When Steph Curry was a Junior in college he took the world by storm in the NCAA tournament. He lead the Davidson Wildcats to the Elite 8. Nobody really thought he would be a superstar in this league. I mean the Timberwolves passed up on the Baby faced assasin not once but twice. He had to battle ankle issues, doubt from management and Monte Ellis for shine on the team. In 2013 that all changed The Warriors took a leap and Steph Curry became an elite point guard. His then Mark Jackson dubbed him and Klay Thompson the greatest shooting back court of all time. A prediction that ended up being right. Under the new direction of Steve Kerr Steph became a top five player in the world and one of the faces of the league. Mark Jackson believed in Steph he wouldn't be who he is today without Coach Jackson. His coaching and belief helped Steph become a great point guard Steve Kerr's coaching and belief turned Steph into a great player. He turned Steph Curry into a weapon. He took Steph Curry off the ball and inserted Draymond Green into a point forward role. Teams couldn't just focus in and double Curry anymore because he didn't have the ball in his hands. He would get buckets in the flow of the offense coming off screens and dominating mismatches. Kerr also aloud Steph to grow as a player try different things take crazy shots from anywhere on the floor.
This new approach and play style made the Warriors the most exciting team in the Association. The Warriors went 65-17 and Stephen Curry was named league MVP. This was Baby Face Assassin Steph Americas Darling but will cut your throat out. Just ask the New Orleans Pelicans how much of a gangster Steph Curry is he scored 40 points in game 3 including 3 pointer in the corner over Anthony Davis and Tyreek Evans to force overtime. This was the Pelicans first playoff appearance since changing there name to the Pelicans and their first appearance since Chris Paul left for Lob City. New Orleans was rocking that day begging the Pelicans for a win and they left sad and in disbelief at what Steph Curry did to their team. The Warriors marched to the finals against LeBron James and the Cavs. It was a hyped up Finals as the MVP versus the best player in the world a title Steph Curry one day wanted to hold. Steph Curry went onto average 26 points 5 rebounds and 6 assist he shot 44 percent from the field including 39 percent from 3. Somehow he wasn't awarded Finals MVP because the media thought Andre Iguadola holding LeBron to 36 13 and 9 was good enough to give him the award over the Warriors best player and League MVP. After winning the championship I had Steph ranked top 40.
Chef Curry
In 2016 Steph was the most popular athlete on the planet. He was so electrifying that year he lead the league in scoring averaging 30 points a game which seemed like in three quarters because the Warriors were blowing teams out left and right. Steph Curry tied the then record for most three pointers in a game with 12 against the talented OKC Thunder with Russel Westbrook and Kevin Durant. It was an all timer on a Saturday night. Steph was unstoppable making ridiculous shots including a game winner from about 35 ft. It lit up NBA twitter Curry lit up NBA twitter a lot that year. He had 13 40 point games and 3 games over 50. With the help of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green ,Iguadala and a great bench the Warriors finished with a NBA record 73-9 breaking the record set by the Bulls in 1996. Steph was named NBA MVP for the second time and for the first time in NBA history he named MVP unanimously. There was no doubt who was the MVP in the minds of players, GM's and media members. Going into that playoffs people were wondering how many titles can the Warriors win can they catch the Bulls with 6? And can Steph Curry get into that Jordan LeBron Kobe conversation.
During game 4 of the first round of the 2016 Playoffs against the Rockets Steph Curry suffered an injury that would sideline him until game 4 of the next round against Portland. The Warriors managed to win both home games but Portland was gaining momentum after taking game 3. The Warriors needed the Chef to get back into the kitchen. Steph cooked up a 40 peace including 17 in overtime. After making a 3 to seal the win he yelled to the crowd "I'm BACK!". The next round was another big challenge for the Warriors and a series that would change the course of NBA History. The Warriors went to battle against the OKC Thunder and their superstar duo Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook. The Warriors faced their first test of adversity as they faced a 3-1 deficit. All year we seen the Warriors overwhelm teams with their ball movement, shooting and defense. The Thunder weren't faced by that at all. Russel Westbrook was out to prove he was the best point guard and Kevin Durant looked unstoppable. He was too tall and skilled for Harrison Barnes and Iggy and too quick and skilled for there big men Draymond, Mo Speight's, Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. No matter who the Warriors tried to put on him it didn't matter. The Warriors were on the brink of elimination and Steph Curry delivered scoring 31 points and refusing to lose on his home court.
