Frail ankles, porous defense and an inability to finish at the rim are all criticisms that have dogged Stephen Curry throughout his NBA career. The Golden State Warriors star halted his detractors once and for all in 2014-15 and will reportedly be named the league's Most Valuable Player for his troubles.
The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the award winner has not been made public.
Curry, whose Warriors had the league's best record in the regular season (67-15) and are up 1-0 on the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals, averaged 23.8 points (47% overall, 44% from three-point range), 7.7 assists, and two steals per game.
While the specifics of the vote are not yet known, Curry was widely expected to be in a close race with the Houston Rockets' James Harden. Curry becomes just the second Warriors player to be named MVP, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60).
Curry, 27, beat out Houston Rockets guard James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul.
Perhaps the NBA's most skilled shooter, Curry broke his own NBA record for three-pointers in a season (286) en route to averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game. The Warriors also won a franchise-record 67 games, blitzing a competitive Western Conference with one of the best point differentials in league history.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Curry's season is this: Despite the Warriors' gaudy point differential, they were somehow outscored during the minutes Curry spent on the bench. In the 2,615 minutes he spent on the floor, Golden State outscored its opponents by 16.6 points per 100 possessions; in the 1,331 minutes he was on the bench, that point differential flipped to minus-1.2.
While impressive on/off numbers are nothing new for Curry—for years now, the Warriors offense has tended to fall off whenever he sits—the big difference has come on the defensive end. Formerly a sieve who had to be hidden on most nights, Curry gained the trust of head coach Steve Kerr this year to defend opposing point guards.
The trust paid off, with Curry setting a career high in defensive win shares and generally evolving into an average all-around defender.
"He has become a much smarter defender," teammate Draymond Green told Sam Amick of USA Today. "He gets a lot more deflections. He pressures the ball a lot more than he ever has. He comes up with steals, and they're not just playing-the-passing-lane steals. It's getting a deflection, it's taking the big, it's all those things. He's just been phenomenal, man."
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