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Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has long had an empty space in his trophy room, awaiting the one accolade that has escaped him in the pantheon of trophies, awards and records that have adorned his highly-decorated 10-year career — The Finals MVP.
Three championships, two regular season MVPs, six All-Stars, six All-NBA mentions, one scoring title — those are some of the qualifications that put Curry among NBA royalty — yet it is the coveted trophy, named after the great Bill Russell, that could complete his legacy as one of the best to ever step foot in the hardwood.
However winning this trophy comes with its share of expectations and repercussions, ones that will be engrained for the rest of his NBA career if he manages to take it home at the end of a worthy series against the Toronto Raptors.
Eliminates talk of subpar performances in the NBA Finals
There's been much talk about Curry underperforming at the NBA's biggest stage, but that has hardly been the case at all. Curry has been unfortunately outshined by other players at this stage.
Take for instance Curry's first title win in 2015 — he was outdone by teammate Andre Iguodala, whose insertion into the lineup after Game 3 of the series turned things around for the Warriors, who won three straight games en route to their first championship in 40 years.
Iguodala's play at both ends proved to be a catalyst for Golden State's title chances, as he became LeBron James' primary defender, while being a reliable shot-maker and making plays for others around him.
The optics lent to Iguodala's favor, as he posted 22 points in Game 4 and a postseason-best 25 in a clinching Game 6 — all while shooting a baffling 6-of-21 from the foul line in the last two games. Curry averaged 26 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals during that series — numbers consistent with his regular-season averages, which won him the year-long MVP.
Kevin Durant's 2017 Finals MVP is undisputed, as he singlehandedly carried the torch during a battle of titans against James. Curry's numbers, however, were just as deserving of praise, averaging a near triple-double for the series: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Any other year, these are MVP-worthy numbers.
Curry's biggest argument came this past postseason, in which he mustered a beefy 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Curry seemed to have the award lined up after Game 2 of the series, dropping an NBA Finals record nine 3-pointers while leading all scorers with 33 points.
Yet it would be Game 3 which let him down, as he struggled to the tune of 11 points on a rough 3-of-16 shooting night which including his scuffing 1-of-10 from deep.
A bounce-back 37-point effort in Game 4 wouldn't be enough to get him over the hump, as Kevin Durant triple-doubled in that same outing to hoist his second-straight Finals MVP trophy.
The argument can be made that Curry has been simply unlucky during these past four postseasons, as his numbers reflect he has been worthy of the award.
Elevates him into creme de la creme of all-time point guards
In his 10-year career, Curry has quickly elevated himself into the conversation of the best shooter ever, among the likes of Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. Yet he could very well inch his way toward the title of best point guard of all-time.
As far as floor generals are concerned, only Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Dennis Johnson and playoff mainstay Tony Parker have scored more points in NBA playoffs history. When it comes to the NBA Finals, that list of point guards shortens to all-time leader Jerry West (1,679 points), Magic Johnson (971), and Bob Cousy (713) as the only ones to score more points than Curry.
Given Curry's average of 25.36 points per game in the NBA Finals — he could tack at the very least another 100 points to his tally of 558 total points, moving him from 27th all-time to 22nd, surpassing the great Wilt Chamberlain and only a few away from Scottie Pippen (664).
Fox Sports 1 analyst Shannon Sharpe argued Curry could potentially bump off Magic Johnson from his pedestal of best point guard in NBA history by winning the Finals MVP, as Curry has a higher scoring average in The Finals than Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other all-time greats.
In only four trips to the NBA Finals (22 games), Curry already tops the all-time record for most threes made at that stage, burying 98 trifectas (4.45 per game) — having also shattered Ray Allen's record of 385 threes in the playoffs with 447 treys and counting.
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Curry is by no means the old-age prototypical point guard. He will likely never reach Magic Johnson's imperial record of 584 assists in the NBA Finals, but through only four appearances, he already ranks 19th all-time in assists (138) at this stage and deserves consideration among the creme de la creme of all-time point guards.
If Steph is not there yet, an NBA Finals MVP should boost him a seat into that conversation.
Makes Kevin Durant a surefire goner
Unfortunately, success has rewards and repercussions — and the departure of Kevin Durant would be the most evident of them.
Durant is already speculated to leave Golden State in the summer, though some have argued that a potential loss in the NBA Finals or a last-minute change of mind could convince him to stay another year.
The reigning two-time Finals MVP has two major reasons to leave: the first is money, one the Warriors simply can't offer after signing Curry to a supermax contract two summers ago and with impending free agents like Klay Thompson and a re-energized Draymond Green next summer.
The second is the pursuit of his own glory, as he looks to shed the narrative of being another star in what's considered a Curry-led team.
Should Durant win his third straight title with the Warriors and see Curry walk away with the Finals MVP, there is little doubt that the award would surely punch his ticket out of the Bay Area.
It's not a matter of envy — both Curry and Durant have been great teammates and professionals when it comes to sacrificing and sharing awards, and even missing their rightful place in history by making things work and taking part of a dynasty in the making. But Durant is in the midst of his prime and can make the most of his high-caliber play by being the top dog — a no-brainer decision.
Curry finally earning a Finals MVP trophy would skyrocket his critical acclaim, not only locally, but nationwide. Claims of “the Warriors never needed Durant in the first place” would soon flood the web, and it would only be a matter of time until the four-time scoring champ looks onto the horizon for bluer waters.
KD's potential to take part in these NBA Finals is still rocky, as he has yet to practice or participate in any on-court activities. If he fails to appear in this series, as he did in the Western Conference Finals, Curry's only competition — shall the Warriors win it all — would be Draymond Green, who could set himself up for a big payday in 2020 if he locks up the award.
Steph going for that 1st Finals MVP 🏆
(via @CaesarsPalace) pic.twitter.com/H96e0NZpZX
— br_betting (@br_betting) May 27, 2019
All in all, this is Curry's Finals MVP award to lose — and if he does net this long-eluded piece of hardware, expect for that to forever alter the way we look at him as an all-time great, as well as the share of consequences that can stem from being hailed as one of the greatest ever.
