Golden State Warriors’ superstar Stephen Curry back in line for the NBA Crown

Despite holding the mantle as the best player on the best team at the end of the 2021-22 season, few in the NBA landscape viewed Golden State Warriors’ superstar Stephen Curry as the best player in the league.

Curry may have been the Finals MVP, yet many retained the belief that Giannis Antetokounmpo was the best player in the league. ‘The Greek Freak’ had carried the Milwaukee Bucks to the brink against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, before eventually succumbing in part due to the absence of his running mate in Khris Middleton.

Stephen Curry will stamp the title, and take the crown of the best player in the NBA should the Golden State Warriors win back-to-back championships.

This time around Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have no excuse after a shock first-round defeat against the Miami Heat. Sure, Antetokounmpo may have been missing for two games with a back injury, but this was still a 1 v 8 matchup that was forecasted as a comfortable path for the 2021 NBA champions.

While the entire NBA world debates the impact this series loss has on Antetokounmpo, one thing is for certain — he can no longer hold the crown as the widely-regarded best player in the world. So, who steps up and takes the title?

With plenty still to play out in this postseason, Curry may have as good an argument as any for being the best player in the world. While the Warriors still need to close out their own first-round matchup against the Sacramento Kings, the two-time MVP put his team in a strong position with 31 points in Wednesday’s Game 5 at Golden 1 Center.

At 35-years-old, Curry is no longer in the mindset of winning regular season awards such as MVP. When you’ve achieved all he has through a glittering career, the only way to further prove your greatness is by winning championships. Despite an up-and-down year for the Warriors and injury troubles for Curry personally, he’s back here again where it matters most.

But while he’ll be determined to do it all again and add a fifth NBA championship, there’s a number of others who’ll be trying to put their best foot forward. Nikola Jokic has won back-to-back MVP’s and comfortably breezed through the first-round with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Joel Embiid will likely take out this season’s MVP and will be looking to stamp his dominance in the playoffs, plus you can’t write off the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Curry’s old foe LeBron James, and his former teammate Kevin Durant.

You can make an argument for and against a range of superstars, but Curry’s position will be undeniable if he and the Warriors go back-to-back. If people thought last year was his crowning achievement, it’ll pale in comparison if Golden State win it from the sixth-seed.