Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been awarded the inaugural Magic Johnson Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Western Conference Finals, the NBA announced following Game 5 on Thursday night.
The league introduced the award – along with the Larry Bird Trophy for the Eastern Finals MVP – earlier this month, and Curry has become the first-ever player to win it after leading Golden State to a 4-1 series victory over Dallas.
The award was voted on by nine local and national media members covering the series — Curry received all nine votes.
Although he only had 15 points in the Warriors’ close-out victory on Thursday, Curry was the team’s leading scorer in the five-game series, averaging 23.8 PPG on .444/.439/.840 shooting to go along with 7.4 APG and 6.6 RPG. His best performances came in Game 2 (32 points and six 3-pointers) and Game 3 (31 points and 11 assists) as he helped Golden State build an insurmountable series lead.
The Warriors are back in the NBA Finals after making it five consecutive times from 2015-19. They await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Heat.
Which of these legendary duos would you rather have on your team if you could have them for their entire career, Tim Duncan/Manu Ginobili, James Worthy/Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd/Dirk Nowitzki, Steph Curry/Klay Thompson or Clyde Drexler/Hakeem Olajuwon? Rank em if possible…
I’ll probably come back to this later, but this is actually a really interesting question. You might have to think about longevity here, and that might influence the decision. I also think this is 1 that might be hard to look past personal bias. For me, Magic, Duncan, and Jason Kidd are all time favorites, and Manu Ginobli may have done 1 of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in sports, twice…
If we are talking about longevity, it’s Duncan/Manu. But if we are talking about just pure dominance and changing the game from half court to transition, it’s definitely Magic & Worthy for me. I know Duncan/Manu won more titles, but Magic/Worthy appeared in more Finals, had a G7 triple double win, a baby hook, etc etc. I’m just shocked Kidd/Dirk was on this list because they weren’t together for a long period of time. They only played 5 seasons, yet they won a title. But I also think you need to make it Magic/Kareem. You might be the only guy who put Worthy over Kareem with Magic. But I see why you went Magic/Worthy, Magic/Kareem is the easy way out and most likely everyone’s answer. Lol
1) Magic/Worthy
2) Steph/Klay
3) Duncan/Manu
4) Hakeem/Clyde
5) Dirk/Kidd
That’s my list.
Great list & I def appreciate the explanation. I’m not sure Tim & Manu won more titles than Worthy/Magic tho. I’d say they prob won 3 together while the Lakers duo won 4 together like Klay/Steph are going for next week. But the question isn’t so much about the longevity these guys had or really even what they accomplished in their careers at all. I’m moreso asking yall to look at these legends as the 20yo versions of themselves, you as the gm/coach/owner of a team & choosing who you’d want on your team out of these 5 duos. I can definitely see why you’d take Magic & Worthy. Kidd didn’t play w/ Dirk long & it was when he was past his prime but I mean just imagine if those guys played together from 98-13. They’d probably have more than just the 1 title
I think personally it should’ve been Nash/Dirk. Imagine if Nash stayed his entire career next to Dirk. They definitely would’ve won the 2006 finals. Worthy got drafted in 1982, and Magic had already won 2 titles by then (80 and 82). I know they appeared in like 21423 finals lmao. I would do an honorable mention for Dumars/Thomas, Kobe/Pau, Dr J/Moses (UNDERRATED!!).
BTW: Do you have Twitter? I would def chat with you about NBA lol. Just wondering.
Nah I don’t have Twitter. I just tried to get on reddit to talk basketball on there but I haven’t taken the time to figure out how to post & shxt lol I’m late asf to all this social media stuff… I was very close to putting Kobe/Pau & actually Kidd/Dirk was the last pair I chose lol I had GPayton/Ray Allen in at 1st but figured they couldn’t have much of an argument vs Klay/Steph. Never really thought about Nash, even if I would have I feel Kidd is better for this bc his defensive prowess makes him a better fit alongside Dirk. I’m low-key starting to feel like Kidd/Dirk may be the answer lol I would prob take Dream/Clyde tho bc I value versatility/length so much
Ahhh that’s a shame. You have some really good insight and I enjoy your posts. I think GP is forever linked with Kemp. I would also probably think of lesser known guys who never really got over the top but were really fun to watch. Barkley/Kevin Johnson, Marbury/KG, Carter and JKidd, Shaq/Penny, etc. The game forever will be linked with duo’s and trio’s. People forget that sometimes when they say “Team A is a super team”. Newsflash: you’ve always needed multiple all stars to compete for a NBA title. If Kawhi returns to his form and Playoff P ever becomes clutch, then I would possibly place them on the list of honorable mention. Both are great perimeter/individual defenders who can take the game over in so many ways and not just scoring. I’m looking at Clippers next year if Kawhi is healthy to be a pain for the Warriors and other teams.
