Stephen Curry went Super Saiyan on Monday and catapulted himself back to the MVP conversation. The Golden State Warriors two-time MVP dropped another 49-point game against one of the league's top MVP candidates in Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sure enough, it isn't just a fluke. Curry has been on a crazy shooting run in the month of April, which has us (and Magic Johnson) speculating if he deserves another Maurice Podoloff trophy over Embiid and the league's leading MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
If you're still on the fence about Curry's MVP-worth season, then here are three reasons why he deserves MVP trophy No. 3.
1. Stephen Curry's Out-of-this-world stats
Let's start with the basics – statistics. The last time Stephen Curry lifted up an MVP trophy was back in the 2015-2016 season when he was named the unanimous back-to-back MVP. The 2015-16 season was a historic one, not just for the 73-9 Warriors, but also for Curry.
Aside from becoming just the 11th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVP crowns, he made history as the first-ever player to grab a unanimous vote. Curry also led the league in scoring that year and made it to the elusive 50-40-90 club. Just looking at the numbers, Curry's 2020-21 season is surprisingly better than his 2015-16 campaign.
After his most recent outburst, Curry has now outdone his MVP-self by averaging 31.4 points per game, compared to just 30.1 points per game back in 2015-16. Though his shooting numbers are down a bit (.504 compared to .491), he's been able to match his 3-point shooting average of knocking down 5.1 threes per game plus his two-point shooting is way better.
2. Most Valuable for Warriors
As we all know, MVP awards aren't solely based on data. This brings us to the second reason why Steph deserves to win this season's MVP trophy: he's been the most valuable player for his team all season. If you look at other big names that have been stealing the spotlight this season, Curry's name should be way up there in terms of how much he has affected his team's success, especially this year.
For the first time in a long time, Curry has no All-Star caliber teammates, which make his impact for the Warriors even more evident. Golden State has posted a 1-7 record in the times that Curry was sidelined this season.
Fine, you can make the argument that Jokic also doesn't have All-Star-worthy teammates. However, if you look at the numbers, The Joker has had way more help in the likes of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. If you're talking about the most valuable player for their respective team then Curry, by far, is the one.
3. Stephen Curry's Narrative
Last, but certainly not least, Curry winning his third MVP fits the narrative. Everyone in the NBA loves underdog stories and, surprisingly enough, Curry and his squad have been one of the biggest underdogs this season.
Without Klay Thompson for the second straight season and now losing their second overall pick in James Wiseman, the Warriors have been counted out way more times in these past two seasons compared to any other team in the league. This has been enough fuel to help Curry go on an insane MVP-type run this campaign.
The Warriors went from lifting their third NBA finals trophy in four years to losing the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors all the way down to having the worst record in the league last season. Now, with Curry leading the way, Golden State continues to make a run for a return to the playoffs this season.
Yes, the Warriors fighting for playoff contention might seem to derail Curry's MVP chances this season. They are currently at the ninth spot with a ticket to the play-in tournament not yet guaranteed. For those leaning on this particular tidbit, let me just remind you that Russell Westbrook won his MVP trophy with the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2016-17 even with OKC just finishing the regular season as the sixth seed.
I rest my case.