Golden State Warriors: How Important Is Another Title For Stephen Curry?
The Golden State Warriors are causing havoc this NBA season. But for Stephen Curry, he must walk away with a title this season or else. What I mean by or else is the asterisk next to his name if he fails to lead the Warriors to another championship before their Big 3 is broken up.
As it stands now, Curry has three titles but let’s be truthful here. How many has he actually led the Warriors to? The 2014-15 title was due to the Cleveland Cavaliers not being at full strength. It was LeBron James and a cast of role players vs the Warriors Big 3. The Cavs never had a chance.
The very next season, both teams were at full strength and the Cavs walked away as the champs. That loss forced the Warriors to pursue Kevin Durant and that’s when everything changed for Curry.
With Durant as his new running mate, the Warriors would win two straight titles. Durant would depart when injuries to himself and Klay Thompson cost the Warriors a chance to three-peat. Since then, the Warriors have struggled as injuries have taken a toll on the team.
Curry has still managed to put up MVP-type numbers but they have yet to reach another Finals or Conference Finals since Durant’s departure. This season, Curry averaged 25.5 points and 6.3 assists, while shooting .437 percent from the floor. He’s doing what he has to do but is it enough to get him another championship and remove that asterisk from his name?
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While many will say that he has nothing left to prove, that’s a lie. The reason for that is, James and Durant catch the same heat for either joining or creating Super Teams.
Durant turned the Warriors into winners. With Curry leading the way, the Warriors have fared no better than the Russell Westbrook-led Oklahoma City Thunder or the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors.
This is the same cloud that covers LeBron and still covers Chis Paul. Curry has three titles to his name but fans seem to forget how that first title came to be. Why has Curry received a pass when guys like Paul, Westbrook, and Durant have not?
Stephen Curry must end the year as a champ before the team decides to disband. The Golden State Warriors front office has done a great job surrounding him with the necessary role players to help him thrive but how much time is left on that clock?
Durant takes heavy criticism for joining the Warriors with many saying he rode the coattails of Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green. However, looking over the stats for the Durant/Curry years, it was Durant’s clutch shooting that guided the Warriors to those titles. The Cavs proved that when healthy, Curry and his shooting were not enough to win. But yet, he gets all the credit where a player like Durant takes the criticism.
In the 2015-16 season, the Warriors went 73-9 and lost in the Finals. Curry was the leading scorer then and still no championship to claim. But his name is never smeared in the media. He’s a great player. Top 10 of All-Time but if he doesn’t win another title as the sole leader of this team, then what?
It’s a shame that players are criticized for a team’s shortcomings despite the great level of play they provide. But how can we downgrade the accomplishments of another and ignore what’s in our face when it comes to certain players? Curry is a beast but what has he really done that he’s awarded a pass?
The Golden State Warriors are cooking this season but if they fall short of a title, is it time to start placing the blame on Curry’s shoulders like we do the rest of these NBA stars?
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
