The Golden State Warriors didn’t feel like skimping on the Boston Celtics and quickly settled their case to add a chapter to the legend of Stephen Curry, who is enjoying a fourth championship in eight years.
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Named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career following his team’s 103-90 win in Game 6 of the series, Curry obviously expressed his joy. Even though he now has four career Silver circuit titles, the most recent gives him a very special taste.
“That one is different, certainly, knowing what the last three years have been. There were the injuries, the changing of the guard and the formation. [Andrew] Wiggins has arrived, as have the youngsters, he said at a press conference. When we said that we thought we would return to this level, it didn’t make sense to many. Now we have four championships. It is special.”
Indeed, the last Larry-O’Brien trophy for the Warriors previously dated from 2018. The team went through hard times afterwards, with some key elements like Kevin Durant leaving under other skies. Curry suffered a hand injury in 2019 and the club’s performance was greatly affected. However, the trade bringing Wiggins to California concluded with the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2020 allowed Golden State to come back in force and to forget a few difficult years. And most importantly, Curry was always around, ready to offer as much to the organization.
“Steph reminds me so much of Tim Duncan. Admittedly, they are totally different players, but the human side, the talent, the humility and the confidence form a formidable combination in him, encouraging everyone to want to win for him, complimented the head coach of the winners, Steve Kerr. Without him, none of this would have happened. In my opinion, this is a crowning achievement.”
fully deserved
The 34-year-old Curry averaged 31.2 points per game in the final and his selection as the Final Round Most Valuable Player came as no surprise, despite a lesser harvest in Game 5, during which he was unable to make a single three-point shot.
“I’ve seen this trophy up close three times and now I’m taking it home. [….] It’s amazing. You keep working towards a goal and good things happen. You know what I mean? Because that is the message here”, he insisted, referring to the importance of the efforts to be made to reach the top.
In 2015, Andre Iguodala received the Warriors Championship Most Valuable Player honor while Durant was crowned in 2017 and 2018.