Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
NBA legend Tracy McGrady recently stirred controversy among Golden State Warriors fans with his comments about Steph Curry.
“He hasn’t cracked my top-10 yet,” McGrady said about Curry. “I think Steph has had a phenomenal career with four championships, two league MVPs, and a Finals MVP. But if you look at his career when Draymond [Green] is out of the lineup for a season or when Klay Thompson has missed a season… If you’re that great and one of your guys is missing and you can’t make the playoffs, I can’t put you in the top-five or top-10. I just can’t.”
https://twitter.com/Tmac_213/status/1797367550423998611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1797367550423998611%7Ctwgr%5E912a301d89e5456eddaa3a60d5dd3bcc65a39088%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fwarriors%2Fnews%2Fwarriors-fans-rip-nba-legend-for-ridiculous-steph-curry-statement-01hzdk3rj1dh
McGrady’s reference to the 2021 season, when the Warriors missed the playoffs, was his basis for excluding Curry from his top-10 all-time list. However, McGrady’s reasoning has faced significant criticism. In 2021, Curry led the league in scoring with 32.0 PPG and finished third in MVP voting. During the 63 games Curry played that season, the Warriors had a 37-26 (.587) record, which would have secured the 5th seed in the Western Conference. The team missed the playoffs largely due to their 2-7 record in the games Curry missed.
https://twitter.com/30problemz/status/1797402501970342291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1797402501970342291%7Ctwgr%5E912a301d89e5456eddaa3a60d5dd3bcc65a39088%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fwarriors%2Fnews%2Fwarriors-fans-rip-nba-legend-for-ridiculous-steph-curry-statement-01hzdk3rj1dh
Fans have noted that other all-time greats, including LeBron James, have also missed the playoffs at times. The context of those instances, just as in Curry’s case, is crucial.
In fact, Curry’s performance in the 2021 season, where he carried a struggling Warriors team to a 37-26 record, should arguably strengthen his case for being considered among the top-10 players of all time.
