“LeBron hasn’t had a really bad finals game since 2011… Giannis never” - Nick Wright says Steph Curry should be held to the same standard as LeBron James, says he’s had a ton of help this year
There is an ongoing debate about whether Steph Curry has had to do as much heavy lifting as LeBron James in their careers. TV personality Nick Wright believes Curry has had more help and does not get as much scrutiny for performing poorly in the NBA Finals.
Although the Golden State Warriors won 104-94 in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics on Monday night, Curry was not a big contributor. The all-time leading 3-point scorer failed to knock down a 3-pointer in nine attempts.
233 straight games with 1+ 3PM
@joevardon
Steph Curry finished 0/9 from three in Game 5, breaking two incredible streaks:
◽️ 233 straight games with 1+ 3PM
◽️ 132 straight postseason games with 1+ 3PM
📚 @joevardon
theathletic.com/news/warriors-… https://t.co/zwuCWS06Dd
However, an incredible performance from Andrew Wiggins helped the Warriors go up 3-2 in the series. The forward registered 26 points and 13 rebounds on 52.2% shooting.
Andrew Wiggins last 2 games:
41 PTS
29 REB https://t.co/a8zSoOYTi3
On "What's Wright with Nick Wright," the analyst pointed out that Curry does not get the criticism due when the team wins. He also drew parallels with James, saying that LeBron never had a bad finals game despite six losses.
"That's what's frustrating to me," Wright said. "They won, so he shouldn't get criticized that much. That's how we always do it. If they had lost and he had played poorly, he'd be getting crushed this morning. But they won, so we can overlook the fact that that was his fifth career really bad finals game.
"LeBron hasn't had a really bad finals game since 2011. He's been to eight finals since then, but we still bring it up. (Kevin) Durant, to his credit, has never had a really bad finals game, right? Giannis, now, he's only been there for six games. Giannis (Antetokounmpo) never had a bad finals game.
"And what's also unbelievable is, this was Steph's fifth career, and by really bad I mean game score in the single digits per Basketball Reference. Fifth time it's happened. They are 3-2 in those games.
"Now, everyone knew that Steph had a ton of help before this year, and I do think Steph is carrying this team offensively through giant stretches. The games when Klay (Thompson) is off, they have no one else that's a reliable scorer, and his gravity alone, obviously makes them a dangerous offense.
"But Van Gundy compared them to the 2018 Cavs. The 2018 Cavs, LeBron had to score 40 eight times that playoff run. We want to throw Steph a parade for scoring 40 once in the finals."
The Warriors have an opportunity to close the series on Thursday night with a win. Failure to do so will see the Warriors play in a Game 7 for the first time this postseason.
Steph Curry and LeBron James played against each other in four consecutive NBA Finals
From 2015 to 2018, the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers were representatives from the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. In that stretch, the Warriors won three series, with the Cavs managing only one series win.
Although James was the obvious MVP in 2015 judging by performance, the NBA does not give the award to a player from the losing team. Golden State's Andre Iguodala was the recipient of the award for his valiance in guarding James.
In 2015, Andre Iguodala won Finals MVP, with seven of 11 votes. LeBron James got four votes (including mine). Stephen Curry got zero.
It’s still a sore point for Curry fans.
So I asked my fellow voters: Did we get it right? Any second thoughts?
si.com/nba/2022/06/12…
The award went to LBJ in 2016 after the Cavs pulled off an incredible 3-1 comeback. To date, they are the only team in league history to achieve such a feat.
Kevin Durant came in and changed the nature of the rivalry. The Warriors were a lot stronger, and they showed their dominance with two consecutive championships in 2017 and 2018.
Steph Curry holds the top spot ahead of tonight's Game 6 👀
#NBAFinals MVP Ladder: on.nba.com/3QnwYZz https://t.co/Ex7LyOvVnw
Curry currently tops the finals MVP ladder. If the Warriors win the series, he is likely to win his first Finals MVP award. Chef Curry is averaging 30.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals in the finals.