By late April, the Most Valuable Player Award race had once again become a hot topic of discussion.
Link and Curry, the two men who struck fear throughout the league, were inevitably placed side by side for comparison.
Last season, Link had won the Most Valuable Player Award unanimously. But this season, that myth of a unanimous selection was sure not to happen again.
Stephen Curry's sudden emergence had changed far too many things.
On paper, Curry's averages of 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game did not match Link's 30.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.
Whether in scoring, rebounds, or assists, Link had set career highs across the board this year!
His 30.7 points per game also made Link this season's scoring champion! Westbrook, second on the scoring list, averaged only 28.1 points!
In terms of stats alone, Curry simply could not compare with Link in anything other than three-point percentage.
But the Most Valuable Player Award was not decided through such a "mindless" comparison of numbers.
Before 1980, the Most Valuable Player Award was voted on by players. That was why Big O could average a triple-double and Chamberlain could average 50 points, yet Russell would ultimately win the award.
Players did not meticulously study statistics. They were only responsible for picking "the best damn player at the moment." From then on, stats were no longer the sole standard for choosing the Most Valuable Player Award.
After 1980, the voting was handed over to the media. It seemed much more reliable, but the Most Valuable Player Award still was not an award based purely on individual numbers.
For example, in 1997, the Bulls won 69 games. Jordan ranked second in the league in efficiency rating and first in win shares, while averaging 29.6 points, 5.9