Round two.
And, this time around LeBron James has his two boys with him, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, so there won't be any excuses for the Cleveland Cavaliers this time around.
This series features the two best players in the game, and to be honest, it's not even debatable.
Matthew Dellavedova and Marreese Speights.
But, for real, Stephen Curry and LeBron James are on some of that ASAP Ferg, these boys are on their own level.
Either Curry of James has been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in six of the last eight seasons.
Chef Curry has won back-to-back MVP's, and became the first player EVER to take home the award unanimously this year.You think James was happy about that? Child please.
And, just to be clear on how great "The King" has been during his NBA-career, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Bill Russell have been named league MVP more than LeBron James.
Not bad company.
And aye, I already hear ya'll, "Steph only been in the league for seven years, how can you throw him in that class already!!!!!"
First off, I am not throwing him in that class just yet, but he is heading in the right direction, and I would say he presents the best case for any player since Michael Jordan to join that elite status we all thought was untouchable.
Now, remember when Michael Jordan was in high school and couldn't even make the varsity team until his junior year?
Steph Curry has been down the same road, he was overlooked by every Power 5 conference coming out of Charlotte Christian high school, so he went and balled for Bob McKillop and Davidson.Just in case you forgot, this is when Curry first stole our hearts when he led Davidson all the way to the Elite 8, and keep in mind, they only lost by two to the eventual National Champs, Kansas.
But, that still didn't do enough to impress NBA scouts and GM's.
These were just a few of the quotes -
"Do not rely on him to run your team"
"He will have limited success at the next level"
"Needs to CONSIDERABLY improve as a ball handler"
My guess is, they were considerably wrong with their initial thought on the back-to-back Most Valuable Player.
He also just led his team to the best regular season in NBA history, surpassing Michael Jordan's led Chicago Bulls 1995-96 team.
That wasn't the only record the Golden State Warriors broke in 2015-16.
They started the season off by winning their first 24 games, surpassing the 1994-95 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols, and in case you were wondering, they only won 15 in a row.
And, Steph wasn't done catching MJ yet either, the Dubs won 54 in a row at home dating back to the 2014-15 season, surpassing the Bulls 1995-96 team (44).
But, my favorite stat from this year: They didn't lose back-to-back games once during the regular season.
Now, lets get back to that Steph guy, remember when Jordan was dominating the game? It was something we haven't seen before, a different type of player with his own unique style.
Curry is doing the same thing now in a totally different way.
He's transcending the game, just like Jordan did.We have never seen someone be able to handle the rock and shoot this great. I always tell my buddies, if you took Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, and Ray Allen, turned them into one freak player, his name would be Stephen Curry.
Now, everyone open your NBA records book to page 1, and let's check out the NBA single-season record for most three-pointers.
1. Steph Curry (402, 2015-16)
2. Steph Curry (286, 2014-15)
3. Klay Thompson (276, 2015-16)
4. Steph Curry (272, 2012-13)
And, if it wasn't for his head coach, Steve Kerr, his 44.4% career 3-point field goal percentage would be tops in NBA history right now, among everyone who has taken at least 250 attempts.
(For those of you wondering at home, Kerr is chillin' in the clubhouse with a 45.4% career 3-point field goal percentage.)
And, as Curry continues to change the game, his efficiency is something very few can match.
He's the only player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club and average at least 30 points in the same season.He's the only player in NBA history to score at least 45 points while attempting 25 field goal attempts or fewer and five or fewer free throw attempts in a game.
He's the only player in NBA history to score 50 points and make 10 3-pointers in a single game multiple times.
He's the only player in NBA history to record a 50 point game with one or fewer free throw attempts.
He's the only player in NBA history to make at least 200 3-pointers and dish out 600 assists in consecutive seasons.
He's one of three players to lead the league in points per game and steals per game, joining Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.
He's one of three guards to average at least 30 points per game and shoot 50 percent from the floor, joining Michael Jordan and George "The Iceman" Gervin.
And, aye you didn't think we weren't gonna finish up with Steph before squashing that beef with the Big O.
First of all, Oscar Robertson is one of the best to ever lace em' up, he was a true legend, but he is flat out wrong when talking about Steph Curry.
Now, in the Big O's defense, he's not the only one who considers Steph Curry just a "great shooter" there are a ton of people who fail to realize his all-around game.
Curry was tops among all guards, and he was the only point guard who ranked in the Top 25 in two-point field goal percentage.
The only players in front of him were seven centers and LeBron James.
Steph Curry's player efficiency rating of 31.5 was the best for a guard since the 1990-91 season when some guy named Michael Jordan did it.He finished the year in the Top 10 in points, assists, and steals per game, but my favorite stat is he finished second in the entire NBA in effective field goal percentage. The only player ahead of him was DeAndre Jordan, who just became the only player in NBA history to finish back-to-back seasons shooting at least 70% from the field.
