Wiggins a Game 5 star, but Curry still MVP front-runner
SAN FRANCISCO >> Andrew Wiggins' Game 5 masterpiece prompted a jarring concept afterward:
“After tonight's performance, there's legitimate chatter that Wiggins should be in contention for the NBA Finals MVP award,” a reporter told Warriors coach Steve Kerr, in an eventual question about Wiggins' star turn.
Eyes rolled in disbelief from some veteran media members in the room.
The NBA Finals MVP award — and this Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy — is Steph Curry's to lose.
It's drawn curiosity from the get-go of this series simply because Curry didn't win that honor during his five straight Finals appearances from 2015-19, which included three title wins.
It's the one honor missing from the Hall of Fame résumé of basketball's greatest shooter ever, or so goes the chatter around the hardwood.
Once Curry dropped 43 in Boston's TD Garden for a Game 4 win that swung the series momentum (and home-court advantage) back to the Warriors, it seemed a fait accompli the Bill Russell Trophy would be his, possibly even if the Dubs lost the series.
Magic Johnson tweeted as much, and other NBA legends fawned over Curry, too.
Now, that's not to discredit Wiggins, nor to rule out any Celtics comeback.
If any of Boston's talents — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are among the top candidates — go big to pull out Games 6 and 7, then there most certainly will be chatter in their favor for MVP.
Wiggins isn't a one-game nor one-series wonder. An All-Star Game starter, he used his Warriors postseason debut to show off his two-way skills, from providing clutch baskets to double-digit rebounds.
Kerr, in answering the aforementioned question about “chatter” for Wiggins' MVP potential, acknowledged that the Warriors “had no idea” he could contribute so mightily on this stage upon trading for him from Minnesota, adding that “Wiggs has been a great fit.”
So great to disrupt Curry's path to the crowning piece of his Finals résumé?
When Curry is shooting 0-for-9 from 3-point range and the Warriors overall are making just 22.5 percent beyond the arc (9-of-40), rebounding chances are aplenty, as are putbacks.
Curry still scored 16, he had eight assists, and it's his presence that attracted so much of the Celtics' attention which helped free up others to make plays. That is what championship basketball should resemble, and what makes a player the most valuable in a landmark series that will further embolden his legacy — and finally fill a spot in the trophy case for a Finals MVP award.
The oddsmakers agree: Curry is the odds-on favorite for the award (at -320 with Wiggins at +1400; Tatum is +350).
You like chatter? Well, Curry's still got the numbers. How do you like that chatter?