The votes have been counted and verified, and the results showed that Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry won the NBA's MVP award Monday, beating out the heavily favored James Harden of the Houston Rockets.
According to a report from ESPN, the selection of MVP was determined by a panel of 129 writers and broadcasters in addition to the fan vote on the NBA's website. Curry received a total of 1,198 points, with 100 of them being first-place votes out of a possible 130.
"There were obviously good times and bad times. Times I wanted to shut it down," Curry said as he reflected on his rise to NBA fame. "It just made me feel like how blessed and thankful I am to be in this position."
While Harden didn't agree with the results, he had other priorities to consider. According to ESPN, he earned 25 first-place votes and 936 points.
"That's tough, but we're in the second round of the playoffs, and I got better things to worry about -- and that's the Clippers," Harden said. "[The Warriors are] a very good team that's rolling right now and it didn't work out, but there's more of the season to continue to play."
Rockets teammate Dwight Howard indicated that the team was "pretty upset" of Harden getting passed over as MVP, but he reiterated that "our goal is to win the championship."
According to ESPN, Curry received the MVP award during a Monday news conference in Oakland, Calif. Even LeBron James, who ended up in third place and received five first-place votes and 552 points, commended Curry's success.
"Disappointed? No, I'm not disappointed," James, a four-time MVP, said. "I think it's well deserved [for Curry]. I mean, you see, first of all, the team success, that's the first thing that pops out."
Marcus Thompson II of Bay Area News Group reported that Curry's accomplishment stood in the face of challenges he overcame during his basketball career. He thought it was "a glitch in the Matrix" to be considered along the likes of James, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
"Like Steve Nash and Allen Iverson before him, Curry overcame physical limitations with a level of excellence that left people no choice but to recognize him among the giants," Thompson wrote.
According to Thompson, none of the major colleges wanted to recruit Curry, despite his status as a prep start at Charlotte Christian. He ended up at Davidson, leading his team "to within one victory of the Final Four" back in 2009.
"I remember when Curry was drafted, No. 7 overall in 2009, he was to some a bad pick for a team that needed size," Thompson wrote. "He was expected by many to be, at best, a sixth man-type, coming off the bench shooting. And now he's the MVP."
Thompson reported that Curry also had been benched and considered for trading during his NBA career. The Warriors thought of trading Curry in exchange for Chris Paul back in 2011.
"I'm not going to be upset if they entertained that," Curry said back then. "It's nice to be in the conversation with a guy like that."
Thompson reported that Curry was the son of Dell Curry, "one of the league's best-ever shooters." However, he had to prove himself on the basketball court; his efforts have now been validated by the NBA.
"Curry has crafted a game for the ages, with his special shooting skills as the foundation," Thompson wrote. "He developed his body, becoming stronger and quicker and help him deal with the physical toll of the NBA. He became a magician with the ball in his hands."
