Steph Curry. Luka Doncic. Western Conference Finals.
Two of the game’s brightest stars will go head to head for a chance to reach the NBA Finals, starting with Wednesday night’s Game 1 at Chase Center between the Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.
So, which superstar would you rather have with the game on the line? On ESPN's "First Take", analyst Stephen A. Smith and current NBA player Patrick Beverley picked Steph, while former player and current analyst JJ Redick defended his logic for picking Luka.
“We’re talking about right now, in 2022, who would you rather have with the ball, with the game on the line?” Reddick said. “It’s clearly Luka Doncic.”
“Steph,” Stephen A. said. “Steph.”
“Steph,” Beverley said. “It’s not even close.”
This wasn’t just some shot from the hip from Redick. He laid out his argument for picking the 23-year-old Doncic, who is appearing in his first career Western Conference Finals, over the 34-year-old Curry, who is playing in his sixth Western Conference Finals over the past eight seasons.
For Redick, it has to do with Luka’s ability to dominate and control the game by himself.
“Guys,” Reddick said, “Think about all the stuff – this is not a knock on Steph – think about all the stuff that you have to do, all the people that you have to involve to get Steph Curry a shot at the end of a game. Think about all the action you have to run.
“You know what you have to do with Luka? You give him the ball.”
To which Stephen A. said, “That’s very disingenuous on your part.”
Curry is still capable of greatness and has six games of at least 29 points this postseason. He has a history of making game-winning shots over his career, as shared by the account @WarriorsMuse on Twitter lately. Not to mention that several of them have come against the Mavericks.
The resume is there, but Redick is more concerned about the Warriors’ system and how Curry often plays off the ball and flies off screens to get open. A lot of times, the plays require all five guys, so there’s a point, but you have to think Steph is still capable of going iso and hoisting a 3-pointer on anybody with the game on the line. No one from the Warriors would probably be upset with that as a final play.
Luka is a magician, for sure, and it will be exciting to see which player will add to their growing legacy. The new generation of hoopers is here to try and knock off the Warriors, who are now the old guard of the NBA.
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