In addition to being a heartwarming narrative of a tightly-knit and stable family, what truly sets this story apart is its extraordinary nature. While the NBA has seen its fair share of sibling duos—just consider the numerous Plumlee brothers earning basketball paychecks—it’s unprecedented for siblings to compete against each other in the same conference finals. What’s even more remarkable is that neither of the Curry brothers showed strong indications, even during high school, of making it to the NBA.

Religion and faith play integral roles in the Curry family, and their parents, married for 31 years, seem to have struck the right balance, as they find themselves blessed with a playoff series that neither will soon forget, regardless of its outcome.

Their narrative, seemingly tailor-made for reality TV, has become familiar over time. Dell Curry was a skilled shooting guard at Virginia Tech, where he met Sonya, who played for the women’s volleyball team. They became a couple and welcomed Steph while Dell played for the Cavaliers, who drafted him. A few years later, Seth arrived in Charlotte, where Dell had become one of the game’s top sixth men, sinking shots from beyond the arc for the Hornets.

The boys’ introduction to basketball began at home, particularly on the driveway basketball court, where they sported Hornets jerseys and imagined themselves as NBA players. “They competed against each other,” Dell Curry recalled. “Trying to make the game-winning shot and arguing over whether they were fouled or not. As parents, we took turns acting as the referee to resolve disputes about who emerged victorious.”

Understandably, these sibling matchups never escalated into heated conflicts, as anger or envy doesn’t seem to be part of the Curry family dynamic. “Steph handled that well,” Dell noted. “As the older brother, he could have exerted much more dominance over [Seth].”