Feb 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) drives the ball past Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) during the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

And the MVP for the 2012-13 NBA season is… (drumroll) LeBron James! Not much for suspense. It was a one man show for the majority of the season. LeBron James has won his 4th MVP in the past 5 seasons and is one of few players in the NBA to win that many. He belongs in a select group with only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has six, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell, who have five, and Wilt Chamberlain, who has four.

While 25.5 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, 6.9 assists per game, 1.6 steals per game and .8 blocks per game may not quite seem like a historical benchmark, his worth is felt in other factors than those basic box score categories. He finished second in defensive player of the year voting and helped lead the Heat to the best record in the league with a remarkable 28 game winning streak. His PER (Player Efficiency Rating) will finish among the top 10 all time since the metric can be calculated in 1978. He also scored at an incredible rate, with a 64 TS%. Think about this, despite shooting increasingly more jumpshots, he still scored at a rate of 1.5 points per shot. We are seeing one of the all time great players in his prime. All I can ask is that you enjoy it while he is at this remarkable level.

The team MVP was a difficult designation but Al Horford seems like the man for this title. He averaged a double double for the entire season and was the go-to guy for the entire season. In a shifty season that saw many different players between the last two season and a multitude of different starting lineups, he was a constant force down low provide scoring punch and solid defense. He also happens to be one of the few constants going forward as the Hawks have much work to do this offseason but rest assured Horford has elevated his game into being one of the truly elite players in the NBA.

ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 20: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat reacts after an assist for a basket against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on February 20, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat led by LeBron James & Co. rallied in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks to win 103-90, extending their winning-streak to eight straight games.

A couple of fourth quarter statistics stick out as the reason why Miami was able to rally past Atlanta. So without further ado, below is the game notes from the incomparable Elias Sports Bureau.

James Dishes In The Fourth

From Elias: LeBron James handed out eight assists in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s 103-90 win at Atlanta. It was the fifth time that James recorded eight-or-more assists in a period. The first four times all took place in the first quarter. LeBron had never previously been credited with more than six assists in any fourth quarter.

Heat’s Big Fourth Quarter Turns Deficit Into Rout

From Elias: The Heat trailed the Hawks 73-63 at the end of the third quarter. But Miami outscored Atlanta 40-17 over the final 12 minutes to post a 103-90 victory at Philips Arena. The last team to win by 13+ points after trailing by double digits after three quarters was the Lakers on December 20, 2006. Los Angeles was also down by 10 points at the end of the third, but outscored the Timberwolves 34-7 in the fourth to post a 17-point win at Minnesota.

The 2012 US Olympic team had a remarkable run in London, winning by an average of over 32 points over 8 games. There were many great players including Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola of Argentina, Patty Mills of Australia, and Pau Gasol of Spain, who all averaged over 18 points per game in the July and August games. Others such as Yi Jianlian of China, Ike Diogu of Nigeria, Makrem Ben Romdhane and Salah Mejri of Tunisia, and Nene Hilario of Brazil averaged at least 8 rebounds per game. A couple of good non-American performances by Alexey Shved of Russia and Marcelinho Huertas of Brazil saw them average over 5 assists per game. However, the most dominant team of men’s basketball in the Olympics simply deserves the MVP of both the tournament as well as the gold medal game.

July 22, 2012; Barcelona, SPAIN; USA forward LeBron James (6) and Kevin Durant (5) react during the first half of an exhibition game against Argentina in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games at Palau Sant Jordi. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Last I checked, Lebron James was still far-and-away the best player on the planet, and he showed it during the 8 game run. He was in the top 3 of the USA team in minutes, points, rebounds, steals and assists, including leading the team in assists with 5.6 per game. He proved uncontainable by opposing defenses, shredding them for a .603 shooting clip and had only 1 turnover a game despite playing point forward for long stretches. Add this to his top notch defense and the (made-up) title of Olympics MVP certainly belongs to Miami Heat superstar.

In the gold medal game, Spain proved to be a comparable team, holding close for much of the game. However, Kevin Durant helped the American team pull away with a seven point victory, knocking down key threes down the stretch. He finished 5-13 from behind the arc and 9-10 from the charity stripe for 30 points and added 9 rebounds. For that, he gets the (also made-up) Gold Medal Match MVP. The top two players in the world take home prestigious Soaring Down South awards and further cement their place at the top, what’s new?