Inside The Warriors

Warriors Champion Reveals Important Conversation Between Steph Curry and Kevin Durant

The Golden State Warriors dominated the NBA with the Steph Curry, Kevin Durant duo

Joey Linn

Feb 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) talk during the second half at Chase Center.
Feb 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) talk during the second half at Chase Center. / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
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Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were arguably the best duo of all-time during their run as teammates with the Golden State Warriors. While they played just three seasons together, Curry and Durant repeated as champions in 2017 and 2018.

Making the NBA Finals again in 2019, the Warriors fell to the Toronto Raptors largely because of injuries to Durant and Klay Thompson.

Joining a 73-9 Warriors team that eliminated his Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Durant was sure to build the NBA’s most dominant team. While that is what happened, there was a bit of an adjustment period for Curry after being the unanimous NBA MVP in 2016.

During a recent episode of The Knuckleheads Podcast, three-time Warriors champion Shaun Livingston revealed an important conversation between Curry and Durant during that 2017 season which helped really elevate the team.

“After that Christmas game (in 2017), there was internal conversation amongst them two,” Livingston revealed. “[Durant said], ‘I need you to be Steph Curry.’ And then once Steph was like, ‘Alright, KD is good with us,’ it was unstoppable from then.”

Not wanting Curry to defer too much, Durant made it clear that he wanted the back-to-back MVP to be himself. 

Curry averaged 25.3 points that season, which was a step back from the 30.1 he led the NBA with the season prior, but he added another championship.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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