After the Golden State Warriors won an astonishing three NBA finals over the course of 4 years—in 2015, 2017, and 2018— they are unsurprisingly back again in the 2022 NBA finals against the Boston Celtics. Stephen Curry has been a standout player since their initial win in 2015, but the mystery lies in how he has not yet been named the NBA Finals MVP. While he has received the honored awards of All-Star Game MVP, as well as NBA MVP twice, 2022 may be the year where Curry is recognized for his outstanding playing in the finals series specifically.
After the first four games of the series, which left the Warriors and Celtics tied 2-2, sports critics predicted Steph Curry as the obvious pick for the Finals MVP as he carried the team, scoring 43 of the total 107 points for the Warriors that night. Fans also wondered if Curry’s foot injury, which occurred at the end of game 3, would affect his playing in game 4, however, it did not hinder his playing whatsoever.
Prior to game 5, Curry was the clear frontrunner for this year’s MVP, with no other Warriors plays considered, while Celtics players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were also named as contenders. Even if the Warriors lose, Curry still has the chance to be named MVP, similar to James Harden’s Finals MVP status in 2018 when the Houston Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors.
However, game 5 proved to be a turnaround for Stephen Curry in which he broke his devastating 3-pointer streak; previously to this game, he had scored at least one 3-pointer in every playoff game. He still managed to play well, scoring 16 points as well as 8 assists, and his previous performance in the first four games may be sufficient to land him the title of MVP.
Canadian player Andrew Wiggins, who is only 27 years old, stole Curry’s spotlight in game 5 by bringing the Warriors to victory, scoring 26 points but also serving as a key defensive player. While there has been speculation following his incredible performance on Monday night that he could be considered for the series MVP, all eyes remain on Stephen Curry to see if he can come back for game 6 with the tenacity fans have witnessed all season, and finally be crowned the Finals MVP.
