Add one trophy to Stephen Curry’s trophy case. The 13-year veteran secured his first-ever Finals MVP award on Thursday night, adding it to a list that includes two regular-season MVPs and a Western Conference Finals MVP win.
The Golden State Warriors closed out the 2022 NBA Finals on Thursday beating the Boston Celtics 103-90 on the road. The win gave the Warriors their seventh championship title, with four of the titles won in the past eight years.
Aside from the Warriors being awarded the O’Brien trophy as NBA champions, Currywinning the Bill Russell MVP award was the biggest news. While some analysts had speculated that perhaps Andrew Wiggin was worthy, Steph Curry was the recipient of the prestigious award and is now the 33rd player to have a Finals MVP.
Now that Curry has his first Finals MVP, many are debating if he’s one of the greatest players to have ever played in the league. Though he will obviously continue to play, the 34-year-old has now won his fourth championship and is a multi-NBA and All-Star MVP, but Curry’s legacy continues to be analyzed with a fine-tooth comb.
At the start of the Finals, it was said that Curry had changed the game of basketball forever; however, some critics feel as though he still has some work to do in order to be discussed with the past greats. Curry’s teammate Andre Iguodala defends him and believes that he is one of the best players out.
In Thursday’s postgame interview Iguodala spoke on Curry and his legacy: “I think he solidified himself today, not even today, just his career as the best point guard of all time,” Iguodala said.
The claim of being the greatest point guard of all time may seem like a hefty claim when players like Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Walt Frazier are often listed as the best. However, Iguodala and many others are standing firm in their beliefs that Curry is one of the greats and his legacy shows it.
This win was also a huge step for Curry since it came with Kevin Durant out of the picture. While Curry was a crucial piece of those Warriors championship teams, it was Kevin Durant who won multiple Finals MVPs. Without Durant this season, and with a collection of teammates who were inconsistent at times during the 2022 playoff run, Curry can now take center stage as the one who carries the Warriors.
If Thursday’s Finals MVP award and Curry’s 34 point, seven rebounds, ad seven assist performance in Game 6 are any indications of what’s to come from Curry, we might not even be done understanding just how far-reaching Curry’s legacy will be
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