help-side defense hedging on a pick-and-roll.The fact that the Suns are 18-10 is testament to Nash's leadership and playmaking ability. I'm confident that if you take Nash off this team and replaced him with Kobe, LeBron, Dirk, Wade, or anyone else, this team wouldn't be as good Nash makes the Suns.The only reason I can't put him at No 1 is because he's such a defensive liability But it's a close, close race..