Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry named MVP

Golden State Warriors' sharpshooting guard Stephen Curry is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player, the league announced. Curry is the second player in Warriors history to be named MVP, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who earned the honor as a rookie with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959-60.

Rounding out the top five in the voting were the Houston Rockets’ James Harden, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis.

Curry, 27, led the Warriors to a franchise-best 67-15 record in 2014-15, and helped the Warriors capture their first Pacific Division title since 1975-76. Golden State is just the 10th team in NBA history to win 67 games in a single season.

In 80 games, the sixth-year guard posted averages of 23.8 points (sixth in the NBA), 7.7 assists (sixth), 4.3 rebounds, and 2.04 steals (fourth) in 32.7 minutes, the fewest minutes played by an MVP in league history.

The 6-3 Curry led the league in three-point field goals for a third consecutive season, hitting 286 threes to break his own NBA-record for single-season three-pointers, and ranked third in three-point percentage (.443) while leading the league in free throw percentage (.914). Curry also led the league in both plus/minus (+11.5) and Net Rating (17.0).

Already one of the most prolific shooters in NBA history, Curry hit a three-pointer in all but one of his 80 games in 2014-15, including each of his last 73 contests, giving him at least one three in 148 of his last 149 regular-season games. With season-highs of 51 points and 10 three-pointers on Feb. 4 vs. Dallas, Curry became the only player in league history to register multiple games with at least 50 points and 10 three-pointers.

Curry was named Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in October/November, and earned Western Conference Player of the Week accolades twice this season. An All-Star starter in each of the last two seasons, in 2015 Curry became the first Warrior since Rick Barry in 1976 to lead the league in All-Star votes.

Others receiving votes were Chris Paul, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson.

Below is the all-time list of winners:

1955-56 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis
1956-57 - Bob Cousy, Boston
1957-58 - Bill Russell, Boston
1958-59 - Bob Pettit, St. Louis
1959-60 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1960-61 - Bill Russell, Boston
1961-62 - Bill Russell, Boston
1962-63 - Bill Russell, Boston
1963-64 - Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
1964-65 - Bill Russell, Boston
1965-66 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1966-67 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1967-68 - Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia
1968-69 - Wes Unseld, Baltimore
1969-70 - Willis Reed, New York
1970-71 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1971-72 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1972-73 - Dave Cowens, Boston
1973-74 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee
1974-75 - Bob McAdoo, Buffalo
1975-76 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1976-77 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1977-78 - Bill Walton, Portland
1978-79 - Moses Malone, Houston
1979-80 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles
1980-81 - Julius Erving, Philadelphia
1981-82 - Moses Malone, Houston
1982-83 - Moses Malone, Philadelphia
1983-84 - Larry Bird, Boston
1984-85 - Larry Bird, Boston
1985-86 - Larry Bird, Boston
1986-87 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1987-88 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1988-89 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1989-90 - Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers
1990-91 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1991-92 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1992-93 - Charles Barkley, Phoenix
1993-94 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1994-95 - David Robinson, San Antonio
1995-96 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1996-97 - Karl Malone, Utah
1997-98 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1998-99 - Karl Malone, Utah
1999-00 - Shaquille O'Neal, L.A. Lakers
2000-01 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia
2001-02 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2002-03 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2003-04 - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
2004-05 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
2005-06 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
2006-07 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
2007-08 - Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
2008-09 - LeBron James, Cleveland
2009-10 - LeBron James, Cleveland
2010-11 - Derrick Rose, Chicago
2011-12 - LeBron James, Miami
2012-13 - LeBron James, Miami
2013-14 - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
2014-15 - Stephen Curry, Golden State

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services