The Warriors owe much of their success in the past decade to Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP has seen the only franchises he’s played for evolving from a lottery team to a championship contender twice in his career.
That doesn’t happen without Curry being the most uniquely dominant player the NBA has ever seen. Curry will forever be known as the greatest shooter ever after breaking the record for most made three-pointers and becoming the first player to hit over 3k triples as well. After 13 seasons, there isn’t much left for Curry to conquer. The main trophy that eludes him is a Finals MVP.
Curry has won three titles in five Finals appearances. Curry perhaps had his best chance to win Finals MVP when he led the Warriors in points, assists, and minutes. The award went to Andre Iguodala instead for playing a pivotal part in turning the series around with his defense on LeBron James.
Now in his sixth Finals appearance since 2015, Curry has played like a man on a mission not only to win his fourth career title but his first Finals MVP. In the Warriors’ Game 1 loss, Curry scored 34 points, including 21 in the first quarter. In Game 2, Curry dropped 29 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a 107-88 win to tie the series up.
“It would mean everything because that pretty much means you’re winning the series,” Curry said on NBA Today. “You think about when Andre won when KD won his two; there’s just so much joy in that moment. No matter who wins it, there’s so much joy in that moment; you wanna be able to experience it.
And I think the context of every series changes in terms of what it’s gonna take to actually win, and I think for us to win this championship, get three more wins, and hold that Larry O’Brien trophy, I’m gonna have to keep playing the way I am and hold myself to that standard.”
Steph Curry joined @malika_andrews on NBA Today and discussed what a Finals MVP would mean to him:
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 7, 2022
“There’s just so much joy in that moment no matter what. … You want to be able to experience it.” pic.twitter.com/i6Vrl9xuB2
The Warriors have a chance to take control of the Finals with a Game 3 win on Wednesday. Neither Boston nor Golden State has lost back-to-back games in this year’s postseason, but Boston has a 5-4 record at home. Meanwhile, the Warriors have only won three games on the road. Game 3 will be a battle to the last possession, with both teams fighting to gain a 2-1 lead.
Curry will most likely be facing a Boston defense that has made adjustments to their pick-and-roll coverage to prevent Curry from taking advantage of the walk-up looks he’s gotten in Games 1 and 2. As a champion and former MVP, it’ll be up to the eight-time All-Star to respond and make sure he continues his upward progression towards winning another title and the only trophy that’s evaded him, a Finals MVP.
“That smaller trophy isn’t the motivation at all,” Curry explained. “But you know what comes with winning the big one and what it takes to do that. So I’m focused on that. The fact that I have another opportunity, and we have another opportunity to be here on this stage after the conversations over the last two to three years, that says a lot— So I’m excited about it.”
