Stephen Curry’s chance at redemption

Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors’ MVP point guard, has a chance to redeem himself and last year’s failure in this year’s NBA Finals.

Stephen Curry is an all-time great. He’s been to the mountain top and hoisted the golden Larry O’Brien trophy. He’s won two MVPs and has already become the greatest shooter in the history of the game.

Curry also had one of, if not the, most high-profile failure in league history. He joined a very exclusive group in 2016 after he won his second consecutive MVP award. He stood alone as the first one to ever win it unanimously.

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He led his team to 73 regular season wins while he had arguably the greatest offensive campaign the game has ever seen. He, single-handedly, changed the way we all think about the game. He was a brilliant combination of flair and efficiency.

In the opening round of the 2016 postseason, Curry suffered an injury. He endured a Grade 1 MCL sprain, after slipping on a wet spot. He missed the first round and didn’t return until Game 4 of the second round, in which he proclaimed that “I’m here, I’m back” when he scored 17 overtime points.

Curry and the Golden State Warriors fell behind in the Western Conference Finals. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder were too much for them as they built a 3-1 lead. But the Warriors were greater than that and, on one knee, Curry took them to a Game 7 and carried them to the NBA Finals.

Despite being hindered, Curry found a way to help his Warriors get the job done. Four games in the series, the Warriors were in the driver’s seat.  They had blown out the Cleveland Cavaliers and were up 3-1.

But LeBron James refused to go down. Kyrie Irving followed suit. Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala’s back and Andrew Bogut’s knee both suffered injuries. Draymond Green blew up and was suspended for Game 5.

The Warriors had one last hope: Steph Curry. And, despite his best efforts, scoring 30 points in a losing effort in Game 6, they couldn’t stop the Cavs from pushing back. And then Game 7 rolled around.

Just a month or so earlier, Curry celebrated on the Oracle Arena floor after Golden State won their record 73rd game in the season. He had become the first player to ever hit 400 three-pointers in one year and he tied the record for most threes in a game. He capped off what would be an MVP season in spectacular fashion.

The last game of the postseason, however, wasn’t as nice to Curry. When he needed it most, his body betrayed him. His knee refused to let him thrive and, in turn, he failed.

Curry wasn’t sharp and he was ridiculed for it. He threw a head-scratching behind-the-back pass to Klay Thompson in the corner with his left hand that floated out of bounds. He missed wide open shots in the fourth quarter.

When neither team could score in the final five minutes of the game, it was Irving–who missed the 2015 NBA Finals with injury–who knocked down the game-clinching stepback three over Curry on his own court.

Then, with the season on the line, it was Kevin Love–who also missed the 2015 NBA Finals with injury–who prevented Curry from getting any space. A player known for being a defensive liability managed to stop the league’s deadliest offensive force from saving the game and the season. Instead, Curry hoisted a shot that clanked off the rim.

Curry was set into an offseason with questions. His MVP selection was mocked and his 73 win season was invalidated. His status as a great was questioned. He couldn’t save his team or himself.

When Golden State signed Durant, the idea was that it would impact Curry the most. Early on, it did. He overcompensated, trying to get his new teammate involved at his own expense.

Durant went down with injury and the Warriors were lost. The core that won 73 games and a title over the last two years couldn’t defeat anyone. Curry forgot how to shoot the basketball.

But they were able to right the ship, slowly turning it around until they looked like the finely tuned machine that they were last year. Right as they were putting it together, Durant returned. No one really knew how this would impact Curry, who had returned to MVP form.

He’s healthy now. And he’s out for blood. Curry is averaging 28.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game in the postseason. He’s shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc.

Being great in the first three rounds of the playoffs is nice. But Curry has bigger goals than that. And the expectations are higher than that.

The stakes are highest right now. Few players’ legacies have ever hung in the balance quite like this. Curry had a poor Game 2 in the 2015 NBA Finals and he melted down in the 2016 NBA Finals so he needs this.

Curry is looking for redemption. No amount of regular season threes could have given that to him. A 67 win season couldn’t do that to him. Not even sweeping the Western Conference can do that for him.

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He needs to play the best damn NBA Finals any point guard has ever played. He needs to make Cleveland bend and bow to his will. He needs to shatter Irving, James, and whoever else has the misfortune of trying to guard him.

Curry is on a mission. His play throughout the postseason makes that pretty clear. This, right now, is the real season. These next four to seven games are all that matters.

He has one shot at redemption. He needs to seize it. And, with a healthy knee, and a renewed focus, don’t doubt that Curry will get his revenge and redeem himself.