Curry may have cemented his claim for MVP in Finals
OAKLAND, Calif. — Are the NBA Finals a foregone conclusion?
Is there any mystery left?
After all, the Warriors have a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, with a 122-103 win over the Cavaliers on Sunday, with the series heading to Cleveland.
But there’s drama. Who is going to be the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player?
The crowd at Oracle had a favorite candidate Sunday. When J.R. Smith — whose gaffe in Game 1 saved the Warriors’ collective bacon — was announced he got a huge cheer. And when he went to the line to shoot free throws, an “MVP, MVP” chant went up in the arena. Mean? Yes. Funny? Undeniably. But there are other MVP candidates. Including the obvious one: Stephen Curry.
Curry might not admit it, but he wants the award. His résumé has an empty slot waiting for it. And he’s playing like he deserves it.
On Sunday, Curry set an NBA record with nine 3-point shots. He ignited his team and the crowd. He broke Ray Allen’s record of eight set in 2010 with Boston. Along the way, he also passed LeBron James for the most 3-pointers made in NBA Finals history, with 90.
“That’s a pretty cool deal to accomplish knowing who has held the record,” Curry said. “But at the end of the day it’s all about trying to get a win. I never woke up was said, ‘Let’s go get nine 3s and get the record.’ It was more about playing the game the right way, having good intentions out there and good things happen.”
Good things are happening. His excellent game Thursday was overshadowed by all the weirdness: in Game 1, Curry played 46 minutes, scored 29 points and had nine assists and six rebounds.
On Sunday, Curry came out directing traffic and tempo. He finished the night with a gamebest 33 points, including 27 from behind the arc. With about seven minutes left in the game, he sunk an off-balance 3pointer at the shot clock and provided the game’s greatest highlight.
“He just kept going backwards, I don’t know why,” Klay Thompson said. “I don’t think it had any chane of going in but that was kind of like a dagger shot and it gave us all the momentum back. So that was my favorite.”
While the fans at Oracle want Curry to score and score some more, his assists are some of the prettiest parts of his game. On Sunday he had eight. The aesthetic quality of the Warriors’ game — and specifically Curry’s game — is only enhanced after the series against the Rockets, with their boring isolation basketball.
Curry has said the Finals MVP isn’t his focus. Before the Finals started, he was asked about missing that award from his otherwise glorious career. While he has played well in the Finals, except in 2016 when he was injured, he’s been overshadowed.
“It took to the second question of my first media availability, so I’m pretty sure that narrative’s going to take on life, as it has since 2015,” Curry said. “But it doesn’t make or break my career. If we win this championship and I don’t win Finals MVP, I’m going to be smiling just as wide and just as big.
“But I’m going to play aggressively, confidently with that right energy and motivation to help my team win. And usually when I’m in that mindset, good things happen, whether that means it’s a Finals MVP or not, who cares, but I'm going to be playing like it for sure.”
He is and it is quite a thing to witness.
There are some other MVP candidates. One candidate is Shaun Livingston, who is perfect from the field and has played some key minutes. The sentimental candidate is Thompson, who shook off a serious ankle sprain to play 34 minutes and score 20 points.
Long-shot MVP candidate would be James, who, if the Warriors prevail, could end up being the first Finals MVP for a losing team since Jerry West.
Last year’s MVP Kevin Durant? He rebounded after an unimpressive Game 1, finishing with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
But the electricity is coming from Curry.
A foul by Kevin Love on a 3-pointer, turning into a four-point play, gave the Warriors a 16point lead. While Curry stood at the free-throw line, the crowd chanted “MVP, MVP.”
This time, they weren’t kidding around. They meant it.