It was time to go on the road for game 6 every analyst thought the Warriors would lose and that the Thunder were going to the finals. Klay Thompson refused to fold pouring in 11 threes to save the Warriors season this was the day game 6 Klay was born. Steph Curry was mo slouch either he recorded a triple double scoring 30 points dishing out 10 assist and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Thunder had blown it and they know they blew it. All game they played timid and out of control the moment was too big for them. Game 7 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals was my favorite game from Steph. He seemed totally in control he abused mismatches, set up teammates, finished at the rim and made big time shots. He ended the game with 36 points and 8 assist. The Warriors seemed like they were destined to win the championship but they would face there toughest challenge yet.
LeBron James and the Cavs were healthy and motivated to win a championship after they fell short the previous year. The Warriors were not going to make it easy for them they took the first two games by blow out Steph didn't need to be special. Cavs took game 3 but game 4 was Steph's best game of the series. He scored 38 points and shot 50 percent from behind the arc. Draymond Green and LeBron got into it during the fourth quarter. Words were exchanged and Draymond Green received a technical and was suspended for game 5. Although Draymond was suspended nobody thought the Cavs would win. No team had ever come back from a 3-1 lead in the Finals. But it wasn't over LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined for 82 points and took game 5. I've never seen a duo go crazy like that. With Draymond suspended and Bogut out for the series nobody could stop LeBron from going to the basket and he got his jumpers to go. Kyrie put on the best point guard performance since Isaiah Thomas in the 1988 finals. Acrobatic shots came easy to Kyrie no matter the hand, the angle or defender Kyrie dazzled and proved he could get the best of Steph on any night. Nobody confused Steph with being a great defender. Kyrie attacked him nonstop on the pick and roll for the rest of the series.
Draymond came back for game 6 but the Cavs believed they could win. It didn't matter that he returned LeBron dominated game 6 again putting up another 41 point performance. Steph for another game wasn't at his best. He scored 30 points but it wasn't impactful. He even got ejected for picking up two technical fouls. Steph lost control and threw his mouth piece at a fan. The Warriors unralved and there invincible aura disappeared. The Cavs looked like the bullies. There was so much on the line for both teams. LeBron wanted to win a championship for his City. Cleveland had experienced so much heart break and pain and with this win the King would end that it was his destiny. When the 1996 Bulls won 72 games there motto heading into the playoffs was "Don't mean a thing without the ring". Meaning The Warriors couldn't call themselves the best team of all time without a championship. With a game 7 win would complete the greatest season ever.
Heading into the 4th quarter the Warriors had a 1 point lead in a low scoring game 75-74. Steph Curry had yet to make his presence felt. LeBron and Kyrie took over the 4th quarter. LeBron scored 11 points in the 4th quarter. If you would have told me that the best Warriors player this game would be Draymond Green I would have laughed in your face. But he was their best player and he was mainly the only reason why the game was even close. Biggest game of the decade and Draymond lead both teams in scoring with 32 points 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Curry dissapeared this game. The Warriors needed there two time MVP to be special and he was ordinary. He turned the ball over in crucial situations and couldn't make shots consistently. The game tied at 89-89 with 1:30 left both teams couldn't buy a basket and then the Warriors had an oppurtunity to score a two on one fast break but then came Batman I mean LeBron. LeBron came out of nowhere to block Iguadola and save the game. Kyrie went 1 on 1 with Steph on the right wing and hit him with a nice hesitation step back to win the game. The Cavs won the title and the Warriors magical season ended in defeat. All year Steph had come through for his team but he couldn't in the biggest moment. This series reminded of "Tragic Johnson" series in 1984. Magic Johnson let his team down in 84 and lost to there rivals the Celtics. Magic Johnson was great before and after that finals so was Steph. This loss didn't take away from Steph's greatness he played bad but he had won back to back MVPs only a handful of players have done that. He also moved his way into the top five point guards of all time and my all time 25 list of players of all time.
Rank:25
The Dynasty
Everything would change for the NBA in the summer of 2016. There were rumors going on around during the 2016 season that Kevin Durant would consider going to Golden St during Free Agency. I didn't believe it and especially after the Thunder lost a 3-1 lead to the Warriors. I thought KD would go to the Spurs,Boston or the Clippers. I was wrong Steph,Klay, Draymond and Iguadala lead a trip to the Hampton's to meet with KD and outline how they plan to make this work. KD bought their pitch and agreed to join the Golden St Warriors. KD going to the Warriors made them unstoppable. There was no doubt in anybody's mind who would win the championship that year.
