With the Golden State Warriors defeating the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday, Steph Curry is headed to his sixth NBA Finals. But this Western Conference Finals clincher was a little different.
For the first time, the NBA is Awarding a Conference Finals MVP Award. In the Eastern Conference, it’s the Larry Bird Trophy. In the Western Conference, it’s the Magic Johnson Trophy. Following Golden State’s series-clinching win, Curry was named the first-ever Magic Johnson Award winner.
Stephen Curry is presented with the FIRST Earvin "Magic" Johnson Trophy awarded to the Western Conference Finals MVP! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/lK8reLZsY4
— NBA (@NBA) May 27, 2022
Curry’s selection was unanimous.
When the announcement came in, the NBA World congratulated Curry for the award and also put his overall dominance into perspective.
Steph Curry is a top 10 all-time player
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 27, 2022
Congrats to the @warriors for another trip to the finals. Great team effort‼️ So glad to see @KlayThompson break out and have a great game. Happy for @StephenCurry30 getting MVP
— Rick Barry (@Rick24Barry) May 27, 2022
Superstars w/ 6+ Finals appearances: Russell, Kareem, LeBron, Magic, West, Havlicek, Kobe, MJ, Shaq, Wilt, Cousy, Duncan, Elgin… Steph.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 27, 2022
Steph Curry won the first Kobe Bryant All Star Game MVP Trophy and Magic Johnson WCF MVP Trophy in the same year. You love to see it!!! pic.twitter.com/3HoVh0F6R4
— Humble (@HumbleChaudhry) May 27, 2022
https://twitter.com/RingzSeason22/status/1530028860724879361
Curry didn’t have a particularly strong closeout game. He finished game five with only 15 points, shooting 5-for-17 from the field, 2-for-7 on threes, and 3-for-3 on free throws. Curry did dish out nine assists and hauled in three rebounds. His fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, more than picked up the scoring slack in Game 5.
For the series, though, Curry was the clear choice. he averaged 23.8 points per game while shooting 44.4% on field goals, 43.9% on three-pointers and 84% on free throws. Curry also averaged 7.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds a game.
There’s very little that Curry has not done in the NBA. But despite winning three NBA Finals, one title that’s been elusive thus far has been the NBA Finals MVP.
Finals MVP next pic.twitter.com/cIW6ovp8pz
— Kai Muse (@Kyrie_Muse) May 27, 2022
He’ll have an opportunity to add that trophy to his mantle this year, with the finals starting on June 2.
[NBA]