Last week, Ernie Johnson of Inside the NBA on TNT asked the crew for their “bold” predictions this season. Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, a dedicated fan of no. 30 of the Golden State Warriors, echoed his appreciation for his favorite NBA player: “Steph Curry will win the MVP…unanimously.”

A second unanimous MVP for Curry? Perhaps a bold statement when it was made a week ago. But after a historic night at Madison Square Garden, it’s safe to say that Stephen Curry has an all-time NBA record to his name, and a likely third league MVP award on the way as well.

The regular-season MVP award has historically been given based on a combination of individual and team success. If a player has a compelling case based on individual accolades that lead to wins on the court, the MVP award is basically a lock. Curry himself should know this himself, he has two of these awards to his name (including the only unanimous MVP in league history).

But the MVP award is also highly influenced by narrative, and if you have a compelling narrative at your disposal, the award is essentially yours to lose. With that, let’s check off the boxes:

Individual accolades? Curry is tied for second place among scoring leaders so far this season. His 140 threes made (and counting) are first in the league with a sizable margin over the second-place finisher (Buddy Hield with 98). By that pace, Steph is on track to break the record for most threes made in a season (402), which he set himself back in 2015-2016.

Team success? The Warriors are 23-5, sitting atop the Western Conference, rank third in team scoring and team field goal percentage, have the best defensive rating (100.2), and are tracking for the top seed in the Western Conference. All the while, still awaiting the return of Klay Thompson.

All of the above makes Curry an MVP finalist, maybe even the MVP favorite, but after passing Ray Allen to make history as the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, Stephen Curry has the ultimate narrative in his favor. Everyone comprehends that Curry is the greatest shooter this league has ever seen, but now with the all-time record in his pocket, it’s as his brother Seth Curry says: “official like a referee whistle.”

No other potential MVP candidate can compete with Curry setting an all-time record. That in of itself should be the new standard for this season’s MVP. Chances are if you are any other MVP contender, you simply can’t beat that.

The last example where we witnessed an all-time record broken, came by way of Russell Westbrook surpassing Oscar Robertson for most triple-doubles in a season back in 2016-2017. Westbrook secured the MVP award that season, while his Oklahoma City Thunder finished as the sixth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and exited in the first round.

Fast forward to the present day, and Curry has achieved basketball immortality with the all-time NBA three-point record, keeping the Warriors on pace to finish atop the West, and achieving this while awaiting the return of fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson. The story is so good it basically writes itself, good luck poking holes in that argument.

Stephen Curry continues to rack up the accolades as the season carries on, and following his historic night at MSG, he has some historic memorabilia to add to his collection. But make no mistake, by season’s end, he’ll be adding some new hardware as well. Those two MVP trophies will need to make room for one more addition to the club.

(Photo credit: Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)