Naming the league's MVP was never all that hard. It was the guy who scored a bajillion points, like Allen Iverson in 2000-01. Or the one whose overall stats were unimpeachable, like Kevin Garnett in '03-04. Or simply the world's best player, like LeBron James in '09-10 ... '11-12 ... and '12-13. Then this season happened, with an MVP race so crowded it's like the stage at an Iowa primary debate. There was Anthony Davis, the big man with the guard's fluidity. Chris Paul, overcoming the 15-game loss of the NBA's best 4. Russell Westbrook, proving that a high-usage iso player can still dominate. James Harden, exploiting a glitch in the NBA matrix that lets him travel without "traveling." Stephen Curry, redefining the art of playmaking. And LeBron, offering a brand of genius so expected, it's all but ignored. Each man, at different times, dominated the season in his own way. To choose the most valuable of these most valuable players-ahead of the NBA's official announcement -- we broke down each mini epoch of greatness.

Dates of domination

We scoured game logs to determine the statistical peaks for the top six MVP candidates. The one with the longest elite stretch? Our pick to win the award.

Anthony Davis

12.2.14-12.31.14 -- 16 games

So it wasn't enough that Davis could dribble, catch uncatchable lobs and block shots with Stretch Armstrong reach-now The Brow had to flaunt a feathery jumper too? In December, which began with a 25-point, 10-rebound, 4-assist, 6-steal, 4-block line in a win over the Thunder, Davis shot a ridiculous 52 percent from midrange. And while the spot-up J represents his evolution, he also ranked in the 98th percentile in transition points per possession and in the 85th as the roll man off pick-and-rolls this season. Midrange, fast-break and half-court dominance? Check, check and check. And with a late-December 22/12/3/2/5 line against the Spurs, AD assumed the MVP-race pole position.

Top Five December Player Efficiency Ratings

Had Davis maintained his 31.0 PER for the whole season (and he nearly did, ending the 2015 season at 30.81), he would've been just the fourth player in NBA history to eclipse a 31 PER. The others? Wilt, Michael and LeBron.

LeBron James

01.15.15-02.05.15 -- 11 games

Let's be honest: If MVP were solely about on-court production, LeBron would win every year. Though the four-time MVP's '14-15 line-25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists-is comparable with his other (equally absurd) MVP years, he's past the point where straight output captures his limitless power. Consider: After pushing for (and getting) a longer All-Star break, James took his own break in January as the flounder- ing Cavs reshuffled their roster. During that hiatus, they acquired Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov. Then James returned, and after a loss to the Suns, 12 straight wins ensued. Out with Dion Waiters, in with title contention. LeBron the GM? That guy's almost as valuable as LeBron the player.

The NBA's best net rating

Points per 100 possessions minus points allowed per 100 possessions. Easy math! And, for this stretch, no player was more dominant than The King.

Chris Paul

02.7.15-03.13.15 -- 15 games

It was during this stretch, with Blake Griffin injured, that CP3 proved his most valuableness, averaging 20.5 points and 12 assists on 50.8 percent shooting and, most important, unleashing center DeAndre Jordan's pick-and-roll game with pass after incisive pass. In the post-hand-check era, Paul, the NBA's top ball handler in pick-and-roll offense at 0.97 points per possession, exploits spaces in the pick-and-roll to maximal efficiency. It's like watching a child prodigy mercilessly crush villages with a remote-control tank. Over this stretch, Jordan, who can't dribble, pass or shoot, claimed 14.9 points on 67.5 percent shooting, and the Griffin-less Clips posted a 9-6 record that would prove crucial to their No. 3 playoff seed.

CP3 vs. Russell Westbrook

For this 15-game stretch, Chris Paul not only shot better than the offense-minded Westbrook, he was a better playmaker too.

Russell Westbrook

02.26.15-03.20.15 -- 11 games

In an era in which isolation play has given way to a collectivist attack, Westbrook's ball dominance (hello, usage rate!) was a throwback. Ever since Tom Thibodeau's defenses popularized flooding the strong side, hero ball has been compromised, meaning his battering-ram attack shouldn't have worked against modern D's. But it did. OKC posted a fourth-best 109.3 ORtg during this stretch, which began with a Westbrook triple-double in Phoenix (39/14/11; 49 percent usage rate) and ended with a March 20 triple-double against Atlanta (36/10/14; 38 percent). Through it all, Westbrook averaged an Oscar Robertson-esque 35.1 points, 10.6 assists and 10.4 rebounds per game. And, oh yeah, he literally broke his face.

Top five players in usage rate

Usually high-usage doesn't translate to high efficiency (Hello, Melo!). But for these 11 games, Westbrook averaged an unbelievable 35/10/11 line. The Big O would be proud.

James Harden

03.1.15-03.30.15 -- 15 games

Harden's game? Get to the rim, get to the line and crush from 3. And he was silly good at all three this season, averaging the NBA's most points off drives (8.0), most FT per game (10.2) and second-most pull-up 3s (1.4). Then The Beard went full-on beast mode in March, with 15 games of elite offense in which he never once shot above 50 percent. How'd he do it? He maximized his two favorite tricks: one, the "gather step," stepping as he grips the ball, allowing three paces without traveling (if you say so); and two, a now-signature move of extending the ball instead of protecting it, yielding a slap-fight's worth of reach-in fouls. The result: a career-high 26.7 PER,a league-high 16.4 win shares and a predicted MVP runner-up status to ...

Top five in percentage of team free throws made

Getting to the free throw line is a tremendously efficient offensive strategy. Even better? Making 'em! And no player shot more, and made more, in March than Harden.

Stephen Curry

02.20.15-04.15.15 -- 29 games

... This guy! Why? Because he simply shoots better off the dribble than most anyone shoots wide open. Defensive schemes, you see, have long operated under the belief that players can't shoot well off the dribble, so when a big sets a screen, defenders typically chase the ball handler as the defending big slinks back to the paint. That's a death wish against Curry, who shoots 42 percent on 3s off the dribble, which forces bigs to step out and another defender to rotate, opening one of the corners. Easy game! From the All-Star break to season's end, Curry made 41 more 3s than anyone else and at an NBA-high percentage (51.7), leading the Dubs to an NBA-best 25-4 record. Best player? Best team? We spell that M-V-P.

Post-All-Star Game threes made and attempted

Stephen Curry attempted an absurd eight threes per game after the break. More ridiculous? He made 4.3.