Kobe Bryant won the regular-season MVP, but Paul Pierce took home the MVP of the NBA Finals and his Celtics won the title. (NBA Entertainment/Getty Images)

Ask any basketball expert who they think is the best player in the NBA and three names consistently show up: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Chris Paul. Bryant is the reigning most valuable player of the regular season and has three championship rings on his resume. LeBron James and CP3 don’t have championship rings, but both are breathing down Bryant’s neck and are chomping at bit. Who joins the Big Three in the Fab Five list?

OneManFastbreak.net rates the five best players in the NBA (rankings will change from year to year):

5) TIM DUNCAN: I consider the “Big Fundamental” the greatest power forward in the history of the NBA. Period. Timmy D is the most skilled post player in the world and is the biggest reason why the Spurs have four NBA championships. Because Duncan almost always requires a double team, it allows guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to play one-on-one basketball. What Duncan does defensively is what separates him from old-school guys like Kevin McHale and Karl Malone. Duncan is one of the best, if not the best, help defender. Year in and year out, the Spurs boast one of the top defenses in the league and it is all because of Duncan’s ability to protect the paint and funnel everything towards the sideline. Some believe that Duncan is past his prime and have been lapped by younger big men such as Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard. However, last time I checked, Yao, Amare and D-Howard don’t own championship rings and two of them have never been to a conference finals. The Big Fundamental’s numbers may be down, but he still impacts the game in a huge way.

4) PAUL PIERCE: The pride of Inglewood High School has never come close to winning a regular-season most valuable player award and his name is never mentioned whenever the MVP debate shows up. But Pierce should be recognized as one of the top players in the world. Why? I say, “Why not!” He’s the MVP of the NBA Finals, which should carry more weight than any other MVP award. Steve Nash won MVP twice, but has never been to the Finals. Dirk Nowitzki, another MVP holder, got to the Finals in 2006 but lost. Last season, Pierce’s outplayed LeBron in the Eastern Conference semifinals and outplayed Kobe in the NBA Finals. How many superstars can claim that they knocked out arguably the two best players in the world in the same playoffs? P-squared did it and his Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champs and he’s the reigning NBA Finals MVP. Kevin Garnett may be the heart of the Celtics, but Pierce is the soul. When the Celtics needed a basket, Coach Doc Rivers called Pierce’s number. When the Celtics needed to shut down LeBron or Kobe, Coach Rivers called on Pierce. He has delivered in the clutch and it’s about time we recognize him as a top-tier player. If not, he’s gonna go “gangsta” on you!

3) CHRIS PAUL: CP3 is the modern-day Isiah Thomas. He has the ability to get to the rim going to his right as well as his left without losing any speed and throws one of the prettiest alley-hoop passes I’ve ever seen since Sherman Douglas. The lightning-quick all-star guard has not only displaced Steve Nash as the best point guard in the league, but he has become the most dominant player under 6-foot-1 the league has seen since Zeek (that’s Isiah Thomas for those who don’t know). Byron Scott should thank Paul for saving his job, which was on the ropes three years ago. CP3 has single-handedly changed the whole culture in New Orleans. Paul and center Tyson Chandler have perfected the pick-and-loob play and his ability to regularly get into the paint compresses the defense and allows shooters like Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson open looks. Paul’s Hornets are getting closer and closer into becoming an elite team. Last year, the Hornets took the San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals. Now with the addition of James Posey, one of the best role players in the Association, the Hornets are of a handful of teams with a legit shot at winning the NBA title.

2) LeBRON JAMES: I’ve always believed that if LeBron James ever got that second option, that all-star type player who can take some of the pressure off  LeBron, the Cavaliers easily becomes the best team in the NBA. That’s how good James is. He’s like a one-man army. He can carry a team all by himself. He has done it throughout his young career. He led the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2007 despite playing with a rookie point guard, an injury-prone center, average power forwards and a coach who doesn’t know a thing about offense. Last season, James posted 30-7-7 numbers. Michael Jordan averaged 30 points a game but never more than seven rebounds or seven assists a game. Magic Johnson has averaged seven rebounds and more than seven assists throughout his career but never came close to averaging 30 points. LeBron is an inch shorter than Magic (6-8) but is almost as heavy as Karl Malone (265 pounds). He’s a power forward playing guard. He can play all five positions. If someone chiseled the perfect NBA body, LeBron James is it.

1) KOBE BRYANT: He calls himself “The Black Mamba” for being able to strike with amazing percision in a matter of seconds. The Black Mamba owns three championship rings, an Olympic gold medal and his No. 24 jersey is No. 1 around the world. Only Duncan has more championship rings. The only thing missing on Bryant’s wish list is winning an NBA title without Shaquille O’Neal. He fell one game short last year. This season, he gets Andrew Bynum back and the Lakers should be heavy favorite in the West. Statistically, Bryant is comparable to Chris Paul and LeBron James. You can argue any of those three as the MVP. However, what separates Kobe from the majority of the league of superstars is his ability to make big shots. He is the game’s ultimate closer. When the U.S. Olympic team (a squad loaded with 12 all-stars) needed a basket in the gold-medal game against Spain, Coach K called Kobe’s number. Bryant’s mid-range game is what separates him from Chris Paul and LeBron James. Only Paul Pierce comes the closest to matching Bryant’s mid-range game and fourth-quarter heroics. SI.com polled NBA players last season on who is the most feared player in the league. Nearly one-third of them voted for KB24.

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