With two seconds left in the game that clinched his fourth — and sweetest — NBA title, Stephen Curry held his face in his hands, almost confused by a flood of emotions. He clasped his father, Dell, in an embrace and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
So he did both.
“I blacked out for a second,” Curry said after the Warriors’ 103-90 Game 6 win at Boston that sealed a title and cemented his legacy. “It was definitely overwhelming. … It was surreal because you know how much you went through to get back to this stage.
“I didn’t even know he was down there, to be honest with you. I saw him and I lost it, and I knew the clock was kind of running out. I just wanted to take in the moment because it was that special.”
It was a triumph that earned Curry his first NBA Finals MVP award, and likely moved him even closer to the center of the league’s pantheon of stars. Curry, already the best shooter in history, is now probably one of the league’s Top 10 players all-time as well, after leading the Warriors back from the league’s cellar, where they resided two years ago at 15-50, to its summit.
And that’s when the dam burst.
“You go through these last two years, and conversations, narratives, we’re too old, the parallel timelines of developing young guys and keeping our core together, all those tough decisions we had to make. That weighs on you for as much time as we’re going through it,” Curry said. “We’re right here, and it’s surreal. Then you get to the finish line; and that’s why this one is definitely different, because of the three years of baggage we carried coming out of that Game 6 in 2019.”
Stephen Curry’s legacy is only growing.
If the Warriors have been carrying the baggage of that 2019 Final — when they lost Kevin Durant to a ruptured Achilles, and Klay Thompson to a torn ACL — Curry has been carrying them. More than he ever has in the past.
Even Steve Kerr admitted those teams with Durant were “untouchable.” But this squad has had to retool on the fly. And it’s what makes it the greatest feather in Curry’s cap.
Curry already was the best 3-point shooter in league history, so prolific he didn’t just dominate the sport like Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but he changed it. Kids come over halfcourt looking to heave up 3s and emulate him.
Stephen Curry celebrates as the Warriors are named champions.
“He’s changed the game; everybody knows that. We call him the greatest shooter for a reason. He’s single-handedly changed the [game],” Kevon Looney said. “Since I’ve been here, he’s done something amazing every year. I got to see him win a unanimous MVP, got to see him break the 3-point record. I got to see him win three championships and win back-to-back MVPs.
“He’s considered one of the best ever for a reason. He’s impacted the game. When I go back home to Milwaukee and watch my AAU team play and practice, everybody want to be Steph, everyone wants to shoot 3s, and I’m like, man, you got to work a little harder to shoot like him.”
Curry had 34 points, seven boards and seven assists, finishing the series averaging 31.2 points, six boards and five dimes to earn the MVP award. It was the last missing piece from his trophy case after four titles, two scoring titles, an MVP and All-Star MVP. He joins Durant, James, Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are the only others to have done so.
August company, and Curry likely joined them in the Top 10 of all-time.
Stephen Curry shoots during the Warriors’ Game 6 win.
NBAE via Getty Images
Stephen Curry celebrates with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
Getty Images
“When you look at a guy like Steph Curry, to have the season and the career that he’s had, it’s amazing,” Draymond Green said. “And to stamp that with a Finals MVP. … I know he said it don’t matter, and it doesn’t matter in the sense of ‘oh, his legacy is not quite this unless he gets that.’ That’s garbage. Still Steph Curry, still an all-time great. But to add that to your résumé as a competitor, you want that. For him, well-deserved.”
Curry strode off Boston’s parquet floor with a victory cigar in his mouth, the Bill Russell Trophy in his hand and MVP chants in his ears. And his legacy as a top player cemented, or “impeccable” in Kerr’s words. But Curry’s coach did admit there is one thing missing from that Hall of Fame resume.
“No, he’s missing an Olympic gold medal,” Kerr, the 2024 Olympic coach, said to laughter. “I think he really has to focus on being on the 2024 Olympic Team. That’s the last thing for his career.”
Make that his Top 10 career.
