“Steph Curry owes his team for the 2016 Finals, and I believe he owes his team for what happened in 2019” - Skip Bayless
NBA and Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has come under scrutiny for past failures ahead of the 2022 NBA Finals.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, sports media personality Skip Bayless has lambasted Curry for his performances in the 2016 and 2019 NBA Finals as he believes that Curry will have to deliver the championship this year, especially without Kevin Durant by his side. Bayless said:
"Not only does he not have Finals MVPs because of Kevin Durant, they're going to have to prove that they can do this without him. He owes his team for that one (2016 NBA Finals), and I believe he owes his team for what happened in 2019 against Toronto because without much Kevin, and without Klay at the bitter end, if you look at Games 3,4,5 and 6, Steph Curry shot 33% from three. He's a career 43% regular season three-point shooter and clearly he's the greatest shooter ever and he did that against Toronto."
Curry and the Warriors let go of a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2019, it was the Toronto Raptors roster led by Kawhi Leonard that beat the Warriors. Curry and co. were depleted in 2019 with injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
"The pressure on Steph Curry starting tonight is a 10 on a scale of 10. Not only does he not have Finals MVP because of Kevin Durant, Steph owes his team from 2016 and 2019." — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/m4Y4rArWzp
Steph Curry's solid regular season
Steph Curry had a relatively strong season this year. The two-time MVP led the way for the Golden State Warriors in their pursuit of yet another championship.
He finished the regular season averaging 25.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He shot 43.7% from the field and 38.0% from beyond the arc. He also shot 92.3% from the free-throw line and recorded 12 double-doubles, along with two triple-doubles. Curry's defense also improved tremendously.
However, while shooting 38.0% from the perimeter might seem like a solid percentage, it's a significant drop-off by Curry's standards. He has shot 42.8% from three for his career.
This could be partly explained by his absurd shooting volume. The 33-year-old attempted a whopping 11.7 shots per game from long range. However, in the 2018-19 regular season, he took 11.7 threes per game and made them at a 43.7% clip. Last year, he took an astounding 12.7 per game and converted them at a rate of 42.1%.
He has had to carry much of the scoring burden as Klay Thompson was still getting going after a long injury absence. While Thompson had spurts of brilliance, he did not find much consistency during the regular season.
Curry also did not have his partner in crime, Draymond Green, for a lengthy spell. The Warriors forward suffered a back injury in early January, returning only on March 14.
Nikola Jokić eventually won the MVP. But had Curry led his team to the summit of the Western Conference, he might have had a case. His injury towards the end of the regular season also didn't help. Either way, the two-time MVP will be focused on winning his fourth championship.