There's no doubt what matters most to Stephen Curry. But on a night he led the Golden State Warriors to an incredible fourth championship in eight seasons, even Curry can almost admit some long-awaited official individual glory meant a lot to him.
Curry was crowned Finals MVP on Thursday after the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 103-90 at TD Garden, winning the Bill Russell Award unanimously—and for the first time in his legendary career.
“It means we won, it means we took advantage of opportunity to get back here,” the Warriors superstar said of winning Finals MVP. “I hear all the conversations, I hear all the chatter—we hear all the chatter. At the end of the day it's about what we do on the floor. Ain't gotta talk about it, just gotta do it, and that's what this is about.”
Curry dominated in Game 6, dropping 34 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six three-pointers on 12-of-21 shooting. He also made his presence felt on the other end, battling the Celtics' stars when attacked on switches and making plays away from the ball. Curry saved his best for last, too, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter to thwart Boston's last-gasp comeback hopes.
Curry averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the Finals, shooting 48.0% overall and 41.8% from deep on nearly 12 attempts per game. In a series featuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, against the huge, physical, athletic Celtics, the 34-year-old Curry was clearly the best player on the floor from the opening tip.
No one truly doubted Curry's greatness before Thursday. His unbelievable numbers and countless personal accolades speak for themselves, as does his indelible imprint on the game at large. Curry had three rings to count, too.
Resumés matter at the top of basketball's all-time individual pantheon, though. After finally taking home an award he probably deserved years ago, Curry's is pristine.