Warriors’ Steph Curry Proclaims Himself NBA MVP

Steph Curry isn’t mincing words about who he believes deserves the honor of NBA MVP come the season’s end.

The Golden State Warriors point guard appeared on “The Rex Chapman Show” Thursday, April 21. When the program’s namesake inquired of Curry whether he thought he was the league’s most valuable player, the two-time winner of the award did not hold back.

“I mean, I gotta be. I gotta be,” Curry said. “I probably won’t get it, but whatever.”

Chapman and company balked at Curry’s dismissiveness regarding the likelihood that he will claim his third MVP trophy.

“I like to be dramatic sometimes,” Curry responded, “so I’m just setting the table.”

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Curry’s Recent Tear Has Vaulted Him Into MVP Consideration

Over an 11-game stretch that ended Wednesday, April 21, Curry shot his way into the MVP conversation while shooting the Warriors into the league’s new play-in tournament, an extension of the traditional playoffs.

The All-Star capped his unthinkable run in a road victory Monday night over the Philadelphia 76ers. Curry poured in 49 points, scoring more than 30 for the 11th consecutive game. The tear is a record for NBA players 33 years and older. The previous holder of that record? Kobe Bryant.

Curry has dropped 40 or more points in eight contests already this year, five of which have come in April, another record he recently swiped from the likes of Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Curry has also hit 10 or more three-point shots in a single game six different times this season alone. No other NBA player has more than five such games over the course of an entire career.

And to top it off, the streak has edged Curry ahead of Washington Wizard Bradley Beal in the race to see who will lead the league in scoring, per ESPN.com.

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Curry’s Competition for NBA MVP

The discussion swirling around the MVP this year has been unique in that so many different players have held the upper hand at one point or another. Analysts Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe said that at the All-Star Break, 76ers big man Joel Embiid was the definitive leader in the MVP conversation. Then he got hurt.

All the dominoes next appeared to line up for four-time MVP Award winner Lebron James before Solomon Hill collided with him during a game in March. The subsequent high-ankle sprain he sustained sidelined both James and his chances at hoisting a fifth MVP trophy.

James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets was a name being bandied about despite his unceremonious exit from the Houston Rockets. Untimely injury quickly put that discussion to bed, as well.

The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is the current betting favorite to win the award, according to BetMGM. The gambling website had set Jokic’s odds at -300 as of Tuesday, which remains a wide lead. Embiid has re-entered the conversation after missing 10 games due to injury and lays claim to the second-best odds at +250.

Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is having essentially the same season that won him the award each of the last two years. But despite the specific classification of the MVP as a regular-season award, prominent members of the NBA media have noted the Milwaukee Bucks’ postseason failures as the reason Antetokounmpo won’t win for the third year in a row. He was, however, the third-best bet to capture the award as of April 20 at +1200.

Curry was sitting in fourth place in the race the same day, though the odds on who will win something like an MVP Award are liable to fluctuate drastically and almost daily. The Warriors still have 13 games remaining in the COVID-abbreviated regular season, meaning Curry still has time left to shoot himself all the way to the top.

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