“I mean, I gotta be. I gotta be.”
Steph Curry when asked if he’s the MVP ?
(? @RexChapman)
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) April 21, 2021
We’ve seen the Warriors with Stephen Curry this season. And… we’ve seen the Warriors without Stephen Curry this season. Saying it’s a chasmic gap between those two teams might be an understatement. Curry had his first off night in 12 games on Thursday, but that takes nothing away from the fact that he’s been on a thermonuclear tear, leads the lead (just barely) in scoring, and that this team has no identity without him.
With Curry and Draymond Green on the bench, the Warriors lost by 53 points.
Without Curry, the Warriors are 1-7 this year. That’s 28-22 with him. That clearly passes the eye test, as it’s been abundantly clear this is an early lottery team without him.
So, the question was posed to Curry on former NBA player Rex Chapman’s podcast (full episode here): “Are you the MVP?”
Curry, who can often default to humility in interviews, was honest.
“I mean, I gotta be,” Curry said. “I gotta be. I probably won’t get it, but whatever. I like to be dramatic sometimes, so I’m just setting the table.”
That follows a quiet trend of Curry self-affirming the season he’s having. He’s never been cocky, but it’s evident that he feels, and rightfully so, like he deserves national credit for the scorcher of a season he’s having at age 33.