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OAKLAND – The Warriors’ star has accomplished almost everything.
Stephen Curry has won three NBA championships and possibly counting. Curry has shattered numerous shooting records. And Curry has changed the game dramatically with his seemingly infinite supply of range and joy.
The Warriors enter the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors beginning on Thursday, however, with Curry still without something that most stars already have. Curry has yet to win a Finals MVP.
“It’s a special award that everybody wants to get, including myself,” Curry said following practice on Monday. “But at the end of the day, the first thing I do is look up and see, ‘Did you win or lose?’”
Should Curry looks around the Warriors’ practice facility, he would see the team’s three NBA championship banners that he played a large part in hanging up. Nowhere on those banners does it indicate that Andre Iguodala won the 2015 Finals MVP after earning praise for his defense on LeBron James. Nowhere on those banners does it say that Kevin Durant won consecutive Finals MVP awards (2017, 2018) because of his proficient scoring.
Hence, Curry sounds more concerned about the Warriors becoming only the sixth team in NBA history to win three consecutive titles. Or giving Warriors fans the proper sendoff for their 47th and final year at Oracle Arena. Or waxing nostalgic about playing in Toronto where he spent part of his childhood when his father, Dell, played for the Raptors (1999-2002).
“That’s like secondary to that you win or you lose,” Curry said of the Finals MVP trophy. “Probably even way down the list.”
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Curry stressed he spoke those words “not to demean the award,” which has belonged six times to Michael Jordan (1990-1993, 1996-1998), three times to Shaquille O’Neal (1999-2002) and LeBron James (2011-2013, 2016) as well as two times to Kobe Bryant (2009-2010), Tim Duncan (2003, 2005) and Durant (2017-18). Instead, Curry said he spoke those words out of respect for his teammates, including Durant, Iguodala, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
“Do I feel like we win a championship without myself or with what Draymond did or Andre did? No.” Curry said. “Everybody has a part in what we do, and whoever wins it this year, it’s the same vibe. I could go out and average 50 [points]. But without the contributions, the effort and the focus of everybody that steps foot on the floor, we’re not putting banners up. Everybody can feel pride in all the individual accolades as well as the team.”
Curry has backed up those platitudes with actions.
Curry averaged 26 points while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 39.8 from 3 in the 2015 NBA Finals. Yet, Iguodala won the 2015 Finals MVP after playing a large part in James averaging 35.8 points albeit on 39.8 percent shooting. Afterwards, Curry publicly and privately congratulated Iguodala for the award.
“Steph realized Andre’s value in that series,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut said. “I’ve never seen Steph hating on a teammate for getting an award. He’s still a two-time MVP. He’s won multiple championships. He’s going to go down in history as one of the greatest to play the game. I think he sees the bigger picture. Our league is competitive individually sometimes. But Steph is not one of those guys. He more wants to kill the guy that is guarding him. He doesn’t want to compete with somebody on his own team.”
So when Durant won Finals MVP for two consecutive seasons, Curry had a similar reaction.
No debate emerged in 2017 since Durant eclipsed Curry in several statistical categories, including scoring average (35.2, 26.8), shooting percentage (55.9 percent, 42.8 percent) and rebounds (8.2, 8.0). Last year? Different story. Durant and Curry had similar numbers in scoring (28.75, 27.5), and Curry even set an NBA Finals record with nine 3’s in Game 2. Still, Durant eclipsed Curry in shooting percentage (52.63 percent, 40.2 percent) and had a 43-point performance in Game 3, which offset Curry’s 1-of-10 from deep.
Afterwards, Curry congratulated Durant for the award and stressed not to feel guilty over winning it at his expense. On Monday, Curry reiterated that Durant “deserved both of them.” Durant has expressed appreciation that Curry offered public and private support instead of outward or subtle disappointment. for Curry’s public and private support.
“There’s no reason to — in the positions that we are in,” Curry said. “That’s just nitpicking, at the end of the day. If I really want to cause a hissy-fit about not winning the Finals MVP with all that we’ve experienced and all the highs that we’ve been to….”
Then, Curry really would not be what the Warriors say makes him so special.
“Steph’s just unselfish and all about the team,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m sure he would love to win Finals MVP, but he’s much more about the team than he is about the individual. He’s proven that over and over again.”
When the Warriors recruited Durant as a free agent in 2016, Curry stressed to him that he would not feel threatened with his arrival. Curry has willingly sacrificed his numbers to ensure team balance. After Durant and Green had their on-court argument this season, Curry helped rectify the situation by speaking with both Durant and Green individually while giving them the space to resolve their differences privately. And, oh yeah, Curry is kind of a good player, too.
While Durant has missed the past five playoff games with a strained right calf, Curry has averaged 35.8 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from deep.
No wonder Warriors veteran guard Shaun Livingston observed that Curry’s selfless attitude “just elevated everybody’s play and in turn allowed us to put banners up.” No wonder Livingston also found the narrative fitting should Curry would win his first Finals MVP this year.
“It would be the pinnacle and the ultimate kind of reward in a sense of things going full circle,” Livingston said. “All of his sacrifices, from his contracts, to his play with Kevin getting here and just everything, I think it would be full circle.”
Kerr hardly wants to entertain that discussion. After all, Kerr said “we’re trying to win the damn series.” His star player appears to be thinking the same way, mindful that his value goes beyond making shots from almost any distance.
“Don’t get me wrong, I plan to play my best and to do what I need to do to help my team win,” Curry said. “That’s never going to change. But I got to win and then let the rest take care of itself.”
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