Oh yea LAC gonna be formidable if Kawhi & PG are both healthy all yr but obv that’s a huge if. I feel like PG has been clutch numerous times in the playoffs throughout his career, including just last yr. But yea there are countless great duos throughout the history of the NBA & college as well
I read this like picking individuals and having them together, but all of them actually did play with each other either for long periods of time, or for only a few years. I dont think he is necessarily leaving people put in terms of suggesting best duos ever. It seemed more like a just between these options type of thing. Not sure if I’m interpreting it correctly
If we’re talking about as a GM/Owner on who I would draft and contend for the next 10-15 years, with today’s modern day NBA game. It would definitely have to be Steph/Klay. They have proved that ELITE shooters can lead you to a title. Both of them are two of the top 5 shooters the game has ever seen. It’s a no brainer in my books on who I would draft to start a franchise with.
For me as a NBA fan that has been watching since the shot against Ehlo, Dr J and Moses never get their due respect. They curb stomped the competition in 83 and beat the same Lakers team that won in 82 quite handedly in the 83 finals. Pure dominance, yet no recognition because of what Magic/Kareem/Worthy and Bird/McHale/Parrish did later in that decade.
I feel like all these duos would be pretty dominant in today’s game. Magic would still be the best pg in the league. I love Embiid & Jokic but early-mid 90s Dream would definitely be the best 5 in the league rn. Elite shooting def can win big in the league rn but so can a bunch of other ways as Bron/Kawhi/Giannis have shown… as far as Dr J & Moses I completely agree. Tbh both those guys were at their best in the 70s which gets little to no recognition as an entire decade nowadays (ABA & NBA). That 83 was a beast tho, Andrew Toney is another great player that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough in my opinion
I would have love to see Hakeem in the post against Embiid. He would have given Joel severe bouts of depression after the game. Shaq even said it himself that Hakeem is the only center that could match him, and also whipped his ass when he faced him.
I mean those guys (Joel/Hakeem) would give each other a lot of problems to deal with lol not just 1 way. JoJo is a monster in the paint too. Dream has the quickness/footwork adv but Embiid is bigger & stronger. Ridiculous skill level for both guys no doubt
Good point, Jojo is really built strength wise and can shoot from the perimeter. I’ve been watching ball since ’89 and he’s the only guy I ever heard or read that had comparisons in the post to Hakeem with. I was really really shocked when I heard that. Tells you how special that footwork and post game was by Dream.
I never really saw the Hakeem comparisons with Embiid. To me, he always seemed like a bigger Chris Bosh, with some Kareem in there, but I also have a more vivid memory of Hakeem when he was older than when he was in his prime, which is weird b/c I definitely have watched a lot of him, but for some reason, that’s how I see him in my head, which I dont do with almost anyone…actually I feel similarly about Clyde Drexler as well, now that I think about it. I remember big games from him, and watching him when he was great, but the old version of him sticks out in my mind…maybe its b/c of other guys in that time period that I just held in higher regard, mostly b/c a lot of the earlier stuff I rewatched years later, as I was just a little kid in the mid 90s.
