Stephen A. hotly debates ‘god’ Steph vs. Luka with JJ Redick originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Steph Curry has ascended to all-time great status. Luka Doncic has crashed into the NBA elite club after embarrassing the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Steph Curry vs. Luka Doncic is the marquee attraction to the Western Conference finals between the Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.
So naturally, the recent epicenter of NBA hot takes, ESPN’s “First Take,” had a throwdown between Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick, with Patrick Beverley chiming in on the side. In fact, it was PatBev who broached the premise. With the game on the line, who do you want to take the last shot?
Stephen A. Smith took the side of Steph Curry, “the greatest shooter God has ever created” as he put it.
.@stephenasmith says he’d rather have Steph over Luka with the game on the line ð
âWeâre not throwing any shade on Luka DonÄiÄ whatsoever. Iâm simply elevating Steph Curry.â pic.twitter.com/AWT7s1jKSg
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 17, 2022
It’s hard to counter Smith’s side given Curry’s career credentials – three-time NBA champion, back-to-back league MVP, seven-time All NBA (four times first team), eight-time All-Star, and of course most 3-pointers ever made.
But given recent performance, especially in these playoffs, Redick takes Doncic.
“It’s Steph. Not even close,” Beverley countered immediately. From there, he and Smith took down Redick, who previously had called out Smith for backpedaling from his Warriors pick to win the NBA title.
During the playoffs so far, Curry is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from 3-point range. Doncic is 47.4 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from 3-point range.
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It’s a fun debate that will be settled soon enough, starting Wednesday.
(As a programming note, “Warriors Live: Playoff Edition” airs on NBC Sports Bay Area at 5 p.m. and streams on the MyTeams app.)