Golden State Warriors: Six plays that broke LeBron James’ spirit

2. Stephen Curry steals the ball and the throne

Stephen Curry had a rough 2016 NBA Finals. His injured knee slowed him down and the Cavaliers knew it. They created a gameplan to attack Curry and his body that broke down more and more as the playoffs went on.

After become the first ever unanimous MVP, he couldn’t lead his team to the title and the greatest season of all-time. He fell short. LeBron James made sure the world knew it, too.

Standing at 6’9, James is supposed to be able to block the 6’3 Curry at the rim. When he did, the world lost its collective mind. He turned and talked trash to Curry after a Game 6 block as if he accomplished some impossible feat.

Curry got his revenge in 2017. He won the championship, but his pursuit of redemption wasn’t just about that. That was the goal, but he wanted to get individual redemption as well. And he did so by besting James one-on-one several times.

Of course, we highlighted one of his offensive plays. But Curry’s defense has been the subject of much scrutiny all of his career, especially during his rise to superstardom. Well, he got James on that end of the floor, too.

In the pivotal Game 3, James was on a fast break after the Cavaliers got a stop on Kevin Durant. When he gets going in transition, it’s nearly impossible to stop him. Curry didn’t care and he stripped the ball away as James started to flail.

The best part about that play was the gif that came of it:

The Warriors won a nail biter in Game 3. This play ended up being a huge one. Who knows what would have happened had James finished that and helped build more momentum for Cleveland? Or if Curry had fouled him?

James couldn’t even turn to his bread-and-butter, the fast break, over someone that shouldn’t be able to stop him. Curry stole the ball and, by extension, the throne from the King.