Is Kevin Durant’s hold on No. 1 spot in MVP rankings slipping?

RANK	PLAYER	RUNDOWN	LAST
1		KEVIN DURANT, F, OKLAHOMA CITY: The race is a long, long way from over, Dwyane Wade said after Miami came into OKC and beat them by 18 points, assuring us all they can flip the switch any time they want. We agree with Wade, but Durant still merits the top spot for having OKC within a half-game of the top spot despite the two-game skid they bring into Cleveland tonight.	1
2		LeBRON JAMES, F, MIAMI: The price he paid for the Heat’s domination of the Bulls on Sunday was a broken nose. What’ll determine whether he hurdles Durant is what he does the rest of the season – especially in the Heat’s next two flip-the-switch games vs. the Pacers on March 26 and April 11. IMO, Heat need to win East for LBJ to win his fifth MVP in six years.	2
3		BLAKE GRIFFIN, F, LA CLIPPERS: That was a statement win Sunday in OKC, overcoming Durant’s 42. Can the Clips make another tonight against the Rockets in what Chris Bernucca rightfully called the Game of the Week? Griffin is averaging 30.7 ppg in February. And if the Clippers keep getting quality wins over the final seven weeks, the case for Blake gets stronger.	3
4		JAMES HARDEN, G, HOUSTON: This week’s biggest mover, mostly because of how awestruck he left us after scoring 22 first-quarter points (43 total) last night in Cowtown. Averaging 29 ppg this month and shooting 92(!) percent at the line for NBA’s hottest team. Can’t wait to see if he can get that February average above 30 points tonight vs. the Clippers in El Lay.	8
5		AL JEFFERSON, C, CHARLOTTE: Drops a spot but doesn’t drop two, even though Kemba Walker won POW honors, because that would diminish what he has done for this team, which could actually make the second round (as Adam Silver recoils in disgust) if Gary Neal can find his groove. Big Al is coming off a 9-point stinker going into Friday’s game at The Alamo. ‘Cats come in rested with four straight wins.	4
6		JOHN WALL, G, WASHINGTON: Yes, I run a little hot and cold on this guy (OK, a lot), dropping him out last week after having him at No. 7 previously. But here is another potential second-round candidate (Silver recoils in horror again) if Nene can recover from his sprained MCL on the announced 4-6 week timetable. Since Nov. 29, Wall has one single-digit scoring night.	–
7		DWIGHT HOWARD, C, HOUSTON: Maintains his spot after another solid week in which he attempted 21 shots and missed only 4. Averaging nearly 23 per game this month, inching his scoring average toward 20 ppg. Y’all realize that Rox have a legit shot at top spot in the West, right? Cupcake schedule awaits in April, when Spurs and Raptors are their only two above-.500 foes. Before that, they play Miami twice and Indiana once. Program your DVR now.	7
8		PAUL GEORGE, G-F, INDIANA: Funny how all eyes around the NBA are no longer on him when viewing the Pacers, but on Evan Turner as we see whether he can acclimate himself to a bench role. Solid first outing for Turner last night with 13 points. Meanwhile, George put up an efficient 20, 7 and 6 in just 28 minutes. Surprising stat: He is shooting a shade under 40 percent (.396) this month.	6
9		KEVIN LOVE, F, MINNESOTA: We now arrive at the point of the rankings where certifiable Top 10 candidates (Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Dirk Nowitzki) are getting left out. And while they are all worthy, Love has taken his game to another level recently with his first career triple-double followed by a near triple-double (one assist shy) in Tuesday’s win over Phoenix. It’s a long way to the No. 8 seed, but can’t write them off yet.	–
10		GORAN DRAGIC, G, PHOENIX: A precipitous drop after two straight losses, one to the Wolves. But again, his seasonal body of work for the West’s most surprising team earns him spot currently eluding the quartet mentioned above. I’ll say this: There are going to be a helluva lot of different names in fifth-place spots on MVP ballots. The Slovenian sensation will get his share.	5