Warriors owner Joe Lacob has watched his team play countless games over the years, some with much higher stakes than others.
Up until the 2022 NBA Finals, one performance was at the top of his list of favorite moments -- until it was dethroned by none other than Steph Curry.
During an appearance on “The TK Show” podcast with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Lacob revealed that Curry’s unreal Game 4 against the Boston Celtics during the Finals booted Game 6 Klay from his top spot.
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“That was so exciting for me to see Steph have that kind of a Finals, and particularly Game 4,” Lacob told Kawakami. “I want to point to this. To me, in person, since I’ve been the primary owner or the Warriors for 12 years, my favorite game … It was the Oklahoma City Game 6, the Klay game. I love that game. And there were one or two other candidates, maybe.
“But I will tell you, Steph Curry and Game 4, being down 2-1, 43 points. I mean, just unbelievable performance, and he should be heralded for that. I’m so happy for him, that he had just what is undeniably one of the great Finals performances.”
Of course, the legend of Game 6 Klay was born during the Warriors’ 2016 Western Conference finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where Klay Thompson finished with 11 3-pointers (an NBA playoff record at the time) and 41 points to force Game 7.
It would take quite the performance to outdo that in Lacob’s eyes, but leave it to Curry.
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His masterful 43-point performance in Game 4 of the Finals was one of the most iconic moments of his storied career and came at 34 years old.
In talking with Kawakami, Lacob reflected on Curry’s greatness and the whispers about his legacy that preceded his run to Finals MVP and a fourth championship ring.
“If you look at all the data, he actually was great -- no matter what some of the talking heads say -- he was a great Finals performer for many years,” Lacob said. “But I have to admit, we all have to admit, he had a phenomenal Finals this year. His best Finals … [The Celtics] were very long, young, very athletic. The defensive player of the year was guarding him, and look what [Curry] did.”
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Curry truly silenced his doubters with his Finals performance and was far and above the best player on the court.
But for Lacob, Curry’s performance in Game 4 solidified what he already knew.
“You knew sitting there that you were watching history.”