Stephen Curry is taking LeBron James' comments about him being the NBA MVP for the 2020-21 season to heart.
When questioned about whether the Lakers' forward's comments calling the Warriors' guard the "MVP of our league this year" were "gamesmanship" on the legend's part, Curry just laughed.
"I love no matter if it’s him, it’s me, whoever it is, there’s always another element of analytics or analyzing what we say, how we say it or when we say it," Curry said after practice on Tuesday. “‘Bron’s no stranger to that. Neither are we."
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Fans and conspiracy theorists have been breaking down exactly why James would endorse Curry for MVP before the Lakers' win-and-in play-in game against the Warriors. But Curry is taking the comments at face value and as a compliment from James.
"He knows when he says something, people pay attention," Curry said. "So for him to speak on my MVP candidacy, respect him for it. I appreciate it."
It's easy to understand why James would back Curry as an MVP candidate, too. Curry led the league in scoring at 32 points per game, but since returning from a five-game absence in late March, he has been even better than that, averaging a ridiculous 36.9 ppg, shooting 49.1 percent from the field and averaging 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. It was one of the best closing stretches to a season in NBA history.
With Klay Thompson missing the whole season, Curry put this Warriors team on his back. His performance was a huge part of the Warriors' 39-33 record this season. After all, we saw the Curry-less Warriors last year, and they went just 15-60 on the season, good for last place in the NBA.
And with Thompson hurt and rookie James Wiseman missing most of the season with a right knee injury, the roster was largely the same as the Curry-devoid one that struggled last year.
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In short, James' endorsement of Curry makes sense and there's no "gamesmanship" involved with either player. It just seems that the two have mutual respect.
And while that's nice to have off the court, Curry confirmed that the two will be fighting hard against one another on the court Wednesday night.
"We all know as competitors, though, when the lights are on — I can talk about how great he is until I'm blue in the face; he can do the same. It doesn't change how we approach that competition when we're out there," Curry said.
"I won't be giving him a pass because he likes the way I play this year. And vice versa."
