NBA fans are still awaiting the outcome of the tough Western Conference battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, but the New York Knicks' advancement out of the East may have already given Stephen Curry a difficult decision on who to support in the NBA Finals.
Curry's relationship with former Warrior assistant and now Knicks head coach Mike Brown means his head and heart may be with New York. However, for the sake of his own legacy, you can make the argument that the 2x MVP should want either the Thunder or Spurs to emerge victorious.
Stephen Curry may be split on who to support in NBA Finals
Part of Curry's legacy and what makes him arguably a top 10 player of all-time has been his ability to lead the Warriors to championships as a 6'3" guard. Sure he might have had Kevin Durant for two of his titles, but Curry was Golden State's best player in 2015 (despite Finals MVP going to Andre Iguodala) and produced his masterpiece in 2022 that put a full stop on some of the criticisms that he'd faced prior.
There's a very short list of players in NBA history who have been 6'3" or under that have led their team to titles, putting Curry in rare and exclusive company that solidifies his standing as one of the game's greatest.
That list could grow if the Knicks manage to win the title, with a 6'2" Jalen Brunson their undisputed best player who has already earned MVP votes in each of his four years with the franchise after departing the Dallas Mavericks.
Brunson winning Finals MVP and leading New York to a title wouldn't drastically alter Curry's legacy by any means, but the 38-year-old should nonetheless be hesitant on wanting another undersized guard to make history.
Jalen Brunson would join elite company leading Knicks to a championship
Should the Knicks beat the Thunder or Spurs, and assuming Brunson won Finals MVP, he'd join Curry, Tony Parker and Chauncey Billups as the only players 6'3" or under to have won the award in the past 35 years.
Of that quartet, only Curry and Brunson would sit as the unequivocal best players of their team during the championship season. Neither Billups or Parker led their team in scoring during those respective years, and in the latter's case Tim Duncan was widely viewed as San Antonio's best player.
Brunson could be on the verge of making history, which is exactly why Becky Hammon is already facing scrutiny over her previous comments on Brunson's ability to lead the Knicks to a championship.
Will Curry simply be supporting Brown and by extension New York, or deep inside would he secretly be hoping that either the Thunder or Spurs can take down Brunson and deny his place in history?
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