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NBA Player Power Rankings: Damian Lillard for MVP?

By Maxwell Ogden

Feb 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard finished the game with 34 points. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard finished the game with 34 points. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome back from the 2016 NBA All-Star Break! In one short week, Damian Lillard has forced the Association to ask a very important question: is he an MVP candidate?

Feb 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard finished the game with 34 points. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard finished the game with 34 points. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

With the passing of the 2016 NBA All-Star Break, the strength and vigor of the world’s elite will be put to the test. Teams are pushing to make the postseason, players are making a final case for prestigious awards and honors, and legacies are being reshaped with every passing day.

The question is, who will rise to the occasion with the pressure mounting?

The air is becoming thinner for the league’s elite, as the race for MVP becomes more exclusive and the pursuit of glory is both further and more within reach than ever before. The grace period for inconsistency has passed, and the time for stars to be stars is upon us.

That’s better news for some than others.

Some have already begun to use the 2016 NBA All-Star Break as a way to rest and recuperate from a brutal first half of the season. Others have come out of the gates struggling, thus opening the door for others to pass them in the Player Power Rankings.

The question is, who are the best of the best entering this final stretch? Moreover, who can catch Stephen Curry in the race for MVP?

Next: The Slashing Star