By: Andrea Yan
Last Thursday, Steph Curry, the NBA Finals MVP, led the Golden State Warriors to an NBA Championship against the Boston Celtics in a 103-90 win in Boston’s home court.
The Warriors had been 0-3 in road clinching games, while the Celtics were 3-0 when facing elimination. With the Celtics’ season on the line, it looked like they would step up to the moment going up 12-2 early in the game. However, Steph Curry led his team in a surge that ended in a 27-22 lead after the 1st quarter. They never looked back.
This marks the Warrior’s 4th NBA title in 8 years, as well as a first Finals MVP for Curry. Steph, the leading scorer, shot at an insane percentage of almost 60%, and his 3-point percentage was 55% in the final game against Boston adding up to 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. His defense was also spectacular, executing 1 block, and 2 steals.
Coach Steve Kerr compares Curry to Tim Duncan, regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, because they are “both humble, selfless leaders.”
Two seasons earlier, with Steph nursing a broken hand during the 2019-2020 season, the Warriors had the worst record in the NBA. Now, they claimed the franchise’s 7th overall championship.
Curry’s profile is not indicative of his incredible ability to dominate on the court. At 6-foot-2, he is shorter than most basketball greats, like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, both of whom are taller than 6’7”. Golden State forward Andre Iguodala says “you’ve never seen a guy his size dominate the league like this.” Then again, it is rare to see anyone of any size that has the abilities of Curry.
Even as Curry was doubted in the past due to his lack of Final MVP status (which he has now fixed), he does his job and helps his team score whether being on offense with the ball, assisting, or being a decoy, or on defense blocking shots and stealing bad passes. Draymond Green, a teammate of Steph’s, says “it [our offense] starts with Steph.”
Iguodala warns that as fit as Curry, age 34, seems, he can’t play forever. We must appreciate the impact Curry has made on the entire globe, now, before he’s gone.
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