尽管用了整整12年，但科比最终还是会当选NBA的最有价值球员，洛杉矶时报清楚这一点。
Sources familiar with the outcome who were not authorized to speak publicly about the award until the official announcement from the league said Commissioner David Stern will be in Los Angeles next week to present the trophy to Bryant.
尽管有一些声音说这个奖项不会被授予给在公众前乱讲话的球员，但当官方消息说联盟的总裁大卫斯特恩将在下周亲临洛杉矶把奖项颁给科比时，这些声音显得如此不堪一击。
The award, selected by NBA writers and broadcasters, figured to go to either Bryant or New Orleans guard Chris Paul, who guided the Hornets to second place in the Western Conference in the regular season.
这个奖项是由NBA的评论员和广播员选出来的，数据显示最有竞争力的是科比和来自新奥尔良的后卫保罗，保罗这个赛季带领黄蜂队在常规赛取得了西部第二的成绩。
Bryant's season capped a massive turnaround from a tumultuous off-season in which he asked to be traded.
科比的这个赛季和夏天喧嚣着要求被交易的情况来了个180度大转弯。
The Lakers went from shaky preseason forecasts to winning the top spot in the West, finishing 57-25 in one of the most grueling regular-season races in league history. The Lakers then swept Denver in the first round of the playoffs, with Bryant averaging 33.5 points a game in the series, although the votes had already been cast by then.
湖人也和赛季前预测的完全不同，他们以57胜25负的联盟惊人战绩站稳了常规赛西部第一的宝座。湖人在季后赛第一轮横扫掘金队，在季后赛的4场比赛中，科比场均33.5分，虽然那时投票已经结束了。
Bryant, 29, lost a little in the scoring column during the regular season, falling from 31.6 points a game last season to 28.3 during the 2007-08 season, but his defense was notably better and he averaged 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists, numbers that were tied for the second- and fourth-best outputs of his career.
29岁的科比，这个赛季的得分比以往少了一点，从上个赛季场均31.6分降到了这个赛季场均28.3分，但他的防守比以往更出色，而他这个赛季的场均篮板为6.3个个，场均助攻为5.4个，分别排在他职业生涯的第二和第四。
He also deferred to teammates much more than in the last few seasons and rarely forced his will on games, a trait that saddled him in the past.
而且他这个赛季和队友的配合比前几个赛季也默契了好多，他不再像过去一样强打。
Despite his explosive on-court ability, Bryant never engendered much MVP support until this season. He was third in the voting last season, fourth two seasons ago, and did not receive a vote three years ago when the Lakers failed to make the playoffs.
虽然科比每个赛季在场上都有惊人的能力，但直到这个赛季科比才获得最高的MVP呼声。在去年的投票中他排在第三，前年排第四，三年前由于没有将球队带进季后赛，他没有获得选票。
He was fifth when the Lakers last advanced to the NBA Finals, in 2003-04.
在上次湖人打入总决赛（03到04赛季），科比的MVP选票排在第五。
As the 2007-08 regular season wound down, Bryant spoke about the MVP award.
在07到08赛季常规赛结束后，科比发表了他对MVP的看法。
"MVP nowadays is not an individual award," he said last month. "You really have to make your teammates better and elevate your ballclub. For me to be nominated in that race is a tremendous honor because that's really been one of the criticisms that people have had of me, is how well do I make my teammates better. From that standpoint, I feel like I've already won."
“现在的MVP已不是一个个人的奖项，”科比上个月说道。“你得真正的把你的队友变得更强，而且自己也要打得好。对于我来说，能被提名就是就是个很大的荣誉，因为在这么多批评者中还有人支持我，我已经使我的队有变得更好，从这一点来说，我已经获得了这个奖项。”
The Lakers usually let the fortunes of their players rest on their own achievements, but the team took the added step of creating a Bryant-for-MVP campaign by sending material to NBA writers around the league.
湖人通常都会让球员凭他们自己能力和运气去获得奖项，但这次在科比的MVP竞选中，湖人给联盟的许多评论员都寄去了材料。
The concept mimicked an old-style political election campaign and consisted of bumper stickers, campaign buttons, red suspenders and a letter from "campaign manager" Jerry Buss, who urged writers to vote for Bryant.
这份材料有点像老式的政治选举，包含一个棍子，选举按钮，一根红带子和一封来自“选举经理”巴斯的信，在信里他说服评论员选科比。
It might have lent a helping hand, although Bryant's season-long play ultimately had the final say.
这样做或许有点用，虽然科比这个赛季的绝佳表现已经表明他是MVP的不二人选。
Bryant is the fourth Laker to win the MVP award. Shaquille O'Neal won in 2000, Magic Johnson won three times, the last in 1990, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the MVP three times as a Laker, the last time in 1980.
