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OAKLAND -- It's a hot topic, he's at the center of it and on Friday he made no attempt to avoid it or even deflect it.

Yes, Stephen Curry would like to earn the MVP award for this season.

But, no, he's not interested in the Warriors crafting a campaign for it.

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"If my play doesn't speak to that point, then me saying it after games -- 'I want to be MVP, I want to be MVP' -- I don’t think that's going to help anything," Curry said after shootaround. "Our job, my job, is to go out and play at a high level every single night, lead my team and continue to try to help win games. All that will hopefully be a good enough resume to get that honor.

"It's something I do want. It's one of the highest honors in the league to be an MVP of a season."

Curry's star began its rise last season, when he was selected to the Western Conference All-Star team. It has soared considerably higher this season, with the Warriors sitting atop the conference. Curry not only was voted in as an All-Star Game starter, but also received more fan votes than any other player in the league, passing LeBron James in the final tabulation.

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Then, there are the individual statistics. He leads the NBA in steals, his fifth in scoring and sixth in assists. He's fourth in Player Efficiency Rating and second in real plus-minus, behind Rockets star James Harden -- the player most often considered Curry's chief foe for MVP.

The race this season is one of the most competitive in years, with at least four candidates, and Curry is fully aware. He keeps an eye on all of them, from LeBron James to Russell Westbrook to Harden.

"Yeah, I watch TV," Curry said. "It's hard not to see it.

"But I think that just shows how healthy the league is. You've got guys all over (the league) that you could argue could be MVP candidates.

"To be in that group is huge. Obviously, everybody is going to make decisions for themselves on how they vote. But it's healthy for the league to have that kind of hype, that kind of noise going on, especially as we gear up for the playoffs."