What comes into your mind when someone mentions the name Stephen Curry? More likely than not, you're thinking about his offense. The Golden State Warriors superstar revolutionized the game with his insane shooting ability. His white-hot offense is one of the biggest reasons why his team is playing in the Finals right now.

A big criticism of Curry's game, however, has always been his defense. Standing at 6'2 and 188 lbs, the Warriors guard is a small man in the jungle that is the NBA. He's prone to being picked on by isolation stars. As a result, he's gained a reputation of being a “bad” defender amongst opposing fans.

However, in Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Stephen Curry proved that's no slouch on defense either. In one of the Warriors' trademark third-quarter runs, Curry peppered the Celtics with timely threes and fearless forays to the rim. However, what caught the attention of his teammates wasn't his offense, but his defense.

Curry might be small compared to his NBA peers, but his effort on defense is what propels him on that end. That was on full display in Game 2, as he helped lock down the Celtics offense en route to a rousing victory to avenge their Game 1 collapse. Curry would finish with three steals, but that doesn't tell the full story of his impact on defense.

Whether it's taking the previously white-hot Jaylen Brown one-on-one, or rotating as part of the Warriors' crisp defense, Curry does it all on that end for the team. Gary Payton II even went so far as to call Stephen Curry a “two-way” player. (via 95.7 The Game)

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Is Curry actually a “two-way player”? No, absolutely not. His defense is solid at best and below-average at worst. You won't see Curry winning any All-Defense votes any time soon. Still, for someone as offensively talented as Curry to give his full effort on defense has to be inspiring for the role players of the Warriors.

After all, if Steph's doing that, why won't we? A team only goes as far as their leader takes them. Curry leading the charge on defense is what makes this Warriors team run smoothly. There's no excuse for them to slack off on defense, because, hell, the most impactful offensive player in the world is not doing that.