As far as MVP discussion, don’t forget about Curry
There were moments of anxiety at Oracle Arena on Monday night when a limping Stephen Curry headed to the locker room. It was the final minute of the first quarter, and he’d been clobbered by Denver’s Malik Beasley on a fastbreak layup try, going to the ground and straining his left knee.
Imagine everyone’s relief when Curry returned to the floor with 4:36 remaining in the first half and hit his next shot, a pretty threepointer from the right corner. One stretch of Curry-less Warriors — because of a sprained
right ankle that recently cost him 11 games — is quite enough.
It speaks to Curry’s brilliance that, despite some sloppy episodes and a first half when most of his shots weren’t falling, he still led the Warriors with 32 points in their 124-114 victory over the Nuggets. And with the season half over and Golden State posting a 33-8 record, it’s time to remind national writers starting to formulate their MVP thoughts:
Don’t leave this man out of the conversation.
This has the potential of being one of the most talkedabout votes in years, and perhaps it goes no further than Curry’s teammate, Kevin Durant. Nobody’s arguing Durant’s value to the team, to the league and to the game’s ethical standards. Durant came to Oakland looking to blend into a dominant team, and he continues to do that, destroying people with his singular skills, making a case for Defensive Player of the Year and never striking the look of a me-first, hog-the-glory type.
If the Warriors enter the MVP picture, perhaps it’s merely a case of Durant returning to the lineup soon from his right calf strain and staying there for the rest of the season. But that’s no guarantee for any NBA player with a history of injuries. One of the preseason favorites, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, recently suffered a partial tear in his left shoulder, sidelining him indefinitely, after missing 27 games with a quadriceps injury.
Then there’s Houston’s James Harden, who could miss a month or more with a hamstring injury. Just as you get the feeling the Warriors are more concerned with the team dynamic than personal accolades, Harden has been obsessed with the MVP award for years, seething behind the scenes as others take the trophy (notably Curry’s two in 2015 and ’16), and he’s losing ground at the moment.
If there’s one candidate with impeccable credentials, it’s LeBron James, who hasn’t missed a game this season and is racking up career-best numbers in many categories. How is it possible that a man could be a better player in his 15th season than he was in his 10th? Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wondered that as well before concluding that it’s absolutely true.
Could anyone steal it from the second level of the standings? Don’t count out last year’s winner, Russell Westbrook, if Oklahoma City finishes among the top four seeds in the Western Conference. Perhaps cases will be made for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan or Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler. And then there’s Kyrie Irving, who caused so much consternation when he left Cleveland but has done exactly what he promised: become an unquestioned leader in Boston and prove that he’s more than a one-on-one genius with the league’s best handle.
Curry can match numbers with anyone, and the stat people point to his worth in PER, net ratings, volume scoring, win shares and real plus-minus. Which is all very nice, but if you ask fans around the league whom they most enjoy watching, it just might be Curry. Nobody puts on a better show.
As Monday night’s third quarter drew to a close, Curry dribbled inside the halfcourt stripe with the Nuggets’ Torrey Craig rushing to gain a defensive stance. For most players, there was plenty of time. Not with Curry. He pulled up from nearly 30 feet out, hit a threepointer for a 91-77 lead, unveiled his patented shimmy and sent the fans into roaring fits of ecstasy.
“The thing with Steph, he’s never bothered by defense,” David West said after the game. ”If he’s not having a great game, he’s just missing his shots. He’s at a level where the other team doesn’t affect him.”
In truth, it hadn’t been his best game. “It was an interesting night for Steph,” Kerr said. “For anybody else, look at the box score, you’d go, man, 32 points and nine assists. But I didn’t think he played that well. He had six turnovers, and that’s too many. I didn’t think his defense was as focused as it’s been. He’s been so brilliant since he’s been back, and even on a night when he’s not at his best, he’s still dominating the game in parts. He hit the big shots that created the separation for us.”
When it comes to assessing this season’s MVP candidates, there is no separation. It’s a crowd of superstars jockeying for position. Just don’t forget the best player on the best team. That’s always a pretty strong argument.