Durant's PIE: 20.7% | More Durant stats

Durant collected his fourth scoring title in just seven NBA seasons and averaged 30 or more points against 20 of the league's 30 teams. Let that sink in for a moment ... and then ask yourself if there is any doubt that earned his place atop this list. Not only did Durant take his game to another level this season, an extremely difficult task when you're already playing at an otherworldly elite level, he did it without his partner in basketball crime, Russell Westbrook, in uniform for nearly half the season. Durant put together a masterful all around season, averaging a career-high 32 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, 39 percent from deep and 87 percent from the free throw line to go along with 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists ... MVP!

LeBron's PIE: 20.0% | More James stats

LeBron rested for the final two games of the season, a move that was long overdue for a player who toted an enormous load for a fourth straight season in Miami. Did he do enough to earn a fifth MVP? Plenty of folks would argue yes. Any guy who goes for 27.1 ppg on 57 percent shooting from the floor, 38 percent from deep, while adding 6.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists doesn't have to take a backseat to anyone ... except for this season. LeBron was one half of the most spirited MVP tug-of-war in recent years. He held up his end in the fashion you'd expect from the greatest player on the planet.

Griffin's PIE: 16.2% | More Griffin stats

Blake's season-long climb up the superstar food chain was arguably the most impressive performance of any player in the league, and that includes the two men who finished ahead of him here. In an environment where you're either getting better or worse daily, Griffin continued to rise with every outing. His scoring average jumped from 18 ppg to 24.1 ppg and his rebounds from 8.3 to 9.5. Most important, though, was his improvement at the free throw line (66 percent last season to 72 percent this season). Then there's the obvious change in his comfort level facing the basket and either putting the ball on the floor and/or facing up and shooting a mid-range jumper. He's the complete package now.

Noah's PIE: 15.6% | More stats

The premier big man in basketball this season, Noah's combination of skills, energy, effort and raw emotion served as the perfect elixir in Chicago after Derrick Rose was lost for another season. Noah had his best statistical season in points (12.6), rebounds (11.3), assists (5.4) and steals (1.2) while also averaging 1.5 bpg. Noah is the heart and soul of a top-four team in the East that, with injuries and attrition included, had no business achieving what it did this season. Any All-NBA ballot that does not have Noah listed as the first or second team center should be thrown out. Noah's greatest effect on the game wasn't measured in statistics. Oh, and he's also the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Aldridge's PIE: 15.5% | More stats

Aldridge made the transition from All-Star to MVP candidate is one of the true surprise stories of the season. Not much was expected of his Trail Blazers, who were among the top teams in the entire league through the season's first three months. They stumbled after the All-Star break and when Aldridge went down with a back injury, but promptly resumed their impressive play when he returned. Aldridge asserted himself on the boards this season, averaging a career-high 11.1 rpg to go along with his career-high 23.2 ppg and career-high tying 2.6 apg. His length and ability to face up and stretch his game out to 19-feet makes him a matchup nightmare on most every night. The Houston Rockets will soon find this out in the first round of the playoffs.

Harden's PIE: 15.6% | More Harden stats

Is anyone still wondering if Harden is a No. 1 option on an elite team? You'd think not after the season he put together leading the Rockets to a top-four finish in the rugged West. Harden led the Rockets with a 25.4 ppg, a career-high 6.1 apg and 4.7 rpg. There isn't a shooting guard in the league who put together a better individual season under the circumstances. And Harden did so with the added pressure that came with the Rockets' hyped offseason acquisition of Dwight Howard. How the Rockets fare in the postseason, including that tough first round challenge against the Portland Trail Blazers, will be telling. But he's clearly earned his way onto any list of the top players in the league.

Jefferson's PIE: 17.0% | More Jefferson stats

Jefferson's impact on Charlotte is proof that the so-called experts need to take a step back when grading the free-agency moves of players in the summer. Most experts were convinced that Jefferson joining the Bobcats was no big deal. They couldn't have been more wrong. He led the Bobcats' resurgence by being the league's most dominant low-post scorer for much of this season. His work after his All-Star snubbing (24.5 ppg on 53 percent shooting, 11.4 rpg and 2.2 apg) was truly a revelation for a player who dominated the competition at his position consistently. Jefferson's improvement on defensive, courtesy of the scheme devised by first-year coach Steve Clifford, forced us all to look at Big Al in a totally different light. He's the anchor for a playoff team that few people saw coming.

Curry's PIE: 16.3% | More Curry stats

An argument could be made for Curry's inclusion on the All-NBA first team at one of the guard spots, ahead of a Who's Who of choices at the position. All he did was average career highs in points (24) and assists (8.5) while maintaining his position as one of the most diabolical shooters that the league has ever seen. Curry and his Splash Brothers partner, Klay Thompson, were every bit of the dynamic duo they were billed to be this season as scorers. Curry's work at the point, however, makes his role even more critical for the Warriors. The scariest part for the rest of the league is that Curry is just scratching the surface of the player he can become as he improves his decision making and defense. There isn't much more you could ask for him as an offensive weapon.

Duncan's PIE: 15.4% | More Duncan stats

Father Time won't claim the twilight of Duncan's career the way he has some of his future Hall of Fame peers. The Spurs' seemingly ageless wonder turned in yet another unbelievable season for a player who has been at this longer than many of the league's stars have been dribbling a basketball. Duncan, in his 17th season, averaged 15.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 3.0 apg while playing close to 30 minutes a night. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did a masterful job managing Duncan's minutes and making sure the backbone of the franchise will enter the playoffs rested and sharp enough to (hopefully) lead the Spurs on the franchise's first back-to-back Finals trips in team history. No one has been as consistently brilliant (and healthy) for this long since perhaps Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Dragic's PIE: 13.4% | More Dragic stats

Dragic and the Suns just narrowly missed the playoffs, but that doesn't mean "The Dragon" doesn't belong here. If he's not a lock for the Kia Most Improved Player award, he's certainly among the candidates for one of the six All-NBA guard spots. He averaged a career-high 20.3 ppg to go along with his 5.9 apg, 3.2 rpg and 1.4 spg and was spectacular with Eric Bledsoe in and out of the lineup all season. The Suns wouldn't have been in the playoff mix without Dragic's relentless work, which included staggering consistency (he averaged an identical 20.3 points on 50 percent or better shooting before and after the All-Star break) from a player who had previously not exhibited that.