Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, front right, reacts beside Stephen Curry and co-owner Peter Guber, second from left, as the Warriors championship banner is revealed during an awards ceremony to recognize the Warriors’ NBA championship prior to a basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, in Oakland, Calif. At right is Warriors coach Steve Kerr. (Ben Margot/AP)
The reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry won co-player of the week yesterday after several stat-stuffing performances in the Warriors’ first three games of the 2015 season.
The “Splash Brother” has been lighting up the hardwood this year in pursuit of his second NBA championship. Curry scored 40 points and added seven assists and six rebounds in Golden State’s opening day 111-95 win over the New Orleans Pelicans last Tuesday.
Curry then traveled to Houston on Oct. 30 to face last year’s MVP runner-up James Harden. Curry got the best of Harden once again, escaping Texas with a 20-point victory while tallying 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Curry closed out his first week back with an even bigger game against the Pelicans on Saturday. He dropped 53 this time, which brought him to a total of 93 points in two games against Anthony Davis’ young defense. The MVP scored 28 of his 53 points in the third quarter, splashing eight three-pointers in the contest.
It is pretty obvious Curry has taken the league by storm this year, and shows no signs of slowing down. He leads the league in scoring at 39.3 ppg., while shooting nearly 59 percent from the field, and 48 percent from beyond the arc. These stats are simply mind-blowing. Also, keep in mind he is shooting free throws at a 95 percent clip.
So will Curry be able to do it again? Can he win the league’s most valuable player award while also bringing home back-to-back titles to Oakland? The answer is not as simple as you might think.
The West is stacked once again this year. The Spurs are back in contention thanks to the LaMarcus Aldridge summer signing. Oklahoma City is also in the hunt due to the return of Kevin Durant, and of course you cannot forget about the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have built up a solid resume in the regular season the past couple years. They have been waiting for that break-out post-season year. This could be their year as well.
So there are roughly four or five teams that could win the Western Conference crown. It is obviously a lot more competitive than the Eastern Conference. The East is basically “Lebron and the Bulls.”
Curry’s chances of repeating as MVP are a lot higher than him repeating as a champion. However, Golden State’s front office did an excellent job keeping their roster together by resigning Draymond Green to a five-
I have the Warriors losing in the NBA Finals to the Cavaliers in seven games, but injuries can impact any prediction. Nothing is really for sure. The only real thing that is for sure is Stephen Curry is playing like a man on a mission.
Eddie Leonard is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He tweets @EddieLeonard23.