NBA MVP announced

OKLAHOMA CITY -The reports have been circulating for days but now it’s official: Kevin Durant is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2013-14 season.

It marks the first MVP award for the five-time All-Star, ending a two-year run for Miami’s LeBron James.

Durant averaged career-highs with 32 points and 5.5 assists per game to go with 7.4 rebounds per outing. He shot 50.3 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from 3 and 87.3 percent from the foul line.

But perhaps even more impressive than the numbers was that he guided Oklahoma City to the second-best record in the NBA despite a flurry of injuries hampering the team throughout the year, namely the absence of fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook for long stretches.

Even with all the added pressure on his shoulders and attention from defenses, Durant still managed to lead the league in player efficiency with a 29.8 PER.

KD won the scoring title for a third time and became the first player since Allen Iverson in 2000-01 to win the scoring title and MVP in the same season.

The Thunder lost Game 1 of its Western Conference semifinal matchup against the Clippers 122-105 on Monday night. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.