Stephen Curry has just been announced as one of the Western Conference All-Star starters, and it's nearly impossible to argue that he isn't the MVP frontrunner at this stage of the season.
Will Curry hold on and win his first career MVP award? Here are five reasons why it's going to happen:
5. He's finally shaken the 'injury-prone' label
*knocks on wood*
Warriors fans have blocked out many of the painful memories, but there was a time when it felt like Curry couldn't go two weeks without spraining an ankle. While that reputation followed him for a while, he started 78 games in 2012-13 and 2013-14, and he's played in all 40 of Golden State's contests so far this year. If Curry stays healthy, the biggest threat to his MVP campaign is a non-factor.
4. None of his competition can get an edge on the rest
Ask ten people who the #2 MVP contender is behind Curry, and you might get 10 different answers. James Harden has been phenomenal for the Rockets this year...but they're 5th in the West and lost four of four to Curry's team in embarrassing fashion. Kevin Durant is on fire...but he already missed a good chunk of the season, and his team isn't even in the playoffs if the season ends today. Memphis, Chicago, Atlanta and Toronto don't have a definitive superstar who would obviously be their guy, and LeBron James and the Cavs still haven't found their groove.
Unless a player like James, Harden, or Durant can emerge from the pack in the second half of the season, Curry can win this thing in a landslide.
3. He's marketable, charismatic, and well-liked
No one likes to talk about it, but the MVP award definitely takes popularity into account. Remember 2005-06, when fan favorite Steve Nash beat out post-Colorado Kobe Bryant even though Kobe had just finished arguably his best NBA season? Kobe averaged more than 35 points that year! 35!
Curry won't have that problem. His jersey is the league's second-best seller behind LeBron's, and even though Golden State doesn't have a history of marketing their stars well league-wide (see Richardson, Jason), the new regime understands their superstar's marketing power and they're making the most of it. Public opinion plays a very real role in determining the league MVP, and right now, that opinion is on Curry's side.
2. He can shoot even better than he already has
Curry's three-point percentage for the season didn't break .400 until Wednesday's game against Houston, and that should be very, very scary for Golden State's competition. Curry has a career three-point percentage of .435, and he finished above .450 twice already...so there's a strong possibility that as the season goes on, the NBA's best shooter will see his shooting percentage continue to improve. Lock your doors and windows.
1. He's the best player on the best team, and that won't change.
Everyone defines their personal MVP a little differently, but the most common criteria is simple: it should go to the best player on the league's best team.
Curry is the best player on the Warriors, and that isn't even an argument - as good as his supporting cast is, they know they're a supporting cast. Right now, there's also no debate that they're the best team - they have a league-best 34-6 record, and that's happening in the uber-competitive Western Conference. While plenty of things can change between now and April, the degree of Golden State's dominance (only seven teams EVER have had a point differential above 10, and theirs is at 11.8) makes it very unlikely that someone else will be able to sneak in and steal the crown.
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