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NBA Player Power Rankings: Damian Lillard for MVP?

By Maxwell Ogden

Feb 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard finished the game with 34 points. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard finished the game with 34 points. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 19, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts to having a foul called on him during the third quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won the game 137-105. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts to having a foul called on him during the third quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won the game 137-105. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Last Rank: No. 1

Position: Point Guard

Age: 27

Slash Line: .507/.455/.912

Season Averages: 33.8 MPG, 30.0 PPG, 6.6 APG, 5.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG, 4.9 3PM

At this point, Stephen Curry’s No. 1 ranking is a formality. The man with the greenest green light in the NBA is scoring at a ridiculous rate for a team that’s so far ahead of the rest of the pack that the No. 1 record in the NBA is considered to be locked up with 26 games remaining on the schedule.

That’s not actually true—the San Antonio Spurs are just 3.5 games back of the Golden State Warriors—but Golden State is 51-5, so even four more losses have become tough to fathom.

If San Antonio were to close the gap and secure the No. 1 seed, then Kawhi Leonard would have one heck of a case for MVP. Unless that happens, or another team rises to the occasion, then the voters’ thought process will have already been established.

Curry leads the league in scoring on the NBA’s most dominant team, and more times than not, that combination leads to an MVP award.

Outside of a game during which he was thoroughly outplayed by Chris Paul, Curry has come back from the All-Star Break in as fine of form as he entered it. He scored 31 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, had 36 at the Atlanta Hawks, and dropped 42 on the Miami Heat.

More hoops habit: Are the Golden State Warriors in the running to sign Joe Johnson?

Curry was admittedly outplayed by Damian Lillard, as well, but he’s built a comfortable enough cushion to not be threatened just yet.