Giannis Antetokounmpo staked a forceful claim as the best player in the world while leading his short-handed team to a road Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Stephen Curry was somehow even more dominant against the Boston Celtics' historically stingy defense with a title on the line, taking home his first Finals MVP award after winning a remarkable fourth championship in eight seasons.
Agree or disagree, you surely know by now who Antetokounmpo believes currently wears the belt as the game's best player. The scariest part for the rest of the league? If Curry is really still getting better at 34, there's no telling when Antetokounmpo and other all-time superstars will be able to take it back from him.
At Warriors Media Day on Sunday, Curry told Janie McCauley of the Associated Press what excites him entering this season after winning another title in 2021-22.
“Very excited about what it means to come into this season trying to defend, knowing that there will new challenges for everybody as a team, everybody individually, and embracing it,” he said. “My 14th year, I feel fresh and prime, ready to go. Feel like, in my head, I'm still getting better. You try to feed off of that, understand it's a long journey.”
Here's Steph Curry to @JanieMcCAP on how he feels after winning 4th title. Thinks he's still getting better at 34.
"My 14th year, I feel fresh and prime, ready to go. Feel like, in my head, I'm still getting better. You try to feed off of that, understand it's a long journey." pic.twitter.com/wTtQg73yua
— Jack Winter (@ArmstrongWinter) September 26, 2022
Curry played perhaps the best basketball of his career in the Finals, proving too much for the Celtics' array of top-tier defenders no matter what scheme was thrown at him. Most impressively, he was equally effective in isolation situations as ball-screen actions, either scoring himself or producing open looks for teammates after drawing multiple defenders.
Curry averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game against Boston, putting up those gaudy per-game numbers on elite 62.6% true shooting and largely holding up defensively despite getting frequently targeted by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The gravity Curry's incessant movement and imminent shooting threat presents has been a constant for years. But the off-dribble juice he showed beating everyone from the likes of Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart to shot-blocking maven Robert Williams III one-on-one has quietly come and gone throughout his career.
Were the Finals Curry's new normal? That sure seems like a realistic possibility—unless, of course, he really is “still getting better” into his mid-thirties.
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