It’s no secret that the Golden State Warriors are viewed as the ultimate villains in the NBA. They are coming off back-to-back Finals appearances and a 73-9 win season. And if their arrogance last year wasn’t enough, they went out and signed Kevin Durant.
With Durant now in the folds, the Warriors are by far the favorites to win a championship. Having a team that’s almost certain to win the title often results in some hatred from fans of other teams. In this case, nothing is different as the Warriors have swiftly become villains after being everyone’s second favorite team a few years ago.
Stephen Curry isn’t worried about the label, however. In fact, he told ESPN’s Darren Rovell that he “kind of” laughs at the notion:
“I kind of laugh at that,” Curry said. “Obviously how the Finals ended [and] what happened, that’s sports. That’s what you love about it. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Obviously it stinks to not win, but playing for a championship for two years in a row has been an amazing, amazing journey and I don’t think it’s over.
“All that narrative around our team, how people view us, doesn’t really matter to us. We are who we are and we’re championship contenders going forward.”
Well, good for Stephen Curry. Much like blowing a 3-1 lead in the Finals, it can’t be easy to have so many hate you and your team. Curry and the Warriors seem to be embracing it, however, making them all the more entertaining moving forward.
