Liffmann: Why Steph deserves to win MVP in my biased opinion

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Steph Curry is on such a torrid stretch, it is hard to even encapsulate how good he has been. His production has been historic, but his play also has been captivating and enthralling. He always has been must-see-TV, but Curry has taken it to a whole new level over the last 10 games.

I recognize my bias of watching the man play closely, but if I had a vote for the MVP award as of now, it would be Curry. Unfortunately, I do not have a vote, and the people that do are most likely going to vote for players that are on teams much higher in the standings.

That is not to say Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid or others cannot be deserving of the award as well. They are playing incredible basketball and leading their teams to great regular-season records. 

However, what Curry is doing for the game of basketball and the NBA's place in the entertainment sector cannot be ignored. He is quite literally the most valuable player in the league, and for the league. Oh, and his team as well.

Do you need some statistics to understand what exactly he is doing from a scoring and shooting perspective? Here is a sampling over this last stretch since he returned from missing six games with a tailbone contusion.

Recent hot streak

-During the month of April, Curry is averaging 40.8 points per game, on 54.9 percent shooting from the field and 50.3 percent from deep. He has averaged 7.2 made 3s per game during that stretch.

-Curry has made 10 or more 3s in four of the last five games. If he simply had only had those games, and eliminated the other ones in his career, he would be in sole possession of second place all-time behind Klay Thompson, who has five such games. 

-Over the last 10 days, spanning 6 games, Curry has made 54 shots from deep. The next closest total in the NBA during that stretch is 24.

RELATED: Perk apologizes to steph as '"legendary" run continues

 

Bigger Picture

-Curry is leading the NBA in scoring at 31.4 points per game

-Over the last 35 games, Curry is averaging 32.8 points per game, on 50.8 percent shooting and 45.4 percent from deep.

-Curry had five games this season where he shot unusually poorly from 3 point range, making only eight of his 55 attempts from deep (15 percent). In the other 45 games played, Curry is making 46 percent of his 3 point shots. 

-This season, when Curry is on the court, the Warriors have an offensive rating of 114.5. The team has a rating of 103.9 when he is off the court -- the difference of 10.6 rating.

-Based on Curry's season averages, if he played the final 14 games, he is on pace to make over 330 shots from deep this season. That would be the fourth-most in NBA history, and he would accomplish that feat in just 64 games played.

-The Warriors are 1-7 when Curry doesn't play, and 28-22 when he does.

MVP material, if you ask me.

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