A day after returning from injury to playoff action with an explosive performance for the Golden State Warriors, Curry swept all 131 first-place votes to earn the game’s highest individual honor for a second straight season. James was third with 631 points, while Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook (486) and Kevin Durant (147) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
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Curry, in his acceptance speech as the first unanimous MVP in National Basketball Association history, fell back on that otherworldly drive in his attempts to explain how, exactly, in less than six months, he went from a deserving victor to the author of one of the greatest seasons in the history of professional sports. He averaged an NBA-best 30.1 points per game to go with 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds. “It was a year of really just aiming to get better and to achieve what people might not have thought we deserved last year”. The passing and all of that, I think that’s his greatness: the impact of change that he’s making on the game.
Curry said he will continue to receive treatment on his knee – which he conceded was sore after the game – during the playoffs.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, Curry said he never meant to revolutionize the game, as some have said his three-point shooting skill has done. So imagine that after setting the new home run record of 73 in 2001, Barry Bonds returned the next year and blasted 41% more, or 103.
If you’re more of an advanced stats person, Curry’s 17.87 win shares rank as the 39th-best single-season total ever.
“Like a night like last night, where things might not be going our way, we find a way to get it done”.
“I looked at the list of everybody who’s won the MVP award”, Curry said, “And they’re legends”. In this case, it’s been a positive because of Steph’s incredible play and our team’s awesome consistency. I think our team has done that, every game we’ve gone out there and fought. “He’s something that we’ve never seen before”, said Allen Iverson, the 2001 MVP.
Myers, who inherited Curry when he became GM five years ago, opened up the ceremony with humor.
“I want to be remembered as somebody that worked hard, that got the most out of my potential and talent and pushed the envelope”, Curry said.
“They’re going to have more of a spotlight, and people are going to ask questions about whoever it is”.
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Wade is averaging 27.3 points in the series, and in perhaps his best groove of the season – a byproduct of work he did starting last summer when he shed weight and added flexibility.
