What a NBA season we have had upon us. New #1 seeds in both conferences, a lot of 3 pointers made, and a lot of high scoring games. But at the end of every season, one player stands out more than the others. This season, there were a lot of players who stood out, and I mean a lot. But only one person can win the MVP award, so we have to narrow it down. Let’s take a look at my Top 3 candidates for the MVP at season’s end.
Steph Curry
If you have checked twitter or watched SportsCenter within the past 5 months, chances are you have seen someone talking about this kid. The 26 year old playing in his 5th season has led his Golden State Warriors to a league-best 67-15 and an unbelievable 39-2 at home. Steph made an NBA-record 286 3-Pointers, beating his previous record of 272 from two years ago. Steph started 80 games for the Warriors, averaging 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, and 2.0 steals. He shot 48.7 % from the field, and 44.3% from behind the arc, which is pretty good if you ask me. As a small point guard coming out of Davidson, I don’t think anyone expected him to have a season like this.
James Harden 
Although some people are mad at the Thunder for trading away Harden back in 2012, but in the long run it may have been the best thing for James Harden’s career. Ever since he has gone to Houston Rockets (2012-2013 season was his first with the team) he has started every game he has played. This season, he played all but one game and averaged 27.4 points (2nd in the league) , 7.0 assists and 1.9 steals a game this season. He has lead his Rockets to a 56-26 record, which was good enough for a 2nd place finish in the Western Conference. The Bearded Beast seems like sometimes he can’t be stopped, but we will see once the playoffs start.
Russell Westbrook 
With his teammate and last year’s MVP Kevin Durant out for most of the season, someone needed to step up big for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sadly, they didn’t make the playoffs, getting beaten out by the New Orleans Pelicans on the last day of the season, but Russell did not go down without a fight. Although he only played 67 games due to injuries, he still led the league with 28.1 points per game, and also averaged 9 assists and 7.6 rebounds. Westbrook also set an NBA Record with 11 triple-doubles this season. Eleven. That is just absurd. But with his shortened season and his Thunder not making it into the playoffs, it makes a tough case for him to win this award.
So who do I have as my winner?
Steph Curry. Led his team to an amazing record, shot the ball better than anyone that I have ever seen, and he just knows how to get his team to win. He may not lead the league in scoring or any other category, but he knows how to win basketball games, even if he doesn’t score 30+ every night. That is just my opinion, but we will have to wait and see what the writers and broadcasters decide soon enough.
The Beantown Buzz 