NBA MVP rankings: As James Harden surges, LeBron James falls out of the realistic running

Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard still lead the way, but Harden is coming

We're approaching the three-quarter mark of this shortened 2020-21 NBA regular season, and the MVP race, for my money, is on pace for a photo finish. Two names stand out at the top. We'll get to them shortly. But it's the 3-5 spots that are getting very interesting with myriad variables in play.  So let's get to it. Here's my MVP Rankings as it stands entering play on Thursday, March 31.  How one weighs advanced metrics is a personal decision, but when a guy is leading pretty much every encompassing stat in the books, it has to mean something. Nikola Jokic has been sublime all season. A chess master in the way he sees and manipulates the court. He's shooting 43 percent from 3 on over 3.5 attempts per game. The Denver Nuggets have won 12 of their last 15 and sitting in the No. 5 spot out West, exactly one-half game up on the No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers.