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LeBron Hitting MVP Form

MIAMI (CBS4) - When LeBron James decided to come play for the Miami Heat, he knew there was a chance his MVP campaign could be hindered by playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

If you were on Wall Street now, James' stock is a strong buy for MVP.

James poured in 41 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, and three steals in a 117-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Coming just a week after dropping 51 points in a game; it's safe to say that LeBron is finally settling in to playing alongside Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Heat.

"It took me a little while to get here, but I'm very comfortable with this team," James said Tuesday night. "I'm very comfortable with the sets, offensively and defensively. And I'm back to playing LeBron James basketball."

For the Heat, playing LeBron James basketball is music to their ears. The last two years, LeBron has won the NBA MVP award while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs.

Since January 1, LeBron is once again turning in MVP-caliber performances. He's averaging 31 points per game during that stretch, even with D-Wade scoring 27 points per game. James is also on track to record a career-high in double-doubles this season.

Pundits around the league said there was no way that both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James could put up stellar numbers playing on the same team. Obviously, Wade and LeBron are putting that notion to rest and that's even with most teams in the league gunning to shut down the Heat above all other teams.

"Now I'm comfortable, on and off the court, and it's resulted in me playing some good basketball -- and us playing some great basketball together," James said.

And with each passing victory for the Heat, the genius of Pat Riley and Mickey Arison is truly coming to fruition. For LeBron's part, each victory and Cavaliers loss just reinforces to him that he made the right decision to bring his talents to South Beach.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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