Golden State Warriors: 4 goals for Stephen Curry this upcoming season
Go for Finals MVP
This goal is working under the assumption that the Golden State Warriors will reach the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year. Unless something goes seriously wrong for them–namely, in terms of health–they will get there. They are, by far, the best team in the entire Association.
Stephen Curry’s Finals career has been rather up-and-down. He hasn’t gotten a single vote for Finals MVP, despite winning two championships. A tough Game 2 in the 2015 Finals and an injury-riddled 2016 Finals have hurt his reputation.
Despite the fact that he raised his scoring average to 28 over the final three games of the 2015 series as he helped the Warriors overcome a 2-1 deficit, the narrative was that he struggled. He averaged 26 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game in the series. Despite that, he lost the Finals MVP to Andre Iguodala.
The 2016 Finals were a struggle for Curry. It was clear that he didn’t have anything left in his knee to give, especially as the series extended. Returning from an MCL sprain to play against Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, and Kyrie Irving will take a toll on you. He fell apart late in the series, collapsing in Game 7 when his body failed him.
The 2017 NBA Finals was about redemption. He dominated. WIth two healthy knees and healthy anger, he dominated Irving. He made LeBron James look foolish on several occasions. He did what he wanted whenever he wanted to do it. Despite that, Kevin Durant won the Finals MVP for his incredible efforts.
If the Warriors make it back to the Finals, Curry should aim for the Finals MVP. That doesn’t mean he should derail the team’s championship hopes in search of selfish pleasures, but he can do both. He can try to take over more.
I don’t believe you need a Finals MVP to be considered great. Scottie Pippen has six championships and zero Finals MVP awards. Kobe Bryant won five rings but was named the Most Valuable Player of the series twice.
Next: 5 reasons Steph Curry will win MVP
Still, it’s the one major knock against him at this point in his carer. It’s also the only piece of meaningful hardware he doesn’t have. He needs to go for it.
If he can repeat his 2017 performance in a series win, he definitely will have a strong case for it. At a minimum, it will be his third strong showing on the game’s biggest stage thus, hopefully, eliminating the false narrative that he can’t play under the bright lights.