When we talk about Magic Johnson and his playing days, it's mostly focused on how short it was, along with his numerous battles with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.

That's great and all, but what about Magic versus Magic? What about how his own seasons stack up against one another?

If you asked him today, he'd probably tell you which one was his best, all things considered. I would imagine him saying his eighth season in '86, when the Los Angeles Lakers won the title and Magic won his first MVP. But would the numbers say the same?

Using Basketball Reference and win shares per 48 minutes -- an estimate of the number of wins a player contributes per 48 minutes, the entirety of a game -- we can find the single best season of his outstanding career. By breaking it down to the length of a game, we eliminate the persuasion of volume, which in turn provides us with the answer to the question of which season was the best and most efficient of his career.

Which year comes out on top? And where do his other 12 seasons fall?