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Stephen Curry Wouldn't Trade Warriors' 2017, 2018 Titles to Complete 73-Win Season
April 14, 2022
It was seemingly a tough call, but Stephen Curry said he wouldn't trade two of his titles in order to complete the 73-win year with a championship.
"I would say no, but I think for the rest of our lives I’ll still be able to just laugh at '16, which is fine," Curry said on The Draymond Green Show (via The Volume on Instagram).
The Golden State Warriors went 73-9 in 2016, the best regular-season record in NBA history, but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals. It ruined what could have been four titles in a row for the Warriors, who won it all in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
His teammate, Draymond Green, asked Curry if he would trade the 2017 and 2018 titles in order to get the win in 2016, but the superstar said no after some thought.
"We'd have two chips and a damn-near-perfect season," Curry said in his breakdown, "or three chips and the blemish on the season."
As both noted, a title in 2016 would help make their case for one of the best teams in NBA history.
It was a dominant season for Golden State, featuring Curry being named the unanimous MVP. Green and Klay Thompson were also All-Stars that year with an offense that seemingly couldn't be stopped.
The Warriors then built a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals before LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers to three straight wins and a series upset. It creates a major question mark for the squad compared to the elite teams of the past like the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
Golden State added Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason and won the next two titles with ease, going 16-1 in the 2017 postseason on the way to a championship.
It seems Curry enjoyed these titles enough to help him overcome his disappointment from 2016.