Getty Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The regular season is over and yet the Golden State Warriors‘ Steph Curry can not seem to stop winning awards.
After a lights-out month of May that saw one of the league’s most prolific scorers drop a stat line of 36.8 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 5.6 assists per game, the NBA named Curry its Western Conference Player of the Month. He also led his team to an 8-1 record, which helped the Warriors secure the 8th seed in this year’s postseason play-in tournament.
36.8 PPG | 5.1 RPG | 5.6 APG | 8-1 record
Western Conference Player of the Month @StephenCurry30 had a magical May 📽️
The point guard also won the honor in April, becoming the first Golden State player to ever capture the Player of the Month moniker in two consecutive months.
Curry has won the award a total of nine times in his career. The next closest on the list is former Dream Team member Chris Mullin, who received the honor twice.
May Was Just Another Month For Curry Amid Historic Season
GettyGolden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry reacts after passing Wilt Chamberlain on the teams all-time scoring list during an April game against the Denver Nuggets.
Spring days in the NBA have run together for Warriors players and fans alike, connected by the thread of Curry’s unrelenting greatness. Ironically, his May does not even stack up with his prolific April.
During 15 games last month, Curry drained a record 96 three-pointers, which is 14 more than any other player has hit in a single month in NBA history (James Harden). Curry averaged 37.3 points, a half point per game more than in May, and shot nearly 52% from the field, also an improvement over his lights out pace this month of 48%.
The Warriors point guard in April became the first NBA player to ever average 35 points per game while achieving shooting splits of 50% from the field, 40% from downtown, and 90% from the free-throw line over the course of an entire month, per a report from the Mercury News.
Curry made 10 or more three-pointers in four April contests, scored more than 30 points in 13 of 15 games, put up 40+ in five games and dropped 50+ once.
Curry’s Final Two Months Have Propelled Him, Warriors to New Heights
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Curry wrapped up the NBA scoring title, his second, in the final game of the season on Sunday, May 16, with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 32 points per outing, the highest tally of his career. He made history, joining Michael Jordan as one of only two players to ever claim a scoring crown after turning 33 years old.
As for the Warriors, they find themselves in a familiar position heading into the postseason, though without many familiar faces. Curry’s greatness has pushed Golden State to the edge of its capabilities, slotting the team in 8th position in the Western Conference and setting up a showdown with longtime rival LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
James on Sunday referred to Curry as his own personal MVP, heaping praise on his career-defining rival from the Bay Area almost as relentlessly as Curry heaped points on opponents all season long.
Curry will undoubtedly need to play like an MVP to lead the Warriors to a win over the Lakers and into the 7th seed, which would result in a first-round playoff series with the Phoenix Suns.
If the Warriors should fall in LA on Wednesday, May 19, they will get one more chance to earn a playoff berth by facing the winner of a matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs. That contest will be a win-or-go-home affair, with the victor earning a first-round series against the top seed in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz.
Any hypothetical second play-in game for the Warriors would be a home game for Golden State, regardless of their eventual opponent.