Curry shot 44.3 percent from 3-point range, and set a record for 3-pointers made in a season with 286. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player.
The NBA announced Monday that Curry is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as league’s MVP for the 2014-15 season.
Curry is the second player in Warriors history to be named MVP — and the first in the team’s West Coast Era (since 1962-63) — joining Wilt Chamberlain, who earned the honor as a rookie with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959-60.
Curry, 27, led the Warriors to a franchise-record and NBA-best 67 wins this season (67-15, .817) and helped the Warriors capture their first Pacific Division title since 1975-76. Golden State is just the 10th team in NBA history to win 67 games in a single season.
In 80 games (all starts), the sixth-year player posted averages of 23.8 points (sixth in the NBA), 7.7 assists (sixth), 4.3 rebounds and 2.04 steals (fourth) in 32.7 minutes, the fewest minutes played by an MVP in league history. The 6-foot-3 Curry led the league in 3-point field goals for a third consecutive season, hitting 286 threes to break his own NBA-record for single-season 3-pointers, and ranked third in 3-point percentage (.443) while leading the league in free-throw percentage (.914).
Curry totaled 1,198 points, including 100 of 130 first-place votes, from a panel of 129 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, as well as the Kia MVP fan vote on NBA.com.
Rounding out the top five in the voting were Houston Rockets guard James Harden (936 points, 25 first-place votes), Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (552 points, five first-place votes), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (352 points) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (203 points).
One of the most prolific shooters in NBA history, Curry hit a 3-pointer in all but one of his 80 games in 2014-15, including each of his last 73 contests, giving him at least one three in 148 of his last 149 regular-season games. With season highs of 51 points and 10 3-pointers on Feb. 4 against Dallas, Curry became the only player in league history to register multiple games with at least 50 points and 10 3-pointers (also Feb. 27, 2013 at New York).
Curry receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the NBA’s first commissioner, who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963.
Curry had 22 points and seven assists as the Warriors beat Memphis 101-86 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday.
After the game, Curry was asked about the prospect of winning the MVP trophy.
“I honestly have no idea,” he said. “It’s obviously just in the middle of a playoff series, it’s hard to kind of separate yourself with other things that may or may not happen.
“Obviously I know what the situation is, and just trying to focus on the game. And if I get a call … I’ll definitely be happy, and there will be a lot of people that can be proud of that moment, as well, and we’ll enjoy it. But right now I’m happy we won Game 1. I’ll wake up tomorrow a fresh new day, and we’ll see what happens.?”
