Steph Curry's rings and his journey to achieve them: Ranking his 4 NBA championship victories in order of toughness
Despite being the face of the most recent NBA dynasty, Steph Curry's rings are filled with controversy. The criticism partially formed because of the manner in which the Golden State Warriors amassed success over the years. There are some interesting question marks thrown in there.
Ranking Steph Curry's rings:
4) 2018
In terms of toughness, the 2018 championship was by far the easiest for Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. It was the final chapter in the Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers rivalry, and ended in lackluster fashion.
With Curry and Kevin Durant playing at such an elite level, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers stood no chance. The Warriors swept the series, and it wasn't relatively close. Three of the four games were won by double digits.
Durant took home finals MVP honors after averaging 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. Curry (27.5/6/6.8) put on just as dominant of a performance. LeBron averaged close to a triple-double, but couldn't come close to going toe-to-toe with the Warriors' stacked roster.
Looking at all of Steph Curry's rings, this one certainly came with the most minimal effort.
3) 2017
Another of Steph Curry's rings that came in dominant fashion came the year prior. It was KD's first season with the Warriors, and as expected, the pair of superstars quickly took care of the competition.
LeBron and Kyrie Irving managed to steal one game on their home floor in this series, but the Warriors managed to end things in five games. KD once again took home the finals MVP after averaging nearly 36 points per game.
LeBron managed to average a triple-double, but couldn't re-create the magic the Cavs had a year prior. With Curry and Durant being two of the top five players in the world at the time, they were nearly untouchable.
2) 2015
Of all the Warriors title wins, this one came with the most controversy. Partially because of how depleted the Cavaliers were by the time they got to the finals.
Kevin Love exited the playoffs early after injuring his shoulder while going for a rebound, and Kyrie Irving only appeared in Game 1 against the Warriors before getting hurt. From there, LeBron was left with just a band of role players.
Despite those circumstances, this is still easily the second-toughest finals win for the Warriors dynasty. Mainly because of the fact that they had never won on this stage before. They took care of business in six games, and the finals MVP was awarded to Andre Iguodala for his defensive work on LeBron.
1) 2022
Out of all Steph Curry's rings, last season's was by far the hardest. Along with their core being at the back of their prime, they faced off against a young and hungry Boston Celtics team.
After a miraculous turnaround at the midway point of the year, Boston was one of basketball's hottest teams for months. They carried this into the playoffs where they took down Kevin Durant, his Brooklyn Nets, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks.
Like every young team learns, experience is a key factor in the playoffs. It paid off big for the Warriors as they took down Jayson Tatum and Co. in six games. Along with Steph Curry's rings, he took home the first finals MVP of his career after averaging 31.2 points, six rebounds and five assists.