Steph Curry on the brink of immortality as the Golden State Warriors take on the Boston Celtics
Steph Curry can be the defining player in the era of morden basketball but has to lead the Warriors to victory against the Celtics
The Golden State Warriors are set to face off against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
This matchup is intriguing as both sides offer difficulties to break up.
The Warriors are betting favorites against the Celtics who have been tipped to win by analytics.
The determining factor on how this series goes will fall on the shoulders of Warriors point guard Steph Curry who has a chance at immortality.
Warriors Dynasty
The Golden State Warriors have already cemented their place among the NBA dynasties along with the Earvin Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers in the 80's, the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls in the 90's, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal Lakers three peat as well as the Tim Duncan inspired San Antonio Spurs resurgence.
The Warriors however have been unable to take away the narrative that the titles won during the time of Kevin Durant were very much guaranteed even before the start of the season.
For proper context, the Warriors were progressing under Mark Jackson but ultimately made a managerial change to bring in Steve Kerr.
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would ascend to new levels under Kerr as they defeated a LeBron James inspired Cleveland Cavalier team to be crowned champions in 2015.
In 2016, however the Warriors won 73 regular season games, a record which is still a record in the 75-year history of the NBA, but James had his revenge in the repeat of the 2015 final.
The defeat ultimately would cause a seismic shift in the direction of the NBA as the Warrior trio recruited another MVP in Durant.
The arrival of Durant saw the Warriors win two more championships in 2017 and 2018 but injury saw them fall at the final hurdle in 2019 after which they went into a mini rebuild.
Warriors vs Celtics
The Warriors and the Celtics are two of the most storied franchises in the history of the NBA.
These two franchises are among the founding members of the league and with that comes huge expectations.
The Boston Celtics led by drafted players Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart finally made it to the final.
They lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 and 2020 with several reports of breaking up their core players.
The Warriors on the other hand are back from a mini-hiatus in a bid to reclaim the throne they never vacated.
This match up sees the Ime Udoka inspired defensive structure put to the test against an elite offense.
The Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets without Ben Simmons,took out the Milwaukee Bucks missing Khris Middleton and survived an injury plagued Miami Heat.
The Warriors on the other hand has little resistance as they went through the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks enroute the final.
Steph Curry's Finals MVP necessity
Steph Curry, a member of the all-time NBA 75 list, regarded as one of the greatest guards of all time still has a mission to accomplish.
The 34-year-old has multiple accolades including winning the MVP award twice, one of which was unanimous.
However, since Curry invited Durant to help win titles his legacy has taken a hit. Andre Iguadola was chosen as Finals MVP ahead of Curry in 2015 while Durant took the award in 2017 and 2018.
Known as the baby faced assassin, Curry is seen to have taken the easy way out and that narrative has now become widely accepted.
The knock on Curry is that he was not the focal point of any of theWarriors three title victories in five trips to the finals.
While Durant's offensive explosion was key to the Warriors lifting the title, Curry was the offense generator to get his teammates in the right position.
Now with Durant gone, All eyes will be on Curry who has a chance at immortality as the defining player of this era when the Warriors battle the Celtics in the NBA Finals starting, Tuesday, June 2, 2022.
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