Curry is not a shooter. He is a force of nature who happens to shoot.

But here is the truth that remains underrated: Defenses do not fear LeBron’s three. They do not fear Giannis’s free throws. They do not fear Jokic’s heave. With two seconds on the clock, from 32 feet, the ball in Curry’s hands is the highest expected value play in the history of the sport.

When you are so good that a single miss in Game 7 is a national trauma, you are not un-clutch. You are the standard. For years, critics used the lack of a Finals MVP as a cudgel. "He can’t be top-10 without a Finals MVP!"

He proved he could be the iso-heavy, heliocentric star. But because he rarely chooses to play that way—because he prefers the system—we hold it against him. We penalize him for being unselfish.

But look deeper. In 2015, Andre Iguodala won the award. A worthy defender, yes. But Curry averaged 26 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. More importantly, the entire Cavaliers defensive game plan was "Stop Curry." They doubled and trapped him 35 feet from the hoop. That chaotic defensive attention allowed Iguodala to run free in 4-on-3 situations. Curry was the reason for the FMVP, but he didn't get the trophy.