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LeBron James leads Stein's Eastern Conference MVP race

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You've heard us make numerous references to the 19 straight days early in the season that DeMar DeRozan led the league in scoring.

You've surely deduced by now that we have an ever-deepening case of Kristaps Porzingis fever.

You've also followed along for long enough to figure out that we've most assuredly developed quite a thing for Giannis Antetokounmpo, too. (Ditto for All-Lefty teamer Isaiah Thomas).

But let's not get cray cray.

LeBron James is essentially running unopposed if we break the annual Most Valuable Player race down to conferences.

I'm highly skeptical of LeBron's chances to hoist the actual Maurice Podoloff Trophy he openly lusts to win for the fifth time. Such are the ridiculous numbers coming on a nightly basis from Russell Westbrook and James Harden James Harden that James is likely sitting third at best in the real-life MVP standings at the moment ... numbers so preposterous that Kevin Durant and two-time reigning MVP Steph Curry are struggling to get a sniff here so far.

On his side of the conference divide, however, King James lords over everyone by miles.

Yes, sir. Miles with an s.

Despite flirting with a career low in field-goal attempts per game (17.8), James has quickly passed Hakeem Olajuwon and Elvin Hayes on the all-time scoring list and will soon move beyond No. 8 Moses Malone.

He's also averaging a career high in assists per game (9.0) and ensured that the Cleveland Cavaliers needn't worry about a championship hangover, leading them to a 9-1 start that ranks as the best launch we've ever witnessed from a LeBron James team.

Best of all? In three meetings already with the closest thing Cleveland has to a rival in the conference, James has powered the Cavs to a perfect mark of 3-0 against the Toronto Raptors, averaging 27.7 points, 9.7 assists and 8.3 rebounds in those season-series-clinching wins.

Despite the presence of fellow All-Star-caliber talents in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, James also happens to be leading his team in total points and total assists for the 14th time in his 14 pro seasons. Oscar Robertson (10 times in 14 seasons) and Kobe Bryant (10 times in 20 seasons) are the closest in the league history to Bron's pace.

So, yeah, this was the long-winded way of saying there's not much of a conversation to have here ... with apologies to Toronto's DeRozan, Milwaukee's Greek Freak, Boston's Thomas and Charlotte's Kemba Walker).