The 2014-15 NBA MVP Rankings (March 8-March 15)

Who is in the best position to win the 2014-15 NBA MVP?

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Complex Original

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If you're a fan of basketball—or any sport, really—then it's hard not to enjoy what's been happening in the NBA during the 2014-15 season. Title contenders are aplenty as the Western Conference continues to resemble not a dogfight, but a dog battle royale composed solely of Mastiffs and Great Danes. In the East, the rejuvenation of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Atlanta's team-first ethos has made for entertaining theatre all season long. 

But more than anything, the most enjoyable facet of the year has been the race for the MVP award. There are at least five legitimate candidates who can lay claim to the title this year, each offering their own style of brilliance on the court. Is it Russell Westbrook, who devours baskets and floor space like a hardwood Cthulhu? Perhaps it's Steph Curry, the NBA's own Mr. Wizard. Or, if you've been paying attention to the league's newest up-and-comer, then who could resist Anthony Davis

These men and others have made our shortlist for the 2014-15 NBA MVP. But who is No. 1 on our list of candidates? As the regular season comes to a close, we'll check in every Sunday to let you know who is making the strongest case for this year's award. Find out the leader of the pack as of March 15, 2015.

8. LeBron James

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At this point, voter fatigue is always the topic at hand when we talk about LeBron James' possible candidacy as the next NBA MVP. Having won the award four times, there's a certain legitimacy to that concern. When you've effectively been voted as the greatest basketball player on the face of the planet four different times, then you're no longer contending with just the players around you, you're always competing against yourself. Is 2014-15 LeBron as good as, say, the 2008-09 LeBron who won his first award? What about the 2011-12 LeBron who led the Heat to the NBA championship? Jay-Z's awe notwithstanding, that is.

This season, however, that argument may not even matter. 2014-15 LeBron is putting up a 26.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 7.3 APG line right now—a great set of numbers that is unfortunately rivaled or bettered by James Harden and Russell Westbrook. And while he's been instrumental in transforming the Cavaliers into title contenders, it's hard to argue that he's more or less valuable to Cleveland than Westbrook is to Oklahoma City, Harden is to Houston, or Anthony Davis is to New Orleans. All of those teams would be completely different without their respective stars, too. When LeBron doesn't end up winning this year's award, don't blame him for failing to live up to his ghost, or the voters for getting misty-eyed about his past. Instead, we may just need to realize that the King has been legitimately dethroned. 

7. James Harden

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Love him or hate him, you're not going to stop James Harden from getting his. With Dwight Howard sidelined since January, Harden has kept Houston humming along to the tune of a 12-8 record in his absence, including a gutsy victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 1. Without the Beard running the show, Houston is looking at one, long losing streak, but thanks to the second-leading scorer in the NBA, they're firmly in the race among the Western Conference's best. 

If there's anything that will keep Harden from winning the NBA MVP, it's style points. Save his shot to LeBron's junk two weeks ago, Harden doesn't have the week-in, week-out highlight material that we get from guys like James, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. Yeah, he's got a nice Euro step, but, like, what else?

For the most part, Harden just makes shots like it's nobody's business. There's a definite charm to his particular brand of madcap efficiency, but in terms of pure excitement has Harden done anything this season even close to what Russell Westbrook does on a nightly basis? 

6. Anthony Davis

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Anthony Davis has been one of the best players in the NBA this season, and will be one of the best players in the NBA for years to come. He won't be winning the Most Valuable Player award this season, but consider the fact that Davis is only 22-years-old, and then you'll realize that he's got a long career ahead of him to start picking up the trophies and hardware that are associated with a player of his caliber. 

I'm 22-years-old, and I feel like I'm in a pretty good place because my job is to write on the Internet—instead of, say, posting up in my mom's basement and scheming up ways to pay off my student loans. Davis, on the other hand, is currently posting a line of 24.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.8 BPG, and 1.4 APG. He is working with a robotic sort of efficiency, if the robot's settings were dialed to, "Murder Everything in Sight." 


If I'm doing "pretty good" at 22, then, by my standards, Davis is trending towards another plane of existence. 

5. Steph Curry

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He may not be ranked No. 1 this week, but the NBA MVP award still feels like Steph Curry's to lose. Curry has been the most reliably dazzling player all season, and Golden State's record has been equally consistent, as the Warriors have positioned themselves as best team in the tougher half of the league, seemingly on-track to bully their way into the Finals. In terms of a traditional MVP narrative (i.e. the best player on the best team), Curry is a shoo-in. 

To say that Curry wins based on convention alone is a disservice to his talents, though. The man is turning into a walking highlight reel, whipping off passes that seem impossible when you watch them the first time, and then become simply marvelous the second and third (and fourth and fifth) times. His handle may be second to Kyrie's out of anyone in the league, but Curry is undoubtedly the best when it comes to getting his shot off. If there is space to shoot, Curry will hoist and hit. 

Curry has been great in the past couple seasons, but the 2014-15 campaign has seen him elevate his game to the sort of genius we saw from great point guards like Pete Maravich and Isiah Thomas. At the end of the season, an addition to his trophy case would not be out of order for Curry. 

4. Russell Westbrook

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In the past couple weeks, Westbrook has been more hurricane than human, a machine capable of racking off triple-doubles seemingly at will. Putting the team on his motherfucking back after Kevin Durant went down with his latest injury, Westbrook has been on the warpath to not only keep his team afloat, but to get what is rightfully his. 

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Westbrook plays with a terrifying level of energy. Imagine coming to your job with as much passion as Westbrook does when he hits the court. Obviously, you and I have never dunked like Russ does, but have we ever done anything in our workplace that could be considered equivalent to what he accomplishes on this play? 

2.

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Yeah, me neither. 

However, fair or not, what may end up keeping Westbrook from winning the deserved hardware is his team. Without KD, the Thunder have been 7-4, which is good, but not good enough to keep them in the top-eight of the Western Conference. As a member of a good but not great team, making the MVP case will be hard enough for Westbrook. If the Thunder fail to make the playoffs, then he may as well kiss that thing goodbye.

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