After Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins’ Game 5 performance in the 2022 NBA Finals, Skip Bayless questioned whether Wiggins' name should be mentioned as the frontrunner for NBA Finals MVP over teammate Stephen Curry if the Dubs are able to defeat the Boston Celtics.
Wait a second: Is it possible Andrew Wiggins is going to pull a 2015 Iggy and win Finals MVP out from under Steph?
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 14, 2022
Bayless’ question comes after Wiggins scored 26 points and snagged 13 rebounds to give the Warriors a 3-2 series lead over the Celtics.
Curry has long been thought of as the frontrunner for Finals MVP due to his series averages of 30.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 2.0 steals per game during the series.
Despite Curry's eye-popping numbers, he is not immune to the occasional bad performance. In Game 5, Curry shot 7-of-22 from the field, including 0-of-9 from the 3-point line, and finished with 16 points. Curry’s off night from three snapped a 233-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer in a playoff game.
While the play of Curry’s supporting cast has been relatively underwhelming when compared to their level of play in the previous rounds, Wiggins has proven to be the lone bright spot.
Wiggins is averaging 18.4 points per game and 9.4 rebounds while playing phenomenal defense on Celtics’ star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
While Curry is considered one of the greatest players of all time, the one criticism he always seems to face is that he tends to shrink in big moments, with his lack of Finals MVPs being held against him.
Wiggins’ claim to Finals MVP is reminiscent of Warriors guard Andre Iguodala winning Finals MVP in 2015 over Curry even though Curry had superior numbers. Iguodala’s argument stemmed from him being able to somewhat interrupt the effectiveness of then-Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James.
Iguodala’s contributions on the defensive side of the ball during that series are looked at as a key reason why the Warriors were able to win the championship that year.
If the Warriors win the championship this year, it is possible that Curry’s offensive contributions could be overlooked for Wiggins’ defensive performance, which includes holding Tatum and Brown to shooting 37.3% and 40.9% from the field, respectively.
Unfortunately for Wiggins and proponents of the “Wiggins for Finals MVP” argument, Curry has been the best player on the court from either team since game one.
Before his disappointing performance in game five, Curry went for 43 points in game four against a Celtics defense that is one of the best in the league.
One bad game should not have people questioning whether Curry deserves to win Finals MVP because, without Curry’s high-scoring outputs, the Celtics would have the Warriors on the ropes right now.
Curry has carried his team’s offense and his shooting ability brings additional attention to him leading teammates like Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole to feast on those easy scoring opportunities off Curry.
If the Warriors defeat the Celtics, Curry should unquestionably be named Finals MVP and further cement himself as one of the greatest players of all time.
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