Why Steph is the best player
Steph Curry is the best shooter of all time
Last season, Steph Curry broke the NBA record for most career 3-pointers. If breaking the all-time 3-point record wasn’t enough to prove Curry is the best shooter of all time, then perhaps his other accolades will. For example, Curry’s 90% career free throw average is the highest in NBA history (min 1200 attempts). Steph has also led the league in 3-pointers seven times and won the three-point contest in 2015 and 2021. Curry’s historic 2016 season is widely agreed upon as the best shooting season in NBA history. In terms of pure skill, Curry has shown limitless range combined with efficiency like no one else in NBA history. In a single-game scenario, there is no player I want more taking a deep 3 than Curry.
Steph Curry is the reigning finals MVP
Surprisingly, breaking the 3-point record may not have been Curry’s best personal accomplishment last year as he won his first finals MVP to silence his critics. He embarked on an extraordinary playoff run, running through the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Mavericks, and Celtics, never being pushed to 7 games. In those playoffs, Curry and the Warriors lost just 1 home game. Curry averaged 27 points on about 40% from beyond the arc. In the finals, Curry and Golden State displayed extreme poise, closing out Boston with back-to-back road wins at TD Garden and a game 5 domination at Chase Center after going down 2-1. Going into this year’s playoffs, Steph Curry should be feared as the best player in this year’s playoffs.
Steph Curry has been on fire
This season, Curry has averaged 29 points. Realistically, his 56-game season can be divided into 3 parts: pre-shoulder injury, post-leg injury, and the period in between. Pre-shoulder injury Curry was chili hot, averaging 30 points on 50/40/90 shooting over the first 26 games. After injuring his shoulder against the Pacers on Dec. 14, Curry returned in January against the Suns with a new arm sleeve to “keep his shoulder warm”. That month, he averaged 29 points averaging over 40% from downtown and 90% at the free-throw line before going down with a leg injury against Dallas to end a 3-game February. Believe it or not, Curry is at his hottest entering the playoffs after returning to the Warriors lineup on March 5th against the Lakers. In March, Curry averaged 30 points on 44% 3-point shooting. That month, Curry scored 50 in the brightest lights in LA against the Clippers, shooting 57% from downtown.
Why Steph is the player to watch
Steph Curry and the Warriors are more motivated than ever and have the cast to repeat
Despite last season’s championship, some extreme critics still doubt the Warriors as a dynasty. A repeat after losing most of their depth in free agency would silence such critics and may even convince the general public that the Warriors dynasty is superior to the Bulls’. If the Warriors repeated, their dynasty run would feature 7 finals appearances, 5 rings, multiple all-NBA caliber superstars, spanned through two different iterations of NBA basketball, and responded to consecutive playoff misses with a repeat. (Not to mention other possible accomplishments in the following seasons). To aid him on his quest, the Warriors are equipped with 4 fully healthy, all-star caliber players in Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green. To add more urgency to this playoff run, the NBA’s new CBA features parameters against luxury tax teams such as an extra tax penalty, the elimination of the mid-level exception, and an inability to take on extra salary in trades, that would make repeating much more arduous, especially for Golden State. (Not to mention the wear and tear that would come with trying for a 3-peat though Golden State probably knows that from their experience in 2019).
For Steve Kerr, the coach, a 5th ring with the Warriors would give him 10 championships across his playing and coaching careers. He will have won multiple championships with Jordan, Curry, and Popovich while being a key cog in 3 dynasties that each won at least 5 championships (the Bulls, Warriors, and Spurs’ dynasties).
Suffice it to say, this playoff run holds lots of weight and they will have the Bay Area on edge each game.
If Curry wins 5th title, might Steph be the greatest of all time?
For the same reasons that a 5th title would make the Warriors dynasty superior to the Bulls’, a 5th championship would likely convince the general public that Curry is better than Jordan. For one, Curry has ushered the league into an age where analytics and 3-point shooting take center stage something even Jordan can’t counter. Moreover, he will have been a true locker-room leader and contained the egos of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and others who have passed through the Warriors room while successfully attracting Durant whereas Jordan’s freakish attitude may have rubbed others like Charles Barkley the wrong way. On the court, Curry will have at least 1 more finals appearance, a superior 70-plus win season, and recovered from stronger adversity (such as the early ankle injuries, a hand injury in 2020, and a massive exodus of free agents in 2019). In a league where superstars often change teams to form superteams, would winning a 5th title in Golden State while passing LeBron in championships, despite playing six fewer years cement Curry as the NBA’s goat? It certainly would in most circles.
Conclusion
Steph Curry is probably the most dangerous player to watch this postseason. He recaptured the attention of the NBA world last season with a title and already proved he is the greatest 3-point shooter to touch the hardwood. Coming into the playoffs, Curry has been on fire in March and teams will throw everything they have at him. The potential effects of a 5th championship on Curry’s legacy, along with the stakes of this postseason run for the Warriors’ future mean this postseason run is the most important in Curry’s career. The pressure on Golden State along with Curry clearly being the most dangerous player this year make him THE player to watch this postseason.
