Tony Phillip Rouhana
Connector Contributor

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is the NBA’s highest regular season honor. Each year, only one player is carefully selected for the award.

Although that award may not indicate who the actual best player is at all times, it is an honorable milestone in any player’s career and a testament to that player’s legacy and ability.

There is no doubt that for the past two calendar years, LeBron James has been the best player in the NBA. Nicknamed “King James,” the Miami Heat’s superstar has been nothing short of king-like.

Suffering from controversial media coverage and decision making over the years, (sorry, Cleveland) James has taken extreme measures to attempt to portray himself as a loving family man, father and husband, perhaps in order to earn back some of the respect from the people that hated him for his character.

As far as basketball fans go, though, the mere opportunity to “witness” his greatness is a delight not to be taken for granted.

However, a fallen hero known for high character and basketball excellence has reemerged after his teammate went down.

That hero is Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant.  Durant has averaged over 30 points per game over his last 12 games, rapidly approaching one of the greatest players of all time, Kobe Bryant’s, 16 consecutive game streak of scoring 30 points or more.

In addition to that, Durant has solidified his place in the MVP race after defeating the “King” on his home court on National television, scoring, yet again, over 30 points. Perhaps the most incredible thing about his hot streak has been his field goal percentage, averaging over 50 percent per game.

The hot streak is not the only thing defining Durant’s season, as he has averaged 31.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists, compared to James’ stat line of 26.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists.  Both of these players are great in their own ways, but Kevin Durant has clearly been the better and more efficient player this season.

Will his performance continue when his notoriously known ball hogging teammate Russell Westbrook returns?  That is the question that remains to be answered.

Kevin Durant will probably win the MVP, but in my opinion, the real winner this season is Indiana Pacers’ emerging superstar Paul George. George has managed to elevate this season, now averaging 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. In addition to his individual stat sheet, he has carried his team to an NBA best 35-9, as opposed to Miami’s 32-13 and Oklahoma City’s 37-10 record.

The MVP is one debate, but the NBA Finals MVP is another discussion that Paul George may very well