Also now that I think about it, I think when Embiid passes out of the post, he has some similar mannerisms as Hakeem
Embiid embracing his Blackness/African heritage is about the only thing that ever reminded me of Kareem. He’s always been way more physical, not nearly as graceful as Kareem. I mean there’s no one I can say reminded of Kareem except just the overall dominance of Shaq. Javale McGee might come the closest of current guys as far as body type but ofc there’s canyon sized gap in skill bw them. As far as Bosh I mean he was a 4 & JoJo’s a 5. Both very versatile bigs but Embiid being so much bigger allows him to dominate at an even higher level than Bosh… I vividly remember seeing Embiid for the 1st time during World team practices at the Nike Hoop Summit in 2013. I remember being highly impressed by Dennis Schröder & Embiid. Schröder looked sooooo much like a young Rondo & JoJo looked exactly like a young Hakeem. It was just very obvious to me that both those guys were gonna be good. I wanna say they won the game too. World team rarely beats team USA but Schröder, Wiggins, I wanna say Capela & others upset Randle, AGordon & a pretty strong American team. I don’t even think Embiid played in the game or if he played he didn’t do much but his potential & his similarities to Dream were very apparent from the jump. Unusually slick footwork, soft touch from anywhere in the mid-post area, unusual quickness for his size, his game just screamed Hakeem & still does tbh, he’s just a slightly bigger/slower version… yea lol Clyde & Hakeem both played a long time & its easy to hold onto the more recent memories of them as they were headed into retirement, especially for guys that were babies when they were in their prime. 80s Hakeem/Akeem is arguably the best version of him tho. 80s/early90s Clyde is definitely the best version of him. Remember that Dream led his team to the Finals in his 2nd yr in the league. Jordan hadn’t yet won a playoff series & they came in the same yr. If Ralph Sampson doesn’t get hurt then it’s very possible we’re talking about Dream as the goat instead of MJ
The Kareem stuff I mostly saw in college. It’s mostly when he is in the paint/in front of the rim. Little things he does with his body. Also in the high post
A lot of people forget Bosh played more frequently with his back to the basket when he was in Toronto, but if he wouldnt have had the blood clots, we would have seen more of the hybrid stuff moving forward. I just see Embiid as a bigger version of him
I’m a GA Tech fan lol I saw probably 75+% of his gms when he was at Tech & knew his game in&out even before he got to Toronto. Bosh is more like KG/Sheed/Pau/ADavis than Embiid. Marvin Bagley & James Wiseman are the young guys that remind me of Bosh. Slim, agile, versatile big forwards with guard type quickness. Embiid, unlike those guys is a legit 5. He’s quick like Bosh & those guys, he can handle the ball, shoot & has slick footwork like those guys but he’s more like Dream & David Robinson bc they can do all those things while also holding down their team’s 5 spot which is extremely important & makes them inherently more valuable
Ofc Bosh/Sheed/ADavis/Pau/KG all have played the 5 before (reluctantly) & all were able to have success doing so. But all those guys were much better & more productive at forward
I mean, obviously KG is a guy I would compare him to, but we’ll have to agree to disagree. A lot of his mannerisms always reminded me of Bosh, and he has the in out game, and certain tenacity as well. Bosh also was a strong offensive rebounder early in his career, and they attack the ball similarly. At this point, Rmbiod is a lot bigger, so it’s not as obvious as it previously was, but that was always the comparison I made
Bosh also would have probably still been playing right now, and the way the game is, he is the perfect modern NBA 5, and he would be considered a lot higher than where people currently look at him.
JORDAN/PIPPEN
SHAQ/KOBE
Do better.
I think you might want to reread the question
Wiggins 18,10
Looney 10,18
For number
10 points 18 rebounds are better
Game 5 ranking
Klay
Wiggins defense
Looney rebounds
Green
Poole
Curry
I notice most of the Warrior haters are either gone from this site and laying low. If they face the Celtics there better be no injury excuse like when they beat the cavs all those times.
Put that up on his mantle with his finals mvps.. oh wait? A bench player won that over him
Would of given it to Looney
Wiggins for me…
Going(going)…Back(back)…to the Finals(finals!!!) Go Dubs!!!! :)
Curry the greatest, and KD the loser. Curry and Warriors worked harder and did it the right way instead of trying to do it fake short cut way. Bravo to Curry, Myers, Lacob and Warriors! And I am a huge KD fan…..
Can’t believe they gave it to Curry?!?!?
Luka didn’t play well, but… he still was light years ahead of Curry!
I thought this was for the best player, but Curry was just the best player of the best team, nowhere near of being the best player of the series!