Top 5 NBA players of 2014

For the first time in about eight years, LeBron James is not the easy answer to the question of who the best basketball player in the world was over the last 12 months.

That's not a knock on James, of course. He's dominated the Association for years and at 30, already has a career resume that places him among the greatest players of all time. He's also still pretty darn remarkable, but Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis had special years, and both found themselves squarely in the conversation.

Without further ado, the top five NBA players of 2014 were...

5. Chris Paul

If we did this every year, 2014 would likely be the last one in which Paul cracks the list, as younger superstars breathe down his neck.

For now, though, Paul's ability to make teammates better, his awe-inspiring passing, his ability to take care of the ball, his hyper-efficient scoring, his defense at the point of attack and his masterful running of a team keep him narrowly among the top five players of the calendar year.

4. Stephen Curry

Paul has earned the Point God moniker over the last number of years, but 2014 represented a changing of the guard at the NBA's deepest position.

That's because Stephen Curry was the NBA's best point guard in 2014.

Much like the LeBron-Durant debate in 2014, this decision wasn't so much about Paul declining as it was about Curry's rise. Steph averaged about 24 points, nine assists, four rebounds and nearly two steals per game over the calendar year, and he did it while shooting 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from deep and just under 90 percent from the free throw line, good for a year-long True Shooting Percentage of 62.4.

Curry is an offensive cheat code. Throw in his improved perimeter defense for 2014-15's best defensive team so far, and an already easy choice to have him on this list gets even easier.

3. Anthony Davis

Davis took his freak act to new heights in 2014, and if the last two months are any indication, The Brow will likely top this list a year from now.

After putting together one of the best-ever seasons for a young big man in 2013-14 and continuing his coming out party at the summer's FIBA Basketball World Cup, Davis has opened the 2014-15 season with two of the greatest months of professional basketball many of us have ever seen.

His offensive game and touch seems to improve almost nightly, his already scary defensive game is more polished, and his on-court IQ is well beyond his years.

There's almost nothing Davis can't do, and at 21 years old, he's already completed a year that saw him look like the third-best basketball player alive.

2. LeBron James

Second place is an unfamiliar spot for LeBron James. The end of the 2013-14 season was the first time in three years that he didn't win the championship, the first time in three years that he didn't take home MVP honors, the first time in six years that he didn't lead in Win Shares, and the first time in seven years that he didn't lead the league in PER.

Nevertheless, James still averaged about 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal over the 2014 calendar year, and Kevin Durant's injuries further underscored James' otherworldly durability and consistency.

He also changed the balance of power in the Eastern Conference - again.

James' defensive effort and ability have slipped, especially in the regular season, and his overall impact on the game may have declined a hair in 2014, but the year also reminded us that a LeBron in the potential early stages of decline is still better than almost anyone who's ever played the game.

1. Kevin Durant

Foot surgery and a sprained ankle have robbed him of the opportunity to really cement this No. 1 ranking, but it's tough to relive the year in basketball without remembering how historically awesome KD was.

Even with the injuries, Durant still suited up for 78 games between the regular season and playoffs in 2014, and in those 78 games he averaged 31.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, one steal and nearly a block per game.

He gave us countless memorable performances, nearly joined the exclusive 30-PER club, rightfully took the MVP award from LeBron James and then gave us the most memorable and heartfelt MVP speech of all time.

As a closing act for his banner year, Durant scored 30 points in less than 19 minutes against the NBA's best defense, just to remind us what we've been missing.

Honorable Mentions: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love