Stephen Curry was the best player on the league’s best team, and took out the 2014-15 NBA regular season MVP award. But was Curry really the most valuable player?
According to Basketball Reference’s win share statistic, James Harden from the Houston Rockets contributed the most wins to his own team, 16.4, followed by Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers (16.1) in second and then Curry (15.7) in third.
Delving into this further, the Golden State Warriors won 67 out of 82 games to hold the best record. Without Curry they were estimated to still win just over 51 games, enough to get them into the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Rockets would have only won around 39 games without Harden, while the Clippers would have been won a similar amount without Paul. This would have placed both teams out of the Western Conference finals.
If we compare these three individuals in other areas of their game, Curry averaged 23.8 points (sixth), 7.7 assists (sixth) and 2.0 steals (4th) per game, Harden averaged 27.4 points (second), 7.0 assists (ninth) and 1.9 steals (sixth) per game, while Paul averaged 19.1 points (18th), 10.2 assists (first) and 1.9 steals (fifth) per game.
From these statistics, you can significantly argue Harden’s MVP case, having had to place much of the Rockets organisation on his back with the absence of superstar teammate Dwight Howard.
‘The King’, LeBron James, has fallen out of favour for the award due to taking to the court alongside two fellow superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, even though he is arguably still the best player in the league and consistently puts up tremendous numbers.
In short, Curry deserves the award, but it might be worthwhile for the NBA to consider a name change.
In a decision that surprised many former players, Kawhi Leonard took home the 2014-15 Defensive Player of the Year, with DeAndre Jordan, Anthony Davis and Draymond Green overlooked.
The 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Leonard led the league in steals per game (2.3), being only the sixth forward in NBA history to do so. He also averaged a league-best 96.4 points per 100 possessions, helping to consolidate his selection as the league’s best defender.
Reigning as the 2014-15 Sixth Man of the Year was Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams, who played under the shadow of the Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry.
The 28-year-old provided valuable experience, points and control off the bench, and helped to propel the Raptors into fourth spot in the East. However, the Raptors were unable to replicate that form in the playoffs, losing to the Washington Wizards in four games.
Andrew Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up the 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the new face of the franchise following the departure of Kevin Love to Cleveland.
Playing all 82 matches of the regular season, Wiggins was always the front-runner for the award, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Since he played every game, it is an impressive result to hold a stat line like this.
His nearest competition, Nerlens Noel (Philadelphia Sixers) was unlucky to miss out on getting the top award, as he was a shining light for the Sixers in yet another dull season.
Another unexpected award result was Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer being named the 2014-15 Coach of the Year.
Working in his favour was how Budenholzer effectively turned the Hawks into a champion team, cementing first place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks improved to 60-22 on the year, compared to 2013-14 where they only achieved 38 wins.
Steve Kerr was, in my mind, close to snatching the award, having coached his Golden State Warriors to a league-best 67-15. However, the real coach of the year will be the one to coach their team to the NBA championship.
In other news, at the end of each season, writers and broadcasters from the United States and Canada select three teams of five, subsequently displaying the best individuals in the league for that particular season.
Each team will typically select two guards, two forwards and one centre. For those that play in duel positions, they are eligible to be selected in both, eg. Pau Gasol (F-C), Anthony Davis (F-C), and Kawhi Leonard (G-F).
My teams would be as follows:
NBA first team
G: Stephen Curry (GSW)
G: James Harden (HOU)
F: LeBron James (CLE)
F: Anthony Davis (NOP)
C: Marc Gasol (MEM)
NBA second team
G: Chris Paul (LAC)
G: Jimmy Butler (CHI)
F: Kawhi Leonard (SAS)
F: Blake Griffin (LAC)
C: DeMarcus Cousins (SAC)
NBA third team
G: Russell Westbrook (OKC)
G: Klay Thompson (GSW)
F: LaMarcus Aldridge (POR)
F: Pau Gasol (CHI)
C: DeAndre Jordan (LAC)
The 2014-15 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and it remains to be seen if the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry can cap off an incredible season by collecting the championship and NBA finals MVP.
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