Stephen Curry will be named NBA's most valuable player

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be named the NBA's most valuable player on Monday, according to a person familiar with the outcome of the media vote.

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.

"He's our MVP," fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson said in April, per Sekou Smith of NBA.com, "and he should be for the league because he does it on a nightly basis and he's at his best at crunch time."

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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Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Results: Floyd Mayweather outpaces Manny Pacquiao to seize decision win

The fight of the century came and went, and in the end, nothing changed. Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao to stay unbeaten on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV, seizing control of the latter stages of the fight to claim a unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards.

Judges Burt Clements and Glenn Feldman scored the contest 116-112, while judge Dave Moretti scored it 118-110, all in favor of Mayweather. According to MMAFighting.com scored the bout 117-111 for Mayweather.

"He's a hell of a fighter," Mayweather said afterward of the rival he struggled to come to terms with for over half a decade. "I take my hat off to Manny Pacquiao. Now I see why he's one of the guys who is at the pinnacle of the sport of boxing."

In a fight that will likely go down as the most lucrative combat sports event ever, Mayweather battled through an unusually shaky start to seize momentum and gain control of the scorecards from round seven onwards. Pacquiao wanted to make it the contest a dogfight, and he did so early with some success, stalking Mayweather into the ropes and unloading his trademark punching flurries while cutting off the ring to great effect. The punching totals for both fighters were virtually identical by the start of the eighth round, but then Mayweather took over.

Led behind his jab, "Money" proved once again why he's the greatest defensive fighter of our era, lulling Pacquiao's offense into a standstill and outlanding the legendarily aggressive Filipino by a mark of 148 to 81 by the fight's end.

"I knew he was going to push me," Mayweather said. "I knew he was going to win some rounds. He had moments in the fight, but I kept him on the outside. I was the smarter fighter. I outboxed him."

Pacquiao (57-6-2), for his part, believed he won the fight, claiming that Mayweather "did nothing" and was largely running away throughout the contest. The judges disagreed though, and according to official fight statistics, Pacquiao landed double-digit punch totals just three times over the course of 12 rounds, with Mayweather's movement and defense proving too stifling for Pacquiao to overcome.

Mayweather (48-0) now moves into the final fight of the massively lucrative contract he signed in 2013 with Showtime. And with Rocky Marciano's hallowed mark of 49-0 within sight, the next time we see "Money" Mayweather may very well be the last.

"My last fight is in September, then it's time for me to hang it up," he said. "I'm almost 40 years old. I've been in the sport 19 years, I've been world champion 18 years. I'm truly thankful and I'm blessed."

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BREAKING NEWS: Tiger Woods, Lindsey Vonn have ended their relationship

Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn are no longer together. Woods and Vonn both issued similar statements on Sunday confirming the end of their three-year relationship.

"Lindsey and I have mutually decided to stop dating," said Woods on his website. "I have great admiration, respect and love for Lindsey and I'll always cherish our time together. She has been amazing with Sam and Charlie and my entire family.

"Unfortunately, we lead very hectic lives and are both competing in demanding sports. It's difficult to spend time together."

Vonn shared the news on Facebook.

"After nearly three years together, Tiger and I have mutually decided to end our relationship," Vonn said.

"I will always cherish the memories that we’ve created together. Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart. I will always admire and respect Tiger. He and his beautiful family will always hold a special place in my heart."

Vonn, 30, and Woods, 39, made their relationship public in March 2013. Vonn appeared at the Masters with Woods and his children, Sam and Charlie, including during his first appearance in the Masters Par-3 Contest in 11 years.

Woods finished T-17 at the Masters and has announced a full summer schedule, including next week's Players Championship, which he won the last time he played in the event in 2013.

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