The voting for the NBA's MVP for the 2011-2012 season has concluded and Miami Heat forward LeBron James has been given the award for the third time in four season. The news does not come as much of a surprise -- many felt he would win and a story from the Associated Press on Friday confirmed the news -- although it is a done deal now.
James is now just one of eight players to win the MVP award three times. He is the only one in that group to not have a championship ring.
Kevin Durant of the Thunder finished in a distant second place. Chris Paul finished in third after a spectacular debut season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Kobe Bryant finished fourth despite battling injuries throughout the season. Veteran point guard Tony Parker of the Spurs finished in fifth place.
With game seven looming for both Bryant and Paul, it's tough to imagine either of them being too disappointed about not winning MVP. It would have been another nice piece of hardware to add to their trophy display at home, but their focus has to be on their upcoming games at this point.
For more on Bryant and the Lakers, check out Silver Screen and Roll. For more on Paul and the Clippers, head on over to Clippers Nation.