Steph Curry is the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, and was at the forefront of one of the most dominant teams in the history of the sport. However, before the Golden State Warriors ripped off three titles in four years, there were quite a few people who wondered if a team built around their shooting would be able to win a championship.
The Warriors went an NBA-best 67-15 in 2014-15, but after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the Western Conference, they fell down 2-1 to the Memphis Grizzles in the conference semifinals. Before Game 4, Curry got a phone call from Tiger Woods, one that he says helped fuel a comeback in the series.
"We've talked a couple times," Curry said of his relationship with Woods on The Huddle and Flow Podcast. "He actually called me out of the blue back in 2015 during our playoff run in the second round against Memphis. And we were down 2-1, and my PR director for the Warriors...I was leaving practice in between Games 3 and 4...and I had just won my first MVP, so that was kind of a talking point, but we were down 2-1 in the series...and he says 'Hey, if this Florida number calls you, you may want to answer it.' So he called me about an hour later, and it was the biggest pep talk of all-time, just out of the blue. He spoke some life into our comeback during that round. I said 'I'm ready for it, I know I'm gonna get it done.' And he dropped the mic at the end of the call and he's like 'Prove it,' and then just hung up."
Curry, well, proved it. After falling down 2-1 to the Grizzles, the Warriors won three consecutive games to finish off the series and advance the Western Conference Finals. Over the final three games of the series, Curry scored more than 30 points twice, with the Warriors winning each game by at least 13 points.
After defeating the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, Curry and company would defeat LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Warriors and Cavaliers met on the sport's highest stage for four consecutive years, with Curry and company coming out on top three times. Who knew Woods had a small part in that.
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