Following an epic 43-point performance in Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, Stephen Curry vaulted to the No. 1 position on the MVP award ladder.
Curry has never won the NBA Finals MVP and he’s a lock for this 12 months’s award should Golden State seal the deal. If the Warriors lose, nevertheless, there remains to be a likelihood that Curry will walk away together with his first-ever Bill Russell trophy.
The one time a losing player has won the NBA Finals MVP was Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West in 1969. Since then, the one losing player to come back near winning the MVP trophy was LeBron James when the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Dubs in 2015.
Andre Iguodala received seven of 11 MVP votes in that series, with James getting the opposite 4. Curry didn’t get a single vote despite being the threat that opened up the space for Iguodala to knock down shots and shine because the Finals MVP.
Jaylen Brown is outplaying Jayson Tatum
Currently, Jaylen Brown trails Curry on the MVP award ladder, followed by Jayson Tatum. Should Curry proceed to dominate the NBA Finals — where he’s averaging 34.2 points per game — and the Warriors find yourself losing, he could make history by becoming the second losing player ever to win the Bill Russell trophy.
After all, that may be a troublesome task to perform in a culture that only desires to award a player on the winning side. James was by far one of the best player on the ground in 2015 and voters still gave the award to Iguodala just because he was on the winning side.
Perhaps if Celtics win in six games, the award will go to Brown or Tatum, but when there’s a Game 7, Curry has the potential for stealing the trophy. Every contest has been decided by 10 or more points but they’ll likely start coming right down to the wire from here on out.
The one way Curry won’t win Finals MVP in a loss will probably be if Brown or Tatum have incredible performances. If the Celtics win as a collective, though, while Curry continues to deliver iconic moments, there is no such thing as a way that the Warriors guard will miss out on his first-ever NBA Finals MVP.
