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The Mavericks reach the season's halfway mark tonight. That can only mean Dirk Nowitzki is halfway to his first and the franchise's first MVP award.

It can only mean that, of course, if all the voters think like me, but why shouldn't that be the case?

Nowitzki has developed into the all-around player who most critics thought as recently as the 2005 playoffs he would never become. Even coach Avery Johnson was hard-pressed recently to find an area in which Nowitzki needed to make significant improvement.

He's the best player on the best team in the NBA. Some voters, taking a flawed viewpoint of what makes an MVP, will vote for him simply on that basis.

It's why Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups, nowhere near a true MVP really, was in the discussion for much of last season when the Pistons owned the league's best record.

Being the best on the best is only a start for Nowitzki. In the league's efficiency ratings, he is second only to Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, who has managed to make a career of being great in this category without leading his team to anything.

Efficiency rating doesn't measure which player takes over games in the fourth quarter and which one shrinks. Nowitzki had a long stretch of games in which he failed to score 30 points this season.

That's when Josh Howard was proving himself worthy of All-Star status. But recently, the team has needed Dirk to win games. At Indiana, he had 17 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. At Toronto, he had 12 of his 38 in the fourth quarter.

Nowitzki understands his role and his responsibility. You watch the Mavericks these days, and even when Tracy McGrady is going nuts as he did Tuesday, you sense that Dirk is going to do something to make sure that this team wins.

And 32 out of the last 36 isn't bad.

Today, we examine Nowitzki and his competition for the league's MVP award.

1. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs: I thought he should have split the award last year with Cleveland's LeBron James when Steve Nash (wrongly) won for the second time. Now, Nowitzki is even better, and his team is even better.

Among the other candidates, only Nash has better field goal and 3-point percentages. And despite what his coach might complain about, Nowitzki is very efficient at getting to the foul line.

Johnson doesn't believe Nowitzki gets the proper respect. That's hard to quantify.

Nowitzki shoots a free throw for every 2.08 field goal attempts. Kobe Bryant shoots one for every 2.18. James shoots one for every 2.33. Those players drive to the basket, too.

Johnson may want more calls, but Dirk is getting it done. And, other than Nash, he's the least selfish player on this list.

2. Kobe Bryant, Lakers: His transformation is staggering. The guy who led the league in scoring at 35 a game last year but pouted when it counted in Game 7 against Phoenix is gone.

Not sure if he read Terrell Owens' highly acclaimed book, Little T Learns to Share, but that's what Kobe has done. And he has done it with the team's second-best player, Lamar Odom, missing half the season.

Kobe took over 27 shots per game last year. He's down to fewer than 20 this year but his percentage is up, assists are slightly up, and the Lakers are threatening to bust their way into the Big Three and make it a Big Four.

This is the only team that's beaten the Mavericks in the last five weeks.

A year ago, Kobe took 1,248 more shots than any other Laker. That didn't work. A more patient Bryant is turning the Lakers into a force.

3. Steve Nash, Suns: By season's end, he may be the best player on the best team. If a 32-4 run is pretty good, how's 27-2 sound?

The race between Phoenix and Dallas for best record could go to the wire.

But if it does, it means Amare Stoudemire has continued to play like a monster. And Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw are not exactly role players.

Yes, Nash makes everyone around him better. But his numbers are skewed by the Suns' HOV lane style of play. He's a joy to watch ... at one end of the floor. And he has great talent around him.

Here's hoping voters don't get carried away a third time.

4. LeBron James, Cavaliers: The best player on the best team in the worst conference in professional sports.

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

The Hornets discovered that Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki is hard to stop.

James hasn't reached Kobe's or Dirk's level of understanding how to incorporate his teammates. And he's still not much of a free throw shooter, which is a significant thing if you want the ball in the fourth quarter.

He's still a great talent and he may carry his team to the East's top seed. If he doesn't, then it will be...

5. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards: Who isn't cheering for this guy to keep it going? He has three 50-point games already, and those buzzer-beaters he's making to win games all look like the same replay.

Washington hasn't been a factor in the NBA since Elvin Hayes left town. Arenas is making Wizards games into must-see TV. His percentage is well below the others on this list, and that has to be a consideration.

But if he can hang a couple more 50s up there and lead the Wizards past the Cavs in the "B" Conference, Arenas will capture more votes.

E-mail wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com