In last year's NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving certainly got the best of Stephen Curry throughout most of the seven-game series. Curry was able to lead his Golden State Warriors crew to a 3-1 lead before Lebron James and Kyrie Irving helped pull off a comeback that seemed rather impossible. In the closing seconds of Game 7, Kyrie Irving drilled a long-range three that put the Cleveland Cavaliers up for good. Irving's performance led to him winning the first NBA championship title of his young career. He averaged 27 points a game in the series.
Steph Curry
In last year's NBA Finals, Stephen Curry was highly criticized for not putting together the star-studded performance he was expected to. Still, his Golden State Warriors were able to take a 3-1 lead in the series before the Cavs pulled off an amazing comeback. In the final three games of the NBA Finals, Curry was harassed all over the floor by a very hungry Lebron James who was eager to prove he still was king. However, Curry did appear to have an injured ankle in those final games that the Cavaliers were able to pull off the upset. The injury caused him to seemingly lose the superstar battle at the point guard position.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving has grown as a leader and a winner since King James returned to Cleveland.
Kyrie has been a major key to the Cavaliers reaching the NBA Finals in the last three seasons. In the 2015 NBA Finals, Irving suffered an injury like Curry did last year, but his, unfortunately, kept him out of the final four games of that series. His absence caused the Cavaliers to lose in six games to the Warriors that season.
In the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving made sure the Warriors knew how big his absence was in the previous finals. Down 3-1, Kyrie turned into an assassin. Along with his usual shake-and-bake crossover, Irving penetrated and made nifty moves to stave off defenders while heading to the basket. He became the first teammate of Lebron James to score 40 points in the same playoff game as The King himself.
Importance of the point guard
To put his stamp on NBA Finals history, in the closing seconds of Game 7 in the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving hit a dagger three-pointer right in the grill of Stephen Curry. Although Kyrie did not receive the Finals MVP award, his performance was the key to the Cavs bringing home the trophy. Stephen Curry's lackluster performance, on the other hand, led to the Warriors surrendering a 3-1 commanding lead.
So, it's clear that the play at the point guard position has been the determining factor in the last two NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Cavs. Come Thursday, June 1st at 8:00 p.m. on ABC, don't expect anything different.
