Stephen Curry is having an almost perfect season. He was crowned league MVP and has led his team to the finals for the first time in 40 years. If the Warriors win the championship, we can add another accomplishment to his long list of accolades: He would become the first player ever to defeat all four other members of the All-NBA first team on his way to a title.
Stephen Curry could eliminate the 4 other 1st-team All-NBA players in succession
Curry is leaving a trail of MVP candidates in his path to the NBA Finals. Can he take down LeBron James next?
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
In the first round, Golden State faced the Pelicans and Anthony Davis. Against the league's most promising young star, Curry averaged 34 points and eight assists to lead the Warriors to a sweep. Davis' 31 points and 11 rebounds a night kept the games close, but at no point it seemed like his Pelicans could pull off the upset.
That's the first name Curry crossed off his list before moving on to the conference semifinals, where the Memphis Grizzlies and Marc Gasol awaited. As expected, Memphis put up more of a fight. The series went to six games before the Warriors emerged victorious. Gasol averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, but was inefficient from the floor, shooting just 37 percent. Curry, meanwhile, averaged 24 points a game while shooting almost 11 three-pointers and connecting on 40 percent of them for the series. After falling behind 2-1, the Warriors won the next three matchups decisively to make it to the West finals.
Waiting for him there was his biggest threat for the MVP award all season long: the Rockets' James Harden. The matchup was hyped as the two best offensive players in the league going against each other, but once again Curry showed he was on another level. Harden finished the series averaging 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but Curry had 31 points a game on 51 percent shooting from the field and a ridiculous 49 percent on three-pointers. The Warriors advanced in five games thanks to Curry's ability to not only score, but also make timely plays.
Now, Curry will face his biggest test. While the other three were worthy opponents, LeBron James is the final boss in the NBA. James wasn't close to stealing the MVP award from Curry because he missed time during the regular season, but he's still widely considered to be the best player in the league. The Cavaliers appear to be the underdog in the matchup but James has carried a team without Kevin Love and with a hobbled Kyrie Irving easily into his fifth NBA Finals in a row.
Curry is the more efficient player, but James has put up monster numbers this postseason. He’s averaging 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. His Cavaliers have lost just two games, albeit against inferior competition, largely thanks to the individual effort of LeBron.
The NBA Finals are filled with intriguing subplots. The Cavaliers will look for the first championship in franchise history, with the prodigal son leading them. The Warriors have had a historically good year, and Curry has emerged as one of the most unique talents ever seen. Now he will have the opportunity to dethrone James as best in the league and become the first player to conquer all of his direct competition in a single playoffs run. It would be the perfect conclusion to a dream season.
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