NBA Awards Watch: Final MVP Pick For 2014-15
Signature Moments
Highlight plays don’t decide an MVP race, but they very well could define it. While it may seem silly to consider a category like this in an MVP discussion, keep in mind that Curry’s monster night against the Blazers, which was teeming with highlight plays, is a game that “decided” the 2014-15 MVP race for many.
Without highlight plays, we wouldn’t watch the game. Shouldn’t our MVP be someone exciting who fills up the stat sheet AND creates nightly Vine gems?
Harden may have had more signature stat lines, but nobody had more memorable moments and individual plays this season that Steph Curry. The guy’s game is tailor-made for Vine, YouTube and Twitter highlights with the way he can turn a broken play into a Top 10 highlight in an instant.
When it comes to his handles, you have to respect his ability to pull off a flashy pass. But as the Los Angeles Clippers found out, you also have to respect his ability to randomly dribble through three defenders, create the tiniest bit of separation and launch the most ill-advised three-pointer, which, of course, went in because he’s Stephen Curry:
There is no better shooter in the league right now, but for those contentious diehard fans who somehow haven’t been watching Curry this season, there is definitely no better shooter in the NBA off the dribble. Curry is an absolute magician when it comes to freeing himself up with just enough space to launch a three in his defender’s eye. In related news, R.I.P. Chandler Parsons:
What’s funny is Parsons (relatively) stuck with Curry on that play. But the guy cannot be stopped when he gets in the zone. Think of the greatest heat check you ever had at your local gym. You probably made, what, three or four threes in a row? Curry does that too, except he plays in the NBA, his heat checks can go even longer and he does it on a nightly basis.
There were some games, like against the Milwaukee Bucks, for example, when Curry was having an off shooting night and came alive in a short little spurt to put Golden State’s opponent away for good. I mean, come on:
To be fair, James Harden is no stranger to shake and bake either. He’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands and has no qualms about drilling step-back threes in peoples faces. Remember what he did to poor Ricky Rubio?
Curry is the best in the NBA at creating separation to free up his three-point shot, but don’t sleep on James Harden step-backs either. All season long he’s been making defenders look foolish with that go-to move that has yet to be stopped. Isolation basketball usually fails in the playoffs, but in the regular season, it looks pretty damn good:
Unfortunately, for all of Harden’s abilities in one-on-one iso plays, most of them are overlooked because he gets to the foul line so much. The Beard is a master at getting to the foul line, and spare me your complaints about flopping or looking for contact because, to be honest, we have never seen someone this efficient at getting to the charity stripe.
Harden leads the league in made free throws and free throw attempts by a mile, and while that helps him be more efficient since not everyone can be a near-member of the 50-40-90 club like Steph Curry, it’s not quite as entertaining as Curry heat checks.
In that respect, Curry easily edges Harden. The Beard has some fine highlight plays to his name this season, but Curry was pretty much made for Vine, even if Harden does fun stuff like this all the time:
In regard to celebrations, Curry’s goggles celebration (for his teammates on the bench) ignited Twitter, but to be fair, Harden has been doing the celebration Curry should’ve been doing all along by stirring the pot every time he starts cooking. That’s really the only advantage Harden has here, however, so we have to decisively rule in Curry’s favor once again.
Advantage: Curry
Next: Likability