With KD playing with the most explosive weapon in sports in Steph he was allowed to play 1 on 1. Teams still had to double and respect Steph because he could get hot so fast. Not to mention Klay who could litteraly score 30 points in a quarter. The Warriors played beautiful basketball. There ball movement and off ball cutting was breath taking. Steph, Klay, KD, Iggy and Draymond were known as the Hampton Five off the court and the death lineup on the court. Offensively they were a match up nightmare. You couldn't have a big man on the floor for the most part because teams couldn't guard KD with their center. In transition teams were at there mercy because of Steph Klay and KD's shooting ability you didn't want to give up the three so they would mostly give up a dunk or a layup. But because they shot the ball so great they would make threes from anywhere transition or not. On defense KD was challenged by Draymond to raise his game and did that. He protected the rim and guarded elite perimeter guys. Part of the reason why Steph Curry is so great is because of how great of a leader he is and how unselfish he is. I don't know how many great and accomplished players would welcome a player of KD's caliber on there team knowing that he's going to take away shots from you and credit away from you. Steph still proved he's a top 5 player in the game and best point guard in the league. In the three years Steph played with KD he averaged 26 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assist. He still reminded folks of how great he was individually. He made 13 threes on a November night at the time it was the most threes ever recorded in a game. The offense still ran through Steph even though Kevin Durant was the better player on the team as he was named Finals MVP's back-to-back finals Steph to me was the heartbeat of the team. Teams would rather try to stop KD than Steph because his buckets were more demoralizing and energetic than KD's. On the road his shots would deflate a team and its fans at home his shots would make the crowd go crazy and his teammates would get energized. You always hear coaches and analysts say "Don't let Michael Jordan or LeBron dunk" because the crowd gets excited and ignites the crowd. The same thing apply's to Steph Curry and the three point shot. During the Warriors back to back finals wins Steph averaged 2 8 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Winning back to back championships moved Steph Curry above players like KG, Dirk, Charles Barkley, Dr J, Isaiah Thomas and D Wade. He had accomplished everything but a Finals MVP.
Rank:15
Quest for Finals MVP
During the second round of the 2019 playoffs KD went down with an injury that would side line him for significant time. Many thought this would be the end of the Warriors season. I thought it was over as well James Harden and the Rockets were a game away from beating the Warriors with a healthy KD. Chris Paul was now healthy and motivated to get his first championship in his career and take down his nemesis Stephen Curry. Chris Paul was once Steph Curry's mentor when Steph was in college and his early years in the league that quickly changed once they became rivals during those Clippers Warrior battles. These two are the embodiement of the Drake bar " you make friends with Mike but got to AI him for your survival. Steph would get the best of Chris in most of there matchups he even dropped him with a nasty behind crossover that became one of the greatest sports memes ever. Steph would once again get the best of Chris before game 6 Chris Paul had the Rockets staff interrupt Steph Curries warm up and kick him off the court. Steph did not take this lightly. He put on a performance for the ages. After going scoreless in the first half Steph scored 33 points in the second half to eliminate the Houston Rockets once again Steph ended the Chris Paul James Harden era and he did it without Kevin Durant.
The next round in the Western Conference Finals the Warriors faced the Portland Tailblazers with Damien Lilard just like Steph Dame was having an incredible playoff run. Many were wondering if this was the year Dame could finally get a win against Steph especially with no KD. The loss of KD didn't matter against the Blazers as the Warriors \swept them in embarrasing fashion. The Blazer blew 4 4th quarter leads. Steph averaged 37 8 rebounds and 7 assist. He reminded players, fans and haters that he could still play like that player who won back to back MVPs.
Although the Warriors were able to make it to the finals without KD they weren't able to win. The Toronto Raptors were able to beat them in 6. The Raptors lead by Kawhi Leonard were the younger team and better defensive team. They were also the healthier team KD tried to come back but ended tearing his achilies and Klay Thompson who had been battling a hamstring issue in game 6 tore his achilies. It was just the Raptors moment even though Steph Curry did all he could but it wasn't enough he averaged 31 points 6 rebounds and 5 assis including a 47 point performance in a game 6 loss. Steph's critics criticized him for the loss saying he wasn't good enough to carry a team and brought up the fact that he never won an Finals MVP. After the Warriors lost in 2019 KD left and took his talents to Brooklyn in 2020 the Warriors were back in the lottery for the first time since 2011 and it seemed like the Dynasty was over.
