Stephen Curry masterclass forced Celtics, Warriors into different realities

This is definitely going to open up some old wounds, which isn't really necessary, knowing the Boston Celtics are the reigning NBA champions. However, in light of the recent blunders the Golden State Warriors have made, a certain hypothetical involving them also involves the Celtics by proxy.

Everyone remembers when the Celtics lost to the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. While they have, of course, rebounded since then, the Warriors have not been as lucky. They were ousted in the Western Conference semifinals in 2023 and lost in the Play-In Tournament in 2024.

Their recent failures, combined with their inability to acquire Lauri Markkanen or Paul George, have made people wonder how they would be perceived as a franchise post-2019 if they hadn't won the title in 2022.

David Dennis Jr. singled out Stephen Curry's Game 4 performance as one that saved the Warriors from a bad image during a recent rant on ESPN's NBA Today.

Right now, Golden State's dynasty would have three titles instead of one, and while they would still be viewed as dominant, the championship hangover would have been even more brutal. Curry single-handedly saved them and his own legacy with his Game 4 showing.

It's interesting to think about what conversations surrounding the Warriors dynasty would be like right now if things hadn't turned out that way. However, if Curry never put on his masterclass, where would that leave the Celtics?

Stephen Curry dominating Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals forced the Warriors and Celtics into very different realities

Again, sorry to talk about a sore subject, but if Curry didn't perform as well as he did in Game 4, it's very possible that the Celtics would be entering the 2024-25 season vying for Banner 20.

If Curry hadn't put the Warriors on his back, the Celtics would have gone back to the Bay Area up 3-1 with the Finals all but decided. Curry is an all-time player with four titles to his name, so it's none too surprising that he guided his team to glory.

At the same time, looking back at the Warriors 2022 title and considering their irrelevance before and after, it's hard not to think about where the Celtics would be if Curry had just a solid game instead of an All-Timer.

Playoff series are typically decided by momentum. Going up 3-1 would have given the Celtics three chances to finish off the Warriors, and they would have had solid odds to pull it off.

If they had done it, who knows where the dominos would have fallen afterward? Odds are, they probably would have made a trade or two since they had the expendable salaries (Daniel Theis and Aaron Nesmith) and the Evan Fournier trade exception to get some reinforcements.

But Marcus Smart likely stays, as does Robert Williams III, knowing that they helped contribute to a title. Suspending and later firing Ime Udoka may have been even more controversial coming off a championship.

Teams don't typically tear down a title team if they don't have to. Look at what the Celtics did after they won in 2024. It is a shame that they weren't too far off from a title in 2022, and it's great to see them redeem themselves only two years later, but two titles are better than one, no matter how hypothetical one of them is.