Like Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, it consists of soft touches of the finest details and was ultimately beautiful.
Curry’s legacy as one of the greats of the sport has long been established, but he has never been caught standing still.
Despite all that was accumulated against him in Game 4 of the NBA Finals – a leg injury, struggling teammates and the kind of pressure that we mortals can’t even comprehend – Curry produced perhaps one of the best games of his career (and there are many to choose from), setting the Boston Celtics on fire for 43 points and leveling the finals in the process.
Even after a career with many titles, many most valuable awards and many All-NBA First teams, the star points guard still shows why he is a transcendent figure in the sport.
“He did not allow us to lose. That’s all it comes down to. I can understand his behavior, “said Curry Warriors longtime teammate Draymond Green after winning Game 4.
On Thursday, the Warriors won the NBA title in 2022 with a victory over the Celtics in Game 6 of the finals, providing Curry with another ring and his legacy as great as ever.
The title is his fourth in eight seasons, but perhaps the most impressive for the 34-year-old and – with his first MVP award in the finals – solidifies his legacy as one of the top 10 players in league history. company.
“What will they say now?” Curry told Mark Spears of Andscape after the game. “(You) hear all the talk about you as a player and us as a team, no one outside the Gulf region expected us to be here last October when the season started. I as a player, obviously these things for the MVP of the finals and all that, we knew (were) good enough to win three championships before.
“But to have the opportunity to go to fourth place (championship) and achieve that goal, God is great,” Curry said of Bill Russell’s trophy. “I’m just glad I have to do it.”
Change the game
Since joining the league in 2009, Curry has almost single-handedly changed the way basketball is played. Teams are now increasingly prioritizing their three-point shooting, while future NBA players arrive in the draft with well-designed long-distance shooting.
But for Curry, the master of the craft, he showed against the Celtics – defense № 2 in the league – why he is still a model for three points, an ongoing attack in which Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr became such famous.
Unlike other heliocentric disorders – Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks, for example – Curry does not hold the ball in his hands with every possession, but make no mistake, the Dubs attack works thanks to Curry.
He is the Sun in the Warriors’ crime in the solar system. His teammates revolve around his offensive threat, opening spaces, even though he may not even own the ball and yet, despite all the defenses aimed at him, such is his threat, Curry still finds ways to score.
Although his NBA record of 233 games with at least one three ended in Game 5, his presence on the court alone is enough to terrify the defenders.
Dissatisfied with staying in one position on the floor, Curry can often be seen sprinting around without the ball trying to move to a place where he may get hit. And this move and Green’s accurate pass not only led to great success for the Warriors, but also transformed the league.
For the Warriors’ core – Curry, Green, Clay Thompson and head coach Steve Kerr – this is their fourth title and perhaps the most impressive.
“I don’t want to write this”
November 19, 2020 brought the news that Warriors fans did not want to hear.
Thompson, the second half of the prolific Splash Brothers, had torn his Achilles tendon, ending his 2020-21 season. “I do not want to write this. “My soul is in Brooklyn and I’m napping before the game,” Thompson wrote on his Instagram.
This will be the second consecutive season in which the star scorer will be absent after breaking his left ACL in game 6 of the 2019 finals.
In the two seasons he missed, the Warriors made 54-83, including missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Between Curry and Green’s injuries and the passing sands of time, it seemed like the unthinkable could happen: the Warriors dynasty might stop.
However, like the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs that Kerr played for, the Warriors recovered.
Through some sensible transactions and shrewd draft choices, the previously naked-looking core was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of talented and experienced energetic players.
With the return of Thompson and the accession of some youngsters, such as Jordan Poole, the team made an incredible return to the finals, leaving behind an All-Stars team.
But without Curry’s insulting magnetism, this might never have happened.
Heritage
For someone who is transforming the NBA so comprehensively, the last two months have been a curry clinic.
He averaged more than 27 points and approximately five rebounds and six assists, while at the center of the league’s most stable defenses.
And although he is certainly one of the greatest players in the league, given the uniqueness and success of his style of play, this 2021-22 season was the icing on the cake in his future career in the Hall of Fame.
Although still far from the Champions League record – Bill Russell has a remarkable 11 of the legendary Boston Celtics from the 1950s and 1960s – now he has caught up with such luminaries as LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neill and Robert Parish on four titles.
The debate over who is in the top 10 NBA players of all time has been going on for years and will continue for many years.
But such was his influence in the playoffs and the season as a whole, Curry should be placed among these elite names.
“The expansion of Mount Rushmore … is the only conversation that needs to be about Stephen Wardley Curry. Sincerely, Dwayne Wade,” the three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heath wrote on Instagram. Defender of the San Antonio Spurs Dejunte Murray also praised Curry after Thursday’s victory. “We will never see something like curry again. We appreciate HIS MAJESTY, why can we !!! # Top10EVER,” he wrote on Twitter.
Despite his brilliant career before this season, with three championship titles and two MVP awards in the league in his name, this year’s triumph could be his crown jewel.
Hall of Fame Pointguard Isaiah Thomas said Curry’s MVP was “helping” his legacy.
“As (Boston) Cedric Maxwell told me that night, he says, ‘There are 32 NBA Finals (MVPs). “I’m one of them,” Thomas told ESPN.
“I am one of them. In the end, it matters. Helps. Steph’s legacy is already cemented in terms of what he did for the game, how he improved the game and what he did to make everything the kids want to play the game (the way he does). He pushed the game forward. “
Curry joined a reputable company with her draw on Thursday night. Before Game 6, only five players had four rings, multiple league MVP and MVP finals: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Karim Abdul-Jabar and Tim Duncan.
There are now six players with Curry.
By consensus, Jordan and James are the two best players in NBA history. But could Curry be number 3? Is Curry the best defender in the league?
These are not crazy suggestions to make – they are conversations that will begin to take place.
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