Stephen Curry has had a long road to get to where he is right now. The newly-minted 4-time champion has been leading the Warriors as their lead guard for a decade now, with this being his 6th Finals appearance. In his 4th title win, Curry has finally been awarded the Bill Russell Finals MVP award.
In the three Golden State title wins prior to this, Curry failed to win the Finals MVP. In 2015, the award went to Andre Iguodala for playing way above where people expected him to. In 2017 and 2018, Curry was flanked by Kevin Durant, who had dominant performances to take the award home.
The championship is always the prize, but a player with the profile that Curry has, usually wins a Finals MVP in that many championships. He has finally done it in an unquestionable manner with this 103-90 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6. He averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in this series.
2022 NBA Finals Bill Russell MVP: Stephen Curry. Now four Golden State Warriors championships in eight years.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 17, 2022
With the off-season beginning as soon as tomorrow, a lot of the conversations around the gam are going to switch to narrative and legacy talk. Curry’s legacy is going to be heavily impacted by this win, as it now puts him in the conversation with the 10 greatest players of all time.
People have started arguing that Curry is almost at the level of Kobe Bryant from a legacy point of view, but Steph may still be a step or two off the 5-time champion. But it is a genuine comparison people can make now. Who’s to say Curry is done winning titles if the Warriors can further build on this team full of young assets?
The past is shining on Curry as he absorbs this triumphant moment in the present. Championship players know that they need to come back next season and do it all over again, so Steph will also have an eye on the future.
