The 3 Best Seasons of LeBron James' NBA Career

3. Miami Heat, 2011-12

In 2011, in his second season with the Miami Heat, LeBron earned a league-leading nERD of 23.7. That led the next-closest player, Chris Paul, by a margin of 4.4.

In that season, his ninth in the league, James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 37.5 minutes a game. He shot 53.1% from the floor and was particularly effective from inside three feet, finishing the year 75.8% from that area of the floor. He led the league in two-point field goals (567) and ranked ninth in effective field goal percentage (55.4%).

By converting with such efficiency from the floor, James accounted for .298 win shares per 48 minutes and a total of 14.5 win shares on a player efficiency rating (PER) of 30.7. But, the buck didn't stop on the offensive end.

Defensively, the 2011 season was probably the best defensive year James has ever had. With the help of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and an emphasis on defense in Miami, he posted a career-best 97 defensive rating -- one of only two times he's ended a year with a rating below 100 points allowed per 100 possessions. He added 1.9 steals to his contributions while totaling 4.5 defensive win shares.

On the back of the league's MVP (LeBron's third of his career), the Heat went 46-20 in the lockout-shortened campaign and made a run to the Finals, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder by a count of 4-1. LeBron took home his first Finals MVP in putting up 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the Finals.