Steph Curry has been to the NBA Finals six times in his career. The Warriors have won four championships and lost two. One of those two losses will go down in history.
After winning the NBA championship in 2015, Golden State won 73 games the next season but infamously lost its second Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers after jumping out to a three-games-to-one series lead. Curry joined former NBA guard J.J. Redick on the latest episode of "The Old Man and The Three" podcast, where he discussed the Warriors' record-breaking 2016 season that ended in disaster.
"It comes with a lot of emotions ... the 73-9 chase, we started 24-0 coming off a championship, getting everybody's best shot, still winning," Curry said. "I don't know at what point we even started to talk about 73-9, it probably was right after the All-Star break you start to think about 'oh if we win seven out of eight games the rest of the way, we're going to get there.' And then it became a huge talking point the last 20 games, and we carried that through and actually got it done. I remember that Game 82, two games going on at the same time, us playing Memphis chasing the 73rd win, meanwhile in LA it was Kobe [Bryant's] last game playing against Utah and scoring 60 or whatever he did. The NBA was at its height.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"Then we go through the playoff run and in Houston I slip on the floor and busted my knee, I was out for however long. Then I come back and Game 6 Klay was born in OKC. Then you get to the Finals and you're up 3-1 and you're kind of already counting the win as "just get it done.' Draymond [Green]'s suspension and all that is a little distraction, but you're still like 'we're right there,' we're two-time defending champs, back-to-back. We know how it ended."
Heading into Game 5 against Cleveland, the Warriors were just one win away from repeating as champions. The Cavs essentially were done for and champagne already was on ice for Golden State. However, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had other plans. The duo put up historic numbers in each of the three remaining games, fueling an improbable comeback that will live in infamy.
"What I say about the 3-1 situation is I've never seen two guys play at that level for three straight games, it was the craziest thing I've ever seen," Curry added. "[LeBron James] and Kyrie [Irving] were just on (another level). And we played well, they just played better. It was hard to watch and be in that vibe where you can't do anything about it. We still had an opportunity to win Game 5 and 7 down the stretch, then the Kevin Love possession was, if I know there was one play I could have done something different, it's that one.
"You can always tip your hat to someone that outplays you, and that's what they did for three straight games. The whole season was insane to think about all the experiences we had, think about we had a 73-9 banner in our practice facility but no NBA Finals banner that year still hurts. It's part of the journey, and every time I see Kyrie, every time I see Bron, there's that respect of those four years playing against them were crazy."
Golden State Warriors
RELATED: Klay enjoying life in no-trolls zone during social media break
The Warriors blowing a three-games-to-one series lead was a humbling experience like no other for a team coming off a championship and arguably the greatest regular season in the history of professional sports.
Fortunately for Golden State, they would bounce back just fine. The Warriors signed Kevin Durant a few weeks after the 2016 Finals and faced off against Cleveland two more times in 2017 and 2018, winning both championships before capturing a fourth title a few seasons later, further cementing their legacy as an NBA dynasty.