If I had to start a franchise with any basketball player on the planet, LeBron James is my pick any day of the week — without a second thought.

Stephen Curry is my second pick. Despite the greatness of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and James Harden, Curry is the second-best player to build a franchise around at this time.

Reggie Miller was one of the greatest shooters to ever play. The man scored eight points in nine seconds against the Knicks back in 1995. He also set the NBA playoff record in 2000 by knocking down 58 3-pointers in 22 games. Curry broke that record in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Rockets with a 7-for-9 3-point performance. It was only his 13th game of the 2015 playoffs. Going into the Finals, he sits at 73.

Curry is more than a 3-point assassin though. He can shoot from everywhere on the court, is crafty in finishing around the basket with big men in his way, and his ball handling ability allows him to create space and get open jumpers.

All of those skills helped him lead his team to coming just five games short of tying the regular-season win record set by the 95-96 Bulls with 72. It was this skill set and his abundance of highlights that earned him the MVP honors.

Curry has led the Warriors to their first Finals appearance in 40 years, which means he has already accomplished a lot. Being that it is only his sixth season in the league, there isn’t much pressure on him to win it all this year.

Most of the pressure is on the man standing in his way. That man is James.

Before James even played an NBA game — before he even finished his senior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, he was labeled “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated. He was supposed to win multiple championships and blossom to pass Michael Jordan as the greatest to ever play the game.

James is a two-time NBA Champion. Still, critics have one lingering question: Can he win a championship while being THE man?

For his first two championships he was a part of the big three in Miami. With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh by his side, James’ critics don’t really respect what he accomplished when it comes to hardware.

With Kevin Love done for the year with a shoulder injury, and Kyrie Irving slowed down by foot and knee injuries, James has his opportunity to be THE man and silence the doubters by bringing Cleveland its first NBA championship.

James has stated that he belongs on the NBA’s Mt. Rushmore. This is his chance to show the world he belongs based not solely on talent, but on achievement as well.

He’s the first player since Bill Russell to go to the Finals five straight times, but his critics don’t care if he goes. All that matters is if he wins.

Most older NBA fans keep James in constant comparison to Jordan, who won six championships and six finals MVPs in six trips in the 1990s. Just making it is irrelevant to the die-hard Jordan supporters.

James is expected to come through because Jordan would have found a way to come through.

The expectation is unfair, but true.

That kind of pressure isn’t there for Curry, but he can prove the torch for the best in the game will be his when James decides to hang it up.

Already acknowledged by some as the best shooter ever, this championship could enhance Curry’s standing among the game’s greats. Considering the validation of winning a championship, this could put Curry into the conversation of the top 10 point guards to ever play.

If he leads the Warriors to a title after the year he has had, some NBA fans would start to question if Curry had not already snatched the torch out of James’ hands.

Both players want it badly. It will mark their legacies forever. If James loses, it will be another card for critics to pull when making the argument for why he doesn’t belong in the same conversation as Jordan. If Curry loses, NBA fans will say that all that he has accomplished this year simply doesn’t matter.

Considering reputations — and not just a title — are at stake, it’s more than a battle for a trophy.

The stakes are as high as ever, and James vs. Curry is shaping up to be one for the history books.