Golden State Warriors: Greatest Season In Franchise History?
2. NBA Awards Season
Status still pending.
This kind of stuff doesn’t really matter. If Stephen Curry doesn’t win MVP, it won’t be the end of the world. If Steve Kerr falls short to Mike Budenholzer in the Coach of the Year vote or Draymond Green is snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year, it won’t define the season.
But Curry, Kerr and/or Green winning the individual awards they’ll be in the running for would probably be the cherry on top of the most special regular season this organization has ever seen.
So historically, if the Warriors win 65 games:
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) March 25, 2015
- They have an 81% chance of winning a ring.
- Steph Curry has a 75% chance of winning MVP.
Curry is in a five-man race for Most Valuable Player, one of the most wide open MVP races we’ve seen in quite some time. James Harden has a particularly compelling case because of Dwight Howard‘s absence (especially if the Houston Rockets finish second in the West), and Russell Westbrook‘s numbers since February have been absolutely absurd.
But Curry is certainly in the top three alongside Harden and Westbrook. He’s not an NBA villain like those two, he’s the best player on the league’s best team and although his per game numbers aren’t quite as strong, his Per 36 Minutes numbers speak to the impact he has when he’s on the floor (even without diving into plus/minus numbers):
| Rk | Player | Season | G | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 2014-15 | 71 | .482 | .431 | .916 | 4.7 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 26.0 |
| 2 | Anthony Davis | 2014-15 | 58 | .542 | .100 | .813 | 10.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 24.5 |
| 3 | James Harden | 2014-15 | 71 | .440 | .371 | .866 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 26.6 |
| 4 | LeBron James | 2014-15 | 63 | .492 | .354 | .720 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 25.6 |
| 5 | Russell Westbrook | 2014-15 | 58 | .426 | .302 | .846 | 7.6 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 4.7 | 29.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/29/2015.
Curry is likable, humble and one of the league’s most enjoyable heat checks. There’s a good chance he walks away with MVP, becoming the second Warriors MVP winner ever. The first? Wilt Chamberlain…back in 1960.
Atlanta’s recent slump and San Antonio’s place in the standings will make it hard for people to vote for anyone other than Steve Kerr for Coach of the Year. Not only is he the head coach of the team with the best record in the league, but he’s made noticeable changes from the Mark Jackson era that have turned the Dubs into a juggernaut.
To be honest, he should win Coach of the Year simply for starting Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes over David Lee and Andre Iguodala, but it certainly doesn’t hurt that Golden State has a stellar offense, a stellar defense and is moving the ball so much better.
"I think clearly Draymond Green is the defensive player of the year” – Steve Kerr
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 9, 2015
Check out the numbers pic.twitter.com/D89Sv4P2Gi
As for Green, he’s the NBA leader in defensive win shares and second in defensive rating. He’s 13th in steals, 20th in blocks and ninth in defensive rebounds. His versatility in guarding positions one through five allows the Dubs to switch on screens and represents the glue that holds the league’s best defense together.
Maybe a shot blocker like Anthony Davis or a rebounding machine like DeAndre Jordan winds up winning it. But with Kerr the favorite to win COY and Curry near the top of the MVP rankings, Green winning DPOY would be another phenomenal accomplishment marking this season as a truly special one. Honestly, any of them winning their respective award would do that.
Next: No. 1