Stephen Curry wants some respect for LeBron’s Cavaliers co-stars
By Dave Daniels
The Golden State Warriors advanced to the 2018 NBA Finals on Monday, and they will see a familiar face there for the fourth year in a row.
Stephen Curry helped the Golden State Warriors overcome a strong Game 7 showing from the Houston Rockets on Monday night, and he’ll join his teammates in the NBA Finals for another year as a result. The Warriors knew before the game that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be waiting for them if they beat the Rockets on the road.
Some have said that LeBron James has carried his worst overall team to the Finals since the first time he did it in 2007.
“I hate when people say that,” Curry said, when asked if LeBron is holding up a terrible squad. “They’re NBA players. Bron is amazing. He’s willed his team to his eighth straight final, which is unbelievable… but don’t disrespect the other guys out there.”
It’s unclear how much this is gamesmanship or if this is how Steph actually feels. The Cavaliers look like a completely different team from last postseason, and a lot of these players are untested. It doesn’t help either that Kevin Love is in concussion protocol. (It’s a shame that Chris Paul wasn’t available for the last two games against the Warriors, because the result could have been quite different. But that is a story for another time.)
LeBron agrees with Curry’s sentiment that his teammates contributed to getting the Cavaliers to the biggest stage, so there isn’t any reason to argue with the point guard.
“It’s a team game,” James said. “That’s why we going to another Finals because my teammates played a hell of game.”
Next: NBA: 2000s All-Decade Second Team
It should be noted, though, that Golden State is the largest Finals favorite in the last 16 seasons. It will probably be a boring series, but everyone counted out LeBron and the Cavaliers in 2016 too. So don’t count them out until the final buzzer sounds.