Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Cavaliers
1. Curry moves into Finals MVP lead with historic night
I am as fundamentally against the notion of a losing player winning Finals MVP as anyone you will ever come across. Basketball is a team sport, where the goal is not to put up numbers, not to carry your team as an individual, but to contribute to winning.
I’m the guy who put DeMar DeRozan above Giannis Antetokounmpo on my MVP ballot, because I think there’s just as much reason to doubt Giannis’ current ability to lead, accept coaching and know his strengths and weaknesses well enough to be the best player on a 59-win team as there is to doubt DeRozan’s importance to the Toronto Raptors’ success.
After Game 1, I was still ready to give Finals MVP to LeBron. The notion that he deserved it last year, or in 2015, or in 2016 had the Warriors won Game 7, was absurd. But 51 points on 32 shots in 48 minutes, forcing overtime on the road against the best team in basketball? It was too much for me to ignore.
Curry was the clear runner-up, scoring 29 points and being the best player on the floor for the eventual winning team. In Game 2, he was the best player on the floor by a considerable margin.
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I wrote after Game 1 that Curry — despite his strong night — was too passive early on. He looked comfortable, confident and springy from the jump, yet passed up opportunities to ignite himself and the crowd in an apparent effort to adhere to Kerr’s Kumbaya principles.
Kerr must have nudged him towards aggression in Game 2. Curry came out less hot, but more fiery. He made just one first-quarter 3, but took five. By the end of the third, he had equaled his total attempts (11) from Game 1 in 16 fewer minutes, while making only four. That’s still more than a point per 3-point shot attempt, but Durant and Thompson were both having more efficient nights.
That didn’t stop Curry from getting up six more 3s in the final period, five of which he made. He ended the game 9-of-17 from deep, setting the record for most 3s in a Finals game.
It wasn’t all outside shooting for Curry. He was absolutely massive on the glass; writing that he had seven rebounds does not capture the gritty, heady nature with which he was determined to combat the massive edge on the glass Cleveland enjoyed in Game 1. He also dropped eight assists, played stellar defense and finished +19.
Curry has had bigger nights on the ultimate stage. He’s valued the ball better (five turnovers), gotten to the line more (2-of-2) and hardly ever finished at the rim worse (2-of-8). Although he has yet to win a Finals MVP, he’s been the best player on each of the Warriors’ two title teams — his double-team commanding presence opening up Andre Iguodala in 2015 and Kevin Durant in 2017.
Next: 2018 NBA Finals Game 2 recap and reaction
Unless the Cavs revert to this strategy, Curry is in terrific position to claim his first Bill Russell Trophy. There are no signs of him slowing down individually, and if he does not, the Warriors should win. When it comes to Finals MVP, that is (usually) all that matters.