Curry vs. near unanimous MVPs in NBA history

It finally happened. For the first time in the 61 years of balloting, every single voter for the NBA MVP Award agreed on the winner, Warriors guard Stephen Curry. However, he’s not the only player who has deserved a unanimous MVP tally.

We’ve seen some truly dominant seasons that not only have those campaigns but also set standards for that era and beyond. Michael Jordan is regarded as the greatest player of all-time, and aside from a few opinions of dissension, that acceptance has left its mark on generations of NBA players. But even Jordan never received 100 percent of the first-place votes for the league’s MVP trophy.

He came close though, as have several other MVP winners. Let’s see how Curry’s historic achievement compare to the others who nearly took home every first-place vote:

1984-85 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics: Received 73 of 78 first-place votes

During Bird’s run of three straight MVPs from 1983-86, he dominated the vote during the final two campaigns. Basketball Jesus twice received 73 of the 78 possible first-place votes. In 1985, Magic Johnson, Terry Cummings (two), and Michael Jordan (two) ended up with the remaining five votes. In 1986, Dominique Wilkins took the five votes Bird didn’t. And he was easily the best and most valuable player — leading the Celtics to 63 and 67 wins, two trips to the Finals and a championship.

In the ’84-85 season, Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists. He missed out on the 50-40-90 club by 1.8 percent from the free throw line. The only other player in NBA history to average 28-10-6.5 in a season is Oscar Robertson, who did it three times. Bird was the modern day Big O in a forward’s body. Although their games are quite different, Bird and Curry are similar because they are unique. Bird was a 6-foot-9 forward who could be the main playmaker on the floor. Only Magic Johnson was capable of dominating with that perfect blend of skill set and size.

Curry’s skill set is the most extreme ever, which makes his unanimous MVP at once expected and a surprise. Not everyone latches on to his never-before-seen game. Some are dazzled, and others resist while grasping for straws to explain why he’s overhyped.

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1985-86 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics: Received 73 of 78 first-place votes

The next season, the Celtics were one of the greatest teams in NBA history. At the time, Bird helped lead them to 67 wins and a league-record 40-1 home record. It was only the fourth time a team hadwon 67 games or more. They were two away from tying the record set by the ’71-72 Lakers. Late season losses to Philadelphia and New Jersey kept them from tying that record.

The difference between Bird that season and Curry’s history-making 73-win season with the Warriors is Bird did not improve individually in the encore. Even so, his stats were still impressive. But Curry improved in a manner we’ve rarely seen, and in almost every noteworthy metric.

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It’s also funny how we consider Bird (and rightfully so) to be one of the greatest shooters we’ve ever seen, but he played in an era in which the 3-point shot was seen as a secondary option. He hit 649 3-pointers during a 13-year career. Curry has made 688 3-pointers in his two MVP seasons. Although, Curry never got so bored that he took shots left-handed.

1995-96 Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls: Received 109 of 113 first-place votes

I know. I know. We’re not supposed to compare Jordan to anybody, let alone Curry. But this one seems relevant because ’95-96 was the season Jordan and the Bulls won 72 games, the record until it was broken by Golden State this season. Even then, Jordan was not the unanimous MVP. Not sure what the hold-up was, other than maybe some agenda-driven voting from four of the 113 participants. The three players that ended up with first-place votes aside from Jordan were Anfernee Hardaway …

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