“Best player in the league doesn’t win MVP, Stephen Curry shouldn’t win Finals MVP if Dubs lose”: Stephen A. Smith disagrees with Jalen Rose and Magic Johnson about FMVP

Magic Johnson believes Stephen Curry should win the Finals MVP even if the Warriors miss out on the Championship, ESPN analysts have split views.

Whatever anyone says about him being an underperformer in the Playoffs, Stephen Curry, has always been a menace in all of his 6 Finals appearances before this year.

At 34-years of age, he has outperformed himself from all those years where he led his teams to 3-championships averaging no less than his age. He scored 34 points in Game 1, 29 in Game 2 and 31 in Game 3.

What he did in Game 4 though, saved the Warriors from going 3-1 down in the series as well as gave them all the momentum they needed before going back to San Francisco.

Steph’s numbers through 4 games 🤯

Curry is the only player in NBA history to average 30+ PPG while shooting at least 50% from the field and 45% from 3 (min. 5 3PA) in the first 4 games of an #NBAFinals series. pic.twitter.com/bOgK834pWC

— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2022

The 6’2 point guard had a 43-point double-double in Game 4 with 10 rebounds and 4 assists, which turned a 5-point Celtics lead with under 7 minutes remaining in the game into a 107-97 Warriors win. And it grabbed Magic Johnson’s attention, who said this after the game.

Also read: “Jayson Tatum not playing like a superstar doesn’t remove his superstar status”: Chris Broussard brings up Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, and Dwyane Wade, making a perfect case for Celtics star

Jalen Rose agrees with Magic Johnson’s take on “Stephen Curry should be FMVP irrespective of the results”, but Stephen A. Smith doesn’t.

Former NBA player and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose echoed Magic’s voice before Game 5 on Monday and said that Steph should win the FMVP irrespective of the outcome of the ongoing Finals, to which Stephen A. Smith had his own say.

As absurd as Smith is most of the time, this isn’t a bad take. In fact, it sounds like a more appropriate one as Finals MVP should be from the team, and it has happened just once that a player from a losing team won the award.

It was Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969, which was the debut year for these awards. Curry can lead his team to two more wins and put this debate to rest. Otherwise, we will be talking about who should have been the deserving FMVP for months and years to come.

Also read: “Stephen Curry is the next big name in sneakers”: When Julius Erving got his prediction horribly wrong about who would be the next Michael Jordan in the shoe game

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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