The Start of the 2016 NBA season is just around the corner. We have witnessed some major moves in the off-season. The Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and the Golden State Warriors all have signed a top player from free agency. Clearly, the most talked about move in the off-season has to be Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors. Everybody is talking about Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and how elite their team is, and you should because they are. What team can beat them? LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers barely got by last year in the NBA finals. The Warriors took them boys to the edge and back again. Now, you mean to tell me they added Kevin Durant? So what does this mean for Stephen Curry?
A big question that no one is asking right now is, will Stephen curry continue his reign as MVP? Can the "Babyface Assassin" win three NBA MVP awards? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Steph says he doesn't care about anything else besides winning an NBA championship. That's cool and all. That's what a team player is supposed to say. "It's not about me, it's about the team." Tell that to Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. They wanted to be the best player every year. That's how you win rings. Having that killer mentality and demanding the ball because it's your team. You don't sign a major shoe deal because you're a role player.There are a few reasons why winning MVP is a priority: His fans for one, big endorsement deals, and being a legend.
Let's look at the facts. There is only a hand full of players that have won the NBA MVP award three times in a row. We're talking about elite players. A special group of men that "beast" out every single year. In this elite group of players, you only have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. Four, only four. That's right, Stephen Curry could join that elite group of Hall of Fame players. This is his chance to separate himself from every player who's ever played the game of basketball. Even LeBron James, the "King" hasn't won three in a row. Yes, he did win four MVPs. He's won two in a row, twice. Something like that should tell you how difficult it is to win that third one.
The number three is considered the magic number. Let's put it like this, Superheroes are offered three tests before completing a challenge. The third test is always the hardest. When heroes overcome their third test, they become super, a god, or a legend. There are 324,000,000 million people in the world and only four have won the NBA MVP award three times in a row. Basically, you have to be a superhero to achieve something like that.
Stephen Curry has three tests of his own. His first test will be Kevin Durant. Durant is the last player to win the MVP award before Steph. Say what, the last player before Curry was, KD? That's right, buddy. The Golden State Warriors have two current players that have won league MVPs one after the other (2013/2014 and 2014/2015). The only other team to accomplish that are the 1956/1957 and 1957/1958 Boston Celtics with Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. Durant did get hurt the following year, which opened the door for Curry. He's back now and looking out for himself. Just ask Russell Westbrook.
Last Year Kevin Durant averaged the third most points in the NBA (28.2 PTS). He also averaged 19 shots per game. That's a lot, but not to a guy who shot over 50 percent from the field. Stephen Curry on the other hand was the top scorer in the league with 30.1 PPG and averaged 20.2 attempts per contest. The Golden State Warriors as a team averaged 87.3 shots per game last season. We're almost at the halfway mark and only mentioned KD. What does this mean? Curry will have to either shoot a higher percentage or demand the ball more. Remember, KD scored 30 or more points in 12 straight games. He can go off at any moment. If KD gets hot, man. Don't think players won't feed him the rock. Please, KD will bring the ball up the court and take you off the dribble. For what it's worth, Kevin Durant might win the MVP award this year.
Mr. Thompson, my main man Klay. Would you believe he averaged only 22.1 PPG? I thought Klay was in the 25 point range. Steph did bust 30 a game, so it's cool. What about this year? Klay Thompson wants to shine like the rest of them. Do you think he beat Curry in the three-point contest over All-Star weekend for fun? If you believe he did, then you would be unbelievable. Secretly, Klay has something to prove and there are a few people that will agree. He's on a team full of superstars for one. He's probably at home right now thinking, man, we got Durant. *Sigh. I'm going to get mines regardless. Yeah, right. Last year he averaged 17.5 shot attempts per game. Definitely, not seeing that this year. Curry has to eat and you know Durant is going to get his. Thompson said it himself.
Stephen Curry last test will be, Draymond Green. I hear you, Draymond only averaged 14 PPG last season. The point is Green is hard headed. He wants to take Instagram pictures of himself like a crazy man. You should know he'll be a problem. Dude has issues. You would figure Draymond will do all of the dirty work. Of course, he will. He also averaged 7.4 APG and 9.5 RPG. Let me break it down for you. He's dishing out 14.8 PPG to somebody. Who's getting those points? Whoever is hot? Whoever is open? Whoever he's mad at is not getting it, you can bet that. Curry might have to tell Green to pass him the rock five times out of his nine rebounds per game.
What are the chances of Curry winning the NBA MVP again? I would say he as a 50 percent chance. You have to be 50/50 on this one. The season could belong to Curry, Durant, Green or Thompson this year. The fans keep players alive. Stephen Curry has a shoe to sell and more commercials to shoot. This guy has to remain a top three player in the NBA. If you can't argue with your buddy about Steph being a better player than LeBron James or Russell Westbrook. Who cares about your shoes? If you're not in the conversation. Who cares about your commercial? Curry has to maintain his image and keep people loving him. At this point, being selfish during the season might not be a bad idea. Even if Kevin Durant came over during free agency. The Golden State Warriors could go to the NBA finals with just Durant, Thompson and Green. They would be that good... with or without Curry.
