
Steph Curry is one of the greatest players in NBA history, and arguably the greatest point guard the game has ever seen. With his three-point shooting that quite literally changed the game of basketball as we know it and the elite resume he's stacked up over the course of his 17-year career, there's no doubt that Curry will go down in the history books as anything less than a legend.
However, despite all he's already accomplished and the fact that he's turning 38 years old in just about a month's time, he is still playing at an unbelievably high level and is looking for more.
At the All-Star media availability, Curry spoke with reporters, even though he won't be playing the game due to his lingering knee issue, which he's trying to fully heal ahead of the final stretch of the season.
When asked if he felt like there's anything left he needed to accomplish, Curry gave a veteran answer that still saw some of his younger, hungrier self shine through.
"I'm still chasing championships. That is the motivation. I feel like it's realistic, even though you're not probably going to be on a team that is the perennial favorite going into any year, but we have, I think, a legit opportunity to make a run. That's what keeps me going. That's why I work so hard, year in and year out. The offseasons are a grind to get ready for the marathon of a regular season. I still have fun, I still enjoy it, I still have a love for the game, but championships are really it."
Even after hanging four banners for the Warriors, it's that desire for what's next that keeps Curry fresh and able to remain in the mindset to contend against players who have now grown up watching and idolizing him.
Steph Curry got a bad rap for his underperformance in the 2016 NBA Finals when the 73-9 Warriors blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers and for his lone Finals MVP amongst his four rings, but the stats truly tell a different story.
For his career in the Finals, Curry is averaging 27.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. That mark places him 9th on the all-time points per game list for players in the NBA Finals, with the 8 names in front of him consisting of Hall of Famers (or future Hall of Famers in the case of Kevin Durant and LeBron James).
Even compared to his own stats, Curry turns up the heat when the lights are the brightest. That point average across those 34 games in the Finals surpasses his average across his entire career, his average for the playoffs as a whole, and his season average in 14 of his 17 NBA seasons.
The two series doing much of that heavy lifting are Curry's most recent trips to the pinnacle of the NBA in 2022 and 2019. His Finals MVP series saw him average 31.2 points per game against the vaunted Celtics defense, while 2019 saw him post 30.5 points per game while being face-guarded half the time in a box-and-one by the Raptors.
Curry's physical hardware might be lacking with his lonely Finals MVP, but even without getting into the argument that the 2015 trophy should be on his shelf, as well, the numbers don't lie.
Curry is one of the best Finals performers we've seen, and his quote at the All-Star media demonstrated just how ready he is to show it again if he can get another opportunity.