But, aye, DJ just lucky free throw percentage doesn't count against this.
And, if Steph Curry isn't the best player in the NBA right now it's because of this guy: LeBron James.
The 2016 NBA Finals will mark his seventh career appearance, and sixth straight.
James is one of eight players in NBA history to play in six-consecutive Finals, and first in 50 years according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
And, to be honest, there isn't a single player that has ever stepped on a basketball court that has had his accomplishments overlooked this much.
I get it. He's 2-4 in the Finals.
Even though 2007 doesn't count, I mean it was one guy vs. Gregg Popovich and the best team of the 2000's.
"The Decision" was one of the worst PR moves in not just NBA history, but sports in general. That one single move made everyone look at him differently. He went from being loved to being hated in a matter of 60-minutes.
But, he needed it.
I admit it, and even he does, he should have handled the whole situation differently, don't go on National TV and announce your decision, but if that is the biggest mistake he's made, compared to what other athletes are doing, not calling anyone out (Darren Collison), it's easy to forgive him.Miami was a place for him to be held accountable, and it sure paid off after he disappeared in the 2011 NBA Finals.
Since then, he's 2-2 in the Finals, and last year was arguably the most impressive performance we have ever seen, but no one mentions it because they were on the wrong side of the outcome.
2015 NBA Finals: 35.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 8.8 APG.
According to ESPN Stats & Info he was the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in these three categories. And, this nugget shows how great his floor presence was - J.R. Smith, Matthew Dellavedova, James Jones, and Iman Shumpert combined to shoot 0-21 from the floor when LBJ was on the bench, and for all you math wizards out there that is 0%.
If it wasn't for Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals, James 38.3% of his teams points would be tops, and for those of you keeping track at home, Jordan finished that series averaging 38.4% of his teams points.
Now, lets check out some more accomplishments "The King" owns.
Only player in NBA history to average at least 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists for his career.Only player in NBA history to post at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 100 steals in four consecutive seasons.
Only player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists for 12 consecutive seasons.
He is one of two players to be in the Top 20 all-time in points and assists, joining the before mentioned Oscar Robertson.
Him and Bill Russell are the only two players to win four league MVP's in a five-year span.
Him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only two players to win multiple league MVP awards for two different franchises.
Him and Michael Jordan are the only two players to win NBA and Finals MVP in back-to-back seasons.
It's remarkable the career he has had, and the scary thing is he doesn't turn 32 until December.
But, James knows it's now or never.
Going 2-5 in the NBA Finals won't land you on the GOAT list, that is why it will be tough for anyone to ever surpass Michael Jordan.6-for-6.
Six Finals MVP's.
The next closest: 3. (Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan)
Keep in mind, the award didn't begin until the 1969 season or else Bill Russell would top the list.
However, that is why I keep Steph Curry in the back of my mind when thinking of a player who could potentially reach Jordan's level, something we thought we would never see.
And, aye, I am not saying he's close but in my opinion, he should have been named the Most Improved Player this year also, and that just shows he is willing to put in the work to be amongst the best to ever lace em' up.
Curry improved his player efficiency rating by more than any reigning MVP in history, by a landslide. During the 1984-85 season Larry Bird improved his by 2.3, Curry did by 3.5 in the 2015-16 season.
And, just like Jordan, he has ice in his veins.
In my opinion he's the best closer we have seen since MJ and the stats back him up. In 1996 the league started keeping track of points per 48-minutes in the fourth quarter, and Curry's 50.4 average this season is the best, edging out Kobe Bryant's 48.9 average during the 2005-06 season when some guy named Steve Nash stole his MVP.
Now, let's go a little deeper into this clutch thing, during this season when the Warriors were in a games within five points and under five minutes to go, all he did was average 40.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per 36 minutes.
In Game's 5, 6, and 7 the real MVP showed out, and no it wasn't Kevin Durant's mom, it was the baby-face assassin.
With his team in a win-or-go-home scenario in three straight games, he scored 30+ in every game, but it wasn't just his scoring.
He averaged 32.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 7.6 APG, and 2.3 SPG, and yes, Mr. KD steals are apart of playing defense.
The dude is clutch.
Plain and simple.
Now, it's time for the two best in the game right now to ball and find out who the top dog is, and all I hope for is a back-and-forth slug-it-out seven-game series.
And, just to clear the air.
Michael Jordan is the best player to ever lace em' up and I am not close to throwing LeBron James or Steph Curry in that class, yet. They have a long way to go to catch the GOAT.
But, if anyone will ever surpass Jordan, it will be one of these two guys.
OH AND I WASN'T GETTING OUT HERE WITHOUT A PREDICTION...
Golden State over Cleveland (4-1)
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