Stephen Curry Says Warriors Will Lose a Game Before Undefeated Panthers
The Golden State Warriors have managed to exceed their already-high expectations with a 19-0 start, but reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry believes his team will fall from the ranks of the unbeaten before his favorite NFL team does.
Speaking to reporters in Charlotte following a shootaround Wednesday, per ESPN.com's David Newton, Curry said the Panthers will win the Super Bowl in February with a perfect record.
While Curry was half-joking in his tone, the Warriors superstar did use his team as a justification for why the Panthers could go 19-0, including the playoffs, in 2015.
"Nobody thought we could start 19-0," Curry said. "Why not keep it going? There's a lot of great talent in this league. We're obviously probably not going to go 82-0, but you want to approach each game that way and see what happens."
Curry, who went to high school in Charlotte and attended college at nearby Davidson, also offered praise for what the Panthers have done so far this season, noting there has been a steady improvement in their overall performance as a team over the last few years:
"Obviously, being 11-0 is amazing. But they've shown signs over the last two or three years that they're elevating to that next level, so it's just great to see everything click, the way Coach Rivera is handling that team and the decisions they've got to make on both sides of the ball.
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While it does seem hard to believe Curry would be right about the Panthers going undefeated, their schedule lines up well, with five regular-season games left against New Orleans, Atlanta (twice), New York Giants and Tampa Bay.
Curry's prediction about the Warriors losing before the Panthers makes sense because they are coming off a narrow win at Utah on Monday, are playing a solid Charlotte team on the road Wednesday night and play at Toronto on Saturday before Carolina's next game on Sunday afternoon.
The law of averages suggests Golden State will lose at some point, though both the Warriors and Panthers are playing so well right now that it may take until February before one of them loses.
Curry may get the chance to see his beloved Panthers in the Super Bowl, which takes place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 7. He will be coming off a marquee showdown against Oklahoma City the night before, and the Warriors won't play again until two days after the Big Game.
