NBA mid season awards

Half way through a shortened NBA season, some players are making more noise than others.
Here are my top 5 MVP candidates of the first half of this season.
#5: Tony Parker
Many of you may be surprised with this choice, but lets take a look at the Spurs season thus far. The Spurs rank 2nd in the Western Conference behind the Thunder, and without Parker this wouldn't be possible. The Spurs were said to be old and beat up. With Time Duncan on the down side of his career and Manu Ginobli getting hurt for a majority of this season, the Spurs have relied heavily on their veteran point guard to lead them. He has averaged 25 points in the month of February while the Spurs held the league's longest win streak of the NBA season at 11 games.

#4: Kobe Bryant
Not much to say here. The Lakers are getting old and everyone knows it. They don't have a point guard and no one on there bench can give Kobe a break when needed. Averaging 29 points a game at 33 years old and keeping his team in the middle to upper pack in the Western Conference, this guy always belongs in the MVP conversation

#3: Lebron James
The Heat are probably the favorites to win the NBA Championship right now, and they show no signs of letting up on the gas. Lebron continues to be the leagues overall best player, playing with more confidence than ever. He is third in scoring this year behind Kobe and Kevin Durant and has showed he is the best player in Miami. He fits the definition of giving the award to the best player on the best team and half way through the Heat are certainly the NBA's best team.

#2: Chris Paul
Lob City wouldn't be possible without the best point guard in the league and with the season he is having, Chris Paul deserves that recognition. Paul took that team from only highlight reels to potential Western Conference Champs. All the talk seems to go back to Blake Griffin, but the Clippers will go as far as Paul will take him. Without Paul, the Clippers are an average team that would probably miss out on the playoffs again. Averaging over 18 points, 8 assists and 2 steals a game, Paul may take the MVP award if the Clippers make a run at the top seed in the West.

#1: Kevin Durant
How can you ignore the scoring machine Kevin Durant has become, not to mention his team is in first place in the Western Conference. Durant has shown he can score in a variety of ways this season and is virtually one of the hardest players to guard in the league. He is second in the league in scoring and averages almost 9 rebounds a game. Not to bad for a player who is only 23 years old.