“You SCARED, buddy?” – Steph Curry was petrified of guarding Kyrie Irving, reveals former Cavaliers championship-winning star

The 2016 NBA season stands as one of the most historic in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors made history with their record-breaking 73 regular-season wins, making them clear favorites for the championship. They led the NBA Finals 3-1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers when Kyrie Irving and LeBron James showcased the best basketball of their careers, becoming the first team to win the NBA Finals after a 3-1 deficit.

Iman Shumpert was a key part of the team that won the championship and in a recent interview he talked about how terrified Stephen Curry was guarding Kyrie Irving and the team tried to switch Steph on Kyrie whenever Curry tried to switch to Shumpert.“We realized Steph wasn’t trying to match up with Kyrie. All we took it as, ‘Oh, you scared of this dude? You scared of buddy?’ So, we just fed him.  If Steph came and guarded me, if they tried to do a triple switch. Whatever they tried to do.”

Shumpert also shared that when he attempted to set up a screen, Curry would try to switch onto him. To counter this, they employed a double screen to ensure that Curry ended up guarding Kyrie. “If I go down here and set this screen, Steph would try and go on me, while I’m in the corner. I would bring my screen up too. Now you got a double screen, but you finna have to guard Kyrie.”

Also Read: Steve Kerr gets candid about HATE for Chris Paul and how veteran PG will fit alongside Steph Curry and co.

Tyronn Lue explains why he chose Kyrie Irving over LeBron James to take the winning shot

Kyrie Irving’s three-point shot over Stephen Curry led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 93-89 victory in Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors during the 2016 NBA Finals, overshadowing LeBron James’ iconic block on Andre Iguodala that many remember.

In a recent appearance on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue explained why he chose Kyrie over LeBron to take the winning shot. He stated that with only one minute and thirteen seconds left on the clock, LeBron was tired after the block on Andre Iguodala, so he opted for Kyrie to take the shot.

“Bron had just made that big block, and he was exhausted. He hadn’t come out of the game the whole game, so he was done. We came to the bench, there was a minute and 13 left. Bron was there, he got the wet towel. So, I’m just looking like, Sh*t man, I’m going to Kyrie,‘” Lue explained the situation on the Cavs bench.

Lue further revealed that their plan coming out of the timeout was to have JR Smith set a hard screen, which would switch Curry onto Kyrie. Lue anticipated Kyrie taking the ball to the basket, but instead, he made a three-pointer that ultimately secured their victory and became one of the biggest shots in NBA history.

 “We come out of the timeout, I said, ‘JR you got to set a hard screen, make him and Kyrie you gotta fly off to force a switch.’ I didn’t think he was gonna take a three, I thought he was gonna go to the rack. He sized him up, step back to the right, that’s one of the biggest shots in NBA history.” Lue added.

In Case You Missed:

• Damian Lillard’s UNSTOPPABLE 71-point game left Rockets defender ‘sick to the stomach’
• “Having sympathy for a criminal is wild” – Stephen A. Smith gets SLAMMED for defending Brittney Griner’s mental health absence

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW