Second Candidate - Steph Curry

Where to start with this guy? How about with his season shot chart?

(LOL sorry I couldn't help myself! Click here for his actual shot chart)

As you can see in the linked shot chart there is a lot of green!! In fact the area of the floor where he isn't so great is in the paint! Heres a quick glance at his numbers for the season.

24 PPG - Sixth in NBA on 49/44/91 shooting
4.3 RPG
7.7 APG - Sixth
2 Steals and 3 turnovers
3rd in the league with a 28.13 P.E.R

As you would expect from an MVP candidate his numbers are pretty damn nice!

But what sets him apart from Westbrook and Harden (who I will cover tomorrow) is his efficiency! When you consider that teams game plan defensively around Curry and focus so much attention on him, shooting pretty close to 50% from the floor and 44% (second in the league) from 3 is unbelievable. People on the Westbrook and/or Harden bandwagons can obviously argue that they get the same amount of defensive attention, and they are right. But lets be honest, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, Curry looks like he is still in high school! He doesn't have the athleticism/explosiveness of Westbrook or the size/strength of Harden! He may not have the physical tools the others have but as Stephen A. Smith would say "This dude can boogie on anybody and pull up from 30!!!!" He has quite possibly the best handle in the game combined with a quick release, he needs just a millimetre of space to get that shot off and when he gets in one of those grooves where every shot he jacks up goes in, opponents just have to pray he misses.

On top of all that Golden State have just ran away with the western conference! At 65-15 they have a ten game lead over the second place San Antonio Spurs and thats pretty remarkable considering how tough the west is. Some would argue that the Warriors are a very deep team and Curry has a better supporting cast, therefore Westbrook and Harden are more 'valuable' since they have to do more for there teams to be successful. While those people may be right, there is absolutely no doubt that Curry is the engine that makes them go, he's their go to guy and their leader.

Plus is there anyone more entertaining in the NBA than Curry? I don't think there is.

AP