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Michael Jordan and Steph Curry are two of the greatest players in NBA history. They have seven MVP trophies and nine championships between them. Jordan and Curry both have huge fanbases, but it seems like the internet loves the Warriors superstar more than the Chicago Bulls legend.
According to research done by Betway (h/t John Ferrannini of KRON4), Curry is one of the five most beloved former MVPs of the league. He received 14.8% of positive conversations, 2.6% more than Jordan. "His Airness" is still popular, but he's not in the top five.
"The online sports betting website Betway has been monitoring how much online conversation about each NBA most valued player over the year," Ferrannini wrote.
"The results show that there is more positive sentiment about the 2015 and 2016 MVP, the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, than about five-time MVP Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls."
Linkfluence, a social listening tool, was used by Betway for their research. The most beloved MVP was Derrick Rose of the New York Knicks. Rose was a part of 27.1% positive conversations. Allen Iverson came in second, while the late Kobe Bryant was third.
Two-time MVP and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo came in at number four, while Steph Curry rounded out the top five. Three legends were at the bottom of the list. Tim Duncan had the worst rating at 5.8%, followed by "Inside the NBA" analysts Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley.
Curry has been in the headlines recently, as he's one win away from winning his fourth championship with the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, Barkley was antagonistic towards the Warriors fanbase, which might have contributed to his poor results from the research.
Steph Curry, Warriors looking to close out Celtics in Game 6
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are just a win away from winning their fourth championship since 2015. Curry is also on the verge of winning his first NBA Finals MVP award. He's averaging 30.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.0 steals in the series.
However, he's coming off a disastrous performance in Game 5. He finished with 16 points, four rebounds and eight assists but went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc. According to Sporting News, it was the first time since Nov. 18, 2018 that Curry did not make a 3-point shot in a game.
His 233-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer ended in Game 5. The streak of 133 consecutive playoff games with a 3-point shot made also ended. Nevertheless, the Warriors still found a way to win Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead.
Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 26 points, 13 rebounds and two assists. Klay Thompson added 21 points, three boards and two dimes, while Jordan Poole contributed 14 points off the bench. Game 6 of the NBA Finals is on Thursday at the TD Garden in Boston.
