Warriors' Stephen Curry Named 2022 Western Conference Finals MVP
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVMay 27, 2022
Stephen Curry was named the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP after his Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, 120-110, winning the series in five games.
Curry, 34, was excellent in the series, averaging 23.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Game 5's effort—15 points and nine assists—was his weakest effort of the bunch.
Not that he didn't have his moments:
It continued another excellent season for Curry that saw him average 25.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in the regular season while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from three.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Curry would be the first one to win the NBA's newest award. Add it to an already crowded trophy shelf.
Curry is a three-time champion, eight-time All-Star, two-time MVP, two-time scoring champion and four-time first-team All-NBA selection. He's a future Hall of Famer and the greatest shooter to ever live, helping to usher in the modern age of floor spacing and three-point shooting.
StatMuse @statmusePlayers with multiple MVPs and 6+ Finals appearances in NBA history:<br><br>Bill Russell<br>Wilt Chamberlain<br>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<br>Magic Johnson<br>Michael Jordan<br>Tim Duncan<br>LeBron James<br><br>And now, Steph Curry. <a href="https://t.co/2CqTzLFv9C">pic.twitter.com/2CqTzLFv9C</a>
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoThe Warriors are the first franchise to reach the NBA Finals 6 times in an 8-season span since the Jordan-Pippen Bulls from 1991-98. <br><br>The only other franchises to do this are the Celtics and Lakers. <a href="https://t.co/l2XiheuOIh">pic.twitter.com/l2XiheuOIh</a>
The one thing that Curry has never won, however, is Finals MVP in five previous trips. In Golden State's 2014-15 title, Andre Iguodala earned the award, while Kevin Durant won it for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 championship teams.
If the Warriors win a title this year, however, Curry will be the prohibitive favorite to claim the award. Of course, either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat—Boston currently leads the series, 3-2—will have something to say about that.
But Curry has made it a habit of earning every bit of hardware available. Even the newest trophies.