Warriors superstar Steph Curry is the reigning two-time MVP, the second of which he won by an unprecedented unanimous decision. But this season, he’s had to adjust his play to make room for Kevin Durant. He’s also currently in the throes of a merciless shooting slump. In short, he isn’t in the running for a third-straight win.
He’s well aware of that fact, so when he went on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday morning, after some gentle prodding, he reluctantly named his personal favorite to take home the Maurice Podoloff trophy this season. And it’s not who you might think:
“I’d probably say James [Harden],” Curry said. “You have to award the better team, I would think, record-wise. I’m just kinda going on the history of the MVP award. I think James would probably edge [Russell Westbrook] out just off of that.”
Patrick tried to take it a step further and ask which of the two he’d rather guard on any given night, but Curry wasn’t about to get pinned down again. Two seasons ago, Curry and Harden where neck-and-neck in the MVP race, and while Curry ended up winning the trophy, it was Harden who ultimately got the nod from his peers at the first annual Players Choice Awards.
Westbrook appears to have a narrow edge over Harden in this year’s race, thanks in no small part to his season-long statistical feat, but like Curry, voters might ultimately lean toward the Beard because of the Rockets’ overall success as a team.
