"I did everything, I thought" - Steph Curry gets honest about Kyrie Irving's Game 7 dagger in 2016 Finals
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On June 19, 2016, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rewrote the history of the NBA. With Game 7 of the NBA Finals knotted at 89, Irving hit a clutch three-point shot over Stephen Curry. It was a moment that will forever be remembered as the shot that ended a ridiculously long championship drought.
In an interview with The Ringer's Logan Murdock, Curry walked back the entire moment and exactly why Irving's shot was so bone-crushing, aside from what it was on its face.
"I thought I was close enough that I could take away the pull-up, and then your whole goal is to just keep a body on him and [make him] drive into traffic," Curry said. "There was one-half step that, in retrospect, that little side step gave him enough of a distance. Because a contest was there, but he was just over the top of it. I did everything, I thought. […] It's a game of inches."
Curry and Irving set the league on fire with their epic NBA Finals matchups. Even though Steph was seen as arguably the best player in basketball—certainly the best at his position—Kyrie was never the one to back down from the MVP. Even to this day, the Golden State Warriors superstar would tell you just how much trouble a young Uncle Drew gave him on the game's biggest stage. Those battles will be remembered forever.
24-year-old Kyrie was special
Coming off an unfortunate injury in the 2015 NBA Finals, Irving was out to complete a mission. He helped the Cavs run through the Eastern Conference bracket with ease. When the NBA Finals rolled around, he knew he would have his hands full trying to match up against league MVP Chef Curry.
After falling down 0-2, Irving went nuclear over the next three games, averaging 35.0 points and 6.0 rebounds on a blistering 56% shooting from the field. Without these performances by arguably the NBA's best player under 25, Cleveland would've been sent packing in four games.
Of course, no one will forget Irving's Game 5 performance when he matched LeBron's 41 points while adding eight 3-pointers. With James doing the heavy lifting in the second half of Game 6, the Cavs returned to Oracle Arena for a do-or-die contest, where the young Irving etched his name in the book of iconic NBA moments with his cold-blooded shot.
Steph got his revenge
For an entire year, Curry had to listen to everyone talking about Irving's shot and how the Cleveland guard had surpassed him as the NBA's best point guard. This didn't sit well with Steph, so he made it his mission to seek revenge in the 2017 Finals.
Through two games, Golden State had dominated, similar to the year before. In Game 3, Cleveland let the series slip away after fumbling a six-point advantage late in the ball game. But a Game 4 victory gave them hope that they could make history for a second year in a row.
Curry had other plans. With the game and the title effectively clinched, he threw up a park-style shot with Irving draped all over him and hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
The NBA Finals featured a thrilling point guard duel in consecutive years. It could've happened for a third straight year if Irving had not exited and joined Boston. Nevertheless, these matchups between the Cavs and the Warriors will be remembered for a long time.