In 2021 the Warriors came back with avengence they finished the regular season 53-29 3rd in the Western Conference and made it to the finals. Steph was motivated to win his fourth championship and his first Finals MVP. The Warriors roster was filled with young players and the core nucleus of Steph, Draymond and Klay. The Warriors were facing the Celtics who had two of the best young players in the league Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Not to mention their point guard was awarded the defensive player of the year Marcus Smart. Steph welcomed the challenge scoring on Marcus every chance he got. The Warriors were outmatched the first three games of the season as they found themselves down 2-1 on the road in a hostile environment. The Boston Garden was on fire trying their best to distract the Warriors and it was working. Klay wasn't playing well Draymond was a shell of himself ant the moment might of been too big for the young guys. Stephen Wardell Curry saved the day he scored 43 points to tie the series. He put on a clinic silencing the crowd with every bucket. The Celtics were trying to not blitz Steph off the screen so they would avoid the Warriors 2 on 1 half court fast break. The Celtica have their big ma drop down on the screen . This completely took Draymond out the game but Steph was able to get some clean looks but he also made some miraculous shots. That game 4 performance was one of the greatest finals performances in Finals history. This game gave the Warriors the confidence boost they needed and they returned toBoston to win the championship a game later closing out the Celtics in 6. Steph was so emotional in the final moments because he had been counted out forgotten about and disrespected. He averaged 31 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists and was finally named Finals MVP.
Steph the Legend
So where does Steph Curry rank all time currently? Stephen Curry is a living legend. He single handingly changed the way basketball is played.. His impact is undeniable. He's put up legendary numbers in crucial moments. What's crazy is he's not done yet.. The Warriors are going to surround him with enough talent to be winning championships for years to come. I think Steph is the second best point guard to have ever dribbled a basketball. Steph is a league MVP and 2 Finals MVP from the Magic Man. Shaq and Kobe together formed one of the greatest duos ever winning three straight championships. Individually Steph isn't better than Shaq or Kobe the longevity that both had are levels above Steph currently. Shaq was the best center in the league for 14 years and won three straight finals MVPs. Like Steph Kobe won championships with an iconic player but won two more championships as the best player in the world.
I then looked at Tim Duncan who again has great longevity. What Steph has done between 2013-2022 is amazing but Tim Duncan helped the Spurs win a championship as a rookie launching a dynasty. Tim Duncan has won a championship in three seperate decades. He's the best Power Forward to play the game. Then I look at Larry Bird and this was very close to me. Both are two of the greatest shooters of all time. With Steph Curry being the best shooter of all time. Just like we will never see another unanimous MVP we will never see a man win three straight MVP's. Larry Joe Bird was a bad man. He averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds for his career. He won three championships and two finals MVP's. Steph has more rings but he had more help. Larry never played with a player as good or better than him. Maybe if he played with a Dr. J and Dominique Wilkins he would have more than 3 championships. Not to take anything away from those Celtics teams because they were great some think the 86 team is the best ever but to me the 2017 Warriors are the best team ever. Nobody beats a healthy Warriors with KD because nobody has beaten a healthy Warriors with KD. Larry Bird has a slight edge to me Steph will eventually pass him but just for now I have Steph ranked as the 9th best player of all time. That's one spot ahead of Bill Russel and two spots ahead of Wilt. I had to take Wilt out of the top ten because he didn't win enough. He was the most dominant player in his era and only could win two championships. He had all the records even scoring 100 points in a game. But winning wasn't always the most important thing to Wilt. Yea Russel had the better teams but even in LA Wilt let a couple of championships get away from him. Steph is the ultimate teammate winner and leader. He does what is needed to win. He wants his teammates to succeed like Bill Russell who won 11 championships. I have Steph Curry ahead of Bill because of the era in which they played. Steph dominates the tougher era as in basketball.Bill had to face way harder things off the court he faced racist players and racist fans even from his home team fans. Steph Curry has dominated the most skilled era of basketball at 6'3 for almost a decade. If Bob Cousy dominated that era what do you think Steph Curry would do? The game has forever changed because of one man and that warrants him being a top 10 player of all time Stephen Wardel Curry the golden boy is a living legend.
Rank: 9
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