Stephen Curry may be on his way to his first Finals MVP trophy in his fourth championship run. While the Golden State Warriors need to overcome an incredibly tough challenge against the Boston Celtics for Curry to even stand a chance, his championship DNA may come into effect here.
Despite the 0 Finals MVPs, Curry has been a fantastic Finals performer. Draymond Green did mention how the Warriors felt like Curry was being game-planned for with double teams by Cleveland, which allowed Kevin Durant to dominate in the 2017 and 2018 Finals series. No matter the obstacles, Steph has had some incredible statistics in the NBA Finals.
One statistic that sets him apart from the rest of his contemporary rivals like LeBron James and Kevin Durant is his fourth-quarter performances in the NBA Finals. Curry is only the third player after Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal to average over 10 points in the fourth quarter of multiple Finals series.
Since 1971, the only 3 players to average 10+ 4th quarter PPG in multiple Finals series are Michael Jordan (1993, 1997, 1998), Shaquille O'Neal (1995, 2000) and Stephen Curry (2015, 2018). pic.twitter.com/HvUpiY2qPE
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) June 1, 2022
Jordan did it thrice in 1993, 1997, and 1998. Shaq did it once for the Orlando Magic in 1995 and then for the Lakers in 2000. Meanwhile, Curry is the only one to do it in the 2010s, after he achieved this in 2015 and 2018.
Curry’s fourth-quarter proficiency is often overlooked considering the circumstances his championships have been won under. In 2015, Andre Iguodala’s contributions defensively on LeBron James gave him an edge in the voters’ eyes over Curry’s magnetic offensive performances. In 2017 and 2018, Durant dominated the Finals, overshadowing the stability and consistency Curry brought to the Warriors.
In 2022, Curry will be expected to be the primary offensive weapon given the current lineup of the team. Steph’s maturity will play a part, as he will expect himself to be the man to take control in the fourth quarter and put the games away for Golden State.
