2015-16 NBA MVP is Steph Curry — LeBron James Questions What ‘Valuable’ Means
Stephen Curry was unanimously voted this year’s NBA MVP, and LeBron James isn’t arguing that Steph doesn’t deserve it. A multiple-time winner himself, LeBron is trying to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise’s first-ever successful NBA Championship. As the No. 1 seed from the Eastern Conference have been in rest-and-recover mode for several days, the Golden State Warriors just put the Portland Trailblazers away on Wednesday night, securing their spot in Round 3 of the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
Although James admits Curry deserves the award, he seemed to be questioning exactly how meaningful the award truly is and what it means to be the most “valuable” player in the NBA.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers won’t play again until Round 3 begins next week, when they will play the winner of the Toronto Raptors/Miami Heat series. Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors finished off their series with the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday evening, winning the series 4-1, continuing their campaign in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
Steph Curry is the NBA MVP
As King James pointed out himself, the numbers Stephen Curry put up in the 2015-16 NBA regular season were phenomenal. LeBron rattled off some of Steph’s impressive statistics, including his average of 30 points per game and his incredible shooting percentages from the free throw line, the three-point line and field goals in general. The Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games on the Season, so it’s clear who deserves the award.
Then LeBron said this:
“But when you talk about most ‘valuable’ then you can have a different conversation, so, take nothing away from him, he’s definitely deserving of that award, for sure.”
After giving the press such a vague response, James didn’t offer a clarifying statement about Curry’s award.
LeBron James: Steph Curry & Defining “Valuable”
Many analysts believe that LBJ was alluding to an argument that NBA fans and analysts have been debating since Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Anyone with any knowledge of basketball would be hard-pressed to argue any player in the NBA was more “valuable” than Michael Jordan during his prime. Even so, guys like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone were given the award over Jordan, even in years that MJ would go on to win another championship for the Windy City.
Final NBA MVP voting results:
1) Steph Curry
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) LeBron James
4) Russell Westbrook
5) Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/fBIJacdEQc— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 10, 2016
Does that mean that Charles Barkley was “more valuable” than Michael Jordan during the 1992-93 NBA Season? Even in hindsight, would any team have preferred Karl Malone on their roster during the 1996-97 or 1998-99 seasons rather than Michael Jordan? James may be hinting that he’s the league’s new Michael Jordan, while Curry’s legacy will go down more like that of Barkely or Malone.
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Stephen Curry’s New MVP Shoes
If Under Armor had any say in the matter, they would certainly take Steph Curry’s side. The company quickly sold out of a special pair of shoes being offered to honor Curry’s back-to-back NBA MVP awards. The pair includes one of each Limited Edition Curry Ones and Limited Edition Curry Twos.
Under Armour Celebrates Steph Curry's Back to Back MVP Awards on Special Shoes pic.twitter.com/z1bXbqWXnL
— ???????KOH +B (@KOH_B1107) May 12, 2016
The unique offering didn’t sell well because of any discounted pricing, either. Pre-orders for the non-identical pair of shoes were set at $400.
Where To Watch
Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals featuring San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder will be Thursday, May 12, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma. No more tickets are available for purchase directly through the venue to see the Spurs vs. Thunder live in OKC for Game 6. The Thunder-Spurs game will air on ESPN with the game scheduled to begin at 8:30 EST. The Thunder currently lead the series 3-2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuPzSTCBTUs
Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals featuring Miami Heat vs. Toronto Raptors will be Friday, May 13, at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Florida. Limited tickets are available for purchase directly through the venue to see the Heat vs. Raptors live in Miami for Game 6. The Raptors-Heat game will air on ESPN with the game scheduled to begin at 8:00 EST. The Raptors currently lead the series 3-2.
[Photo credit Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
