Last night the Golden State Warriors defeated Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to secure their spot in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Warriors will be competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy against either the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat. The Celtics currently have a 3-2 series lead with game 6 set to tip off tonight at the Garden.
After the game, Ernie Johnson was on the court with the team to award them the Oscar Robertson Trophy for winning the Western Conference. While he was doing so, I noticed what looked like an MVP trophy on the table with it, and sure enough, in the 75th NBA season, they introduced the Magic Johnson Western Conference Championship MVP trophy. The first person to receive the honor of this award happened to be Stephen Curry, who absolutely deserved it.
Steph averaged 23.8 points, 7.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds in this years Western Conference Finals according to Statmuse. Some of Steph’s best qualities don’t show up on the stat sheet. He is one of, if not the, most unselfish superstar in the league, and the work he does off-ball is unmatched. He never stops moving, he wears the defense out without even touching the ball, he creates space and cutting lanes providing open shots for his teammates based solely on his ability to rain 3’s on any given night.
Steph Curry is one of my all time favorite players. He is definitely the player I have most enjoyed watching since I have been able to actually appreciate the game of basketball. Shaq, who ranks high on my list of favorite players as well, was a ton of fun to watch, but my younger self didn’t watch the game the same way I do now. The feeling that you get when Steph runs circles around the defense, comes off a screen, catches, turns and fires is something you truly have to feel to understand. I can’t think of another player that I just assume the ball is going through the net when they put up ridiculous shots like that. The level of difficulty is off the charts, but he makes it look so easy. Even though I assume the ball is going in, a good majority of his shots still leave me shaking my head, grinning from ear to ear, wondering how the heck he does it. I heard Kevin Durant say on a podcast, I believe with JJ Redick, that, and I’m paraphrasing, “some players change the game, some players play the game.” Steph Curry changed the game of basketball and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to watch that unfold, and that is what makes him one of my favorite players ever. What does this award do for Steph’s legacy and ranking on the all time list?
Right now, I would place Steph just outside the top 10 players of all time. I could even argue to put him in the back end of the top 10, but I can comfortably say he is sitting somewhere in the 10-15 range currently. Does this award do anything to bump that up? In the moment, no, I don’t think so. It’s an award that has not been available to the players listed above Steph (other than Lebron) so for that reason, I cannot use it to improve his standing… yet. Right now, the award seems somewhat meaningless, but as they continue to hand this trophy out in years to come, it will be a sign of who shows up when it really counts. It’s an award that will forever be on Steph’s resume and will be used to compare him to future players, but not so much to compare him to the leagues best thus far. If Steph goes on to win another ring, I think he will definitely be able to solidify himself as a top 10 player, at least in my eyes, and if he wins a finals MVP award this year, it should be common place to see him in top 10 conversations.
The question is always who would you bump? The general consensus of top 10 players is in no particular order: Jordan, Lebron, Magic, Kareem, Shaq, Russell, Duncan, Bird, Kobe, Wilt.
In my opinion, it would be either Kobe, Shaq, or Wilt. That’s no disrespect to any of them, but that’s what’s hard about these lists. If someone comes in, someone has to go. I think most would argue that it would be Shaq who slipped out of the top 10 if Steph was to make his way in. I am bias, given that he is one of my favorites but I could see the case for the argument. Kobe edges out Shaq because he has one more ring. Wilt was great and put up some massive individual feats, but does that make him a better basketball player? Basketball is a team sport and winning matters. I did not have the opportunity to watch Wilt play, all I have is highlights, articles and books that I have read, so I would be tread lightly before I decided who gets the boot, but if the Warriors finish of this season on top, and Steph claims the finals MVP award, I’ll be making a new top 10 list to include the best shooter of all time.
What effect do you think this award has on Steph’s legacy? Where does Steph land on your top players of all time list? Will he move into the top 10 with another ring and an MVP, who would you bump? Let me know your thoughts on twitter @GreNBA_
As always, thanks for reading, we’ll see if the Celtics can close out the Heat and punch their ticket to the NBA finals tonight. Jayson Tatum is my pick to win the Larry Bird Eastern Conference MVP trophy and if he does, I’ll share my thoughts on him as well. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.
Jacob Grenemeier
May 27th, 2022
Photo Credit: https://warriorswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2022/05/USATSI_18364946.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1
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