In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals over a Golden State Warriors team that only lost nine games all year to win the championship. Most of the criticism following the monumental collapse fell on the shoulders of Stephen Curry for blowing the 3-1 lead. Since the finals meltdown, the Warriors added Kevin Durant and haven’t lost a championship since. Even with the success since adding Durant, the game seven loss still hangs over Curry.
Curry spoke to Jackie MacMullan of ESPN about game seven and how his poor shot selection led to the Cavaliers completing the historic comeback.
“I’m like, ‘I just need a little space’ — and that’s where I started to rush. I look back and think I could have easily gone around [Kevin Love] and gotten a 2, and we could have gotten a stop, and then I could come back down and hit another shot, and we win another championship, instead of me going for the hero shot, which I felt like I could make. ‘That was a shot where I was not under control. And it cost us a championship.”
Kevin Love took to Twitter to respond to Stephen Curry saying that he could have easily blown by him. With the assumed shade Love threw Curry’s way, Love must look back with fond memories of that final minute. Quite possibly the biggest defensive play of Kevin Love’s career.
Easily. https://t.co/xSoClgDjVo
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) June 4, 2019
At the end of the day, Curry should be happy about his career regardless of the 2016 NBA Finals. Curry is a two time MVP and a three-time NBA champion. The Warriors are also back in the Finals currently looking to win their third championship in a row against the Toronto Raptors.
