"Can we really be more than a third of the way through the season?

In the don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it post-lockout schedule, it's a fact that can't be denied. All but two teams have played at least 22 of the 66 games that make up this season's truncated regular season.

Two teams have played 26 games in the 42 days since play began on Christmas Day.

It's time, then, to take the first hard look at this season's race for NBA Most Valuable Player and determine which player was MVP of the first third.

Some candidates are evident: LeBron James, the league's scoring leader who is averaging close to a triple double; Kevin Durant, the top scorer on the team with the best record in the league; and Kobe Bryant, No. 2 in the scoring race."