Warriors' Stephen Curry named 2014-15 MVP
Steph Curry is the MVP.
With 100 votes for 1st place, and 1,198 total points, the Golden State Warriors point guard has been named the league's Most Valuable Player.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden took second place in voting with 25 first-place votes, 87 second-place, and 936 total points, while Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James rounded out the list at third place.
| Player / Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Curry / Golden State | 100 | 26 | 3 | - | 1 | 1 198 |
| James Harden / Houston | 25 | 87 | 13 | 4 | - | 936 |
| LeBron James / Cleveland | 5 | 12 | 62 | 32 | 12 | 552 |
| Russell Westbrook / Oklahoma City | - | 5 | 33 | 41 | 29 | 352 |
| Anthony Davis / New Orleans | - | - | 9 | 35 | 53 | 203 |
| Chris Paul / L.A. Clippers | - | - | 10 | 15 | 29 | 124 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge / Portland | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Marc Gasol / Memphis | - | - | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| Blake Griffin / L.A. Clippers | - | - | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| Tim Duncan / San Antonio | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Kawhi Leonard / San Antonio | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Klay Thompson / Golden State | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 |
Curry's teammate Draymond Green took to Twitter to break the news on Sunday night with a Drake-inspired T-shirt.
@Money23Green knows.. pic.twitter.com/IcnD98sKxj
— Trillest | 3God (@CMTrey5) May 4, 2015
The Warriors went a league-best 67-15 under Curry, becoming just the 11th team to record 67 or more wins. Curry came into his own as a superstar this season, averaging 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and two steals in just 32.7 minutes per game for a PER of 28.1.
Curry topped the league in steals, 3-pointers made and posted the best free-throw percentage at 91.4 percent. He also set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a season, breaking his own record from 2013-14.
While Curry had the benefit of playing on a stacked roster with superstar teammates, the Warriors fell apart when Curry took to the bench.
Golden State was 17.8 points per 100 possessions worse with Curry out, most of which came on offense. Golden State posted an offensive rating of 116.6 with Curry on the court and 102.3 when he sat, representing the difference between a historically-elite offense and a league-average attack.
Nevertheless, the decision to crown Curry means candidates like James Harden, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James have been snubbed. A comparison of their statistics is below:
| Statistic | Curry | Harden | James | Westbrook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPG | 23.8 | 27.4 | 25.3 | 28.1 |
| RPG | 4.3 | 5.7 | 6 | 7.3 |
| APG | 7.7 | 7 | 7.4 | 8.6 |
| TS% | 63.8 | 60.5 | 57.7 | 53.6 |
| PER | 28 | 26.7 | 25.9 | 29.1 |
| GP | 80 | 81 | 69 | 67 |
Statistics and accomplishments aside, Curry certainly held the edge in terms of entertainment value. Curry treated fans to 80 games of dazzling performances, chock full of incredible ball handling, fancy passing, and sublime shooting.
Curry joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only two Warriors to be named MVP. Chamberlain averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game in his rookie season in 1959-60 as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors.