Steph Curry's Performance Last Night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Was Nothing Short of Legendary
It's a struggle to even put into words what the Golden State Warriors superstar did in Friday's 107-97 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, so maybe watch the highlights above before proceeding.
Coming into last night, Curry was dealing with a foot injury that looked and was serious enough to merit legitimate concern. Already, through three games of the NBA Finals, he'd been playing lights-out, yet the Warriors were still trailing 2-1 in the series and absolutely had to have this one to wrest back home-court advantage.
Curry outscored the rest of the dudes in his starting five 43-39. He knocked down seven 3-pointers and got to the rim at will, even though no one was really helping him out and he didn't have quite the same explosiveness. Against all odds, as a four-point underdog, Steph improved his Finals averages and leveled the series with a truly legendary performance.
Now what am I talking about when I say put some respect on Steph? Well, there's this weird notion that he needs a Finals MVP to cement his legacy as one of the best players of all-time, and I just don't get it. You know that in all those years he won a championship, three to be exact, if all he cared about was that achievement, he could've jacked up 40 shots a night and no one would think twice. Instead, Curry, being the unprecedentedly unselfish superstar that he is, deferred to others and set them up for success since, you know, basketball is a team sport.
For someone whose game is predicated on relentless movement, running off screens and creating his own shot, it's wild what Curry is doing at his relatively advanced basketball age.
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Fourteen of Curry's 43 points came in the third quarter, but he also had 10 in the fourth and was the key to the Warriors prevailing in the most critical portion of the game in such dominant fashion:
You'd think that a lead guard, as his career would go on, would become more deferential. Instead, Curry has embraced the opportunity to shoulder a heavier burden, leading the NBA in scoring last season before this absolutely fucking epic NBA Finals performance.
At this point, you could make a legitimate argument that Steph deserves Finals MVP no matter what happens the rest of the series. Only Jerry West in 1969 has earned that honor as part of a losing team. It'd be a shame if the all-time Finals Curry is putting together goes to waste and Golden State can't find a way to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Still, he's objectively miles better than anyone on the Celtics right now. Their best player, Jayson Tatum, is shooting 33.4% from the field in his last four. Jaylen Brown has had a solid, not spectacular Finals so far. Not anywhere near what Steph is doing.
I'm still old enough to remember how people were jumping down my throat for the mere suggestion that Curry was coming for his first Finals MVP after the first quarter of Game 1. "YA GOTTA WIN THE SERIES FIRST!!" blah blah blah personal insults, whatever. I honestly don't think it matters anymore whether the Warriors win it all or not. That's how phenomenal Curry has been.
Even his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson admitted to not fully appreciating what Steph is capable of:
Yeah Klay, you're playing a little better lately, but heed your own words. HELP THE MAN. This Boston defense is so legit. Like one of the better units we've seen in recent memory. Curry is just carving them up as thoroughly as he possibly could under the circumstances.
That whole "real recognize real" thing? Yeah, if you can't take if from me, take it from Dwyane Wade:
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I know Curry had a bit of a "down" shooting year by his standards during the regular season and missed 18 games. Folks were so quick to write him off for some reason. It seems like everyone wants Steph to go away. I can't for the life of me understand why. This guy is my No. 1 all-time "Drop Everything I'm Doing And Watch" basketball player. I grew up in Ohio rooting for the Cavs and LeBron. There is no one more fun to watch play basketball than Steph Curry. His GOAT shooting status fundamentally changed the way the game is played and how kids are training for future NBA careers. All you can do sometimes is laugh at what he's doing on the court. Such was the case in Game 4.
Curry reminded us of all of that again with one of the best individual performances you'll ever see. With all that was at stake in terms of a virtual do-or-die contest in pursuit of his fourth championship, the need to be god-tier brilliant while his teammates failed to pitch in, the hostile environment on the road, the weird-as-hell perception that he must have a Finals MVP or he's for some reason not in the same sentence as some other GOATs…the list goes on in terms of what all was on the line on Friday. Seriously, if Golden State loses, goes down 3-1 and in all likelihood goes down in six, people would never let Curry live it down. "SEE, HE NEEDS A SUPER TEAM AROUND HIM TO WIN A TITLE!!" Or some asinine similar discourse such as that.
To say that Curry delivered is an offensive, colossal understatement. It was the textbook definition of willing your team to victory. If you can shut a Boston sports crowd the ever-loving fuck up that decisively, you're doing something right.
The best part? He could care less about his own accomplishments and recognizes it all means significantly less if the Warriors don't win the Finals.
Take all your "BUT IF HE PLAYED IN A DIFFERENT ERA HE WOULD SUUUUUCK" takes and shove them where the sun don't shine. Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter of all-time. It's not particularly close. He's one of the best ball-handlers ever. He can move without the ball as well as anyone ever has, which is wild for a lead guard. Steph doesn't get fatigued. Doesn't get discouraged. Adapts to whatever the situation is. And yeah, takes the damn game over when the situation calls for it. Also, he's the least egocentric, self-centered superstar ever. The phrases "GOAT" and "legend" are thrown around a little too flippantly these days. Curry actually deserves those labels.
Not sure how anyone can hate on Steph Curry at this point. Find another angry, illogical argument to make about another player. Just give Stephen "By Any Means Necessary" Curry his due respect. It was well worth the 1,100+ words to try to persuade y'all if you're not there already.