Getty Iman Shumpert of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the 2015 NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors fans have been blessed for 12 years now by being able to watch the magical Stephen Curry on a near-nightly basis. With Dub Nation being relegated to their couches during the 2021 NBA playoffs though, the Bay Area has likely been looking back to the golden days of the Splash Brothers, Draymond and company, and dreaming of times like the run of three titles in four years from 2015 to 2018.
One man who is certainly not looking back fondly on that dominant Warriors run is former Cleveland Cavaliers star Iman Shumpert.
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After playing his first three-plus NBA seasons with the New York Knicks, the now 31-year-old Shumpert was traded with J.R. Smith to Cleveland as part of a massive three-team deal in 2015. Shumpert was a key bench piece for the Cavs in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 NBA Finals against the Dubs, before being dealt again midway through 2018.
Though he was able to be alongside LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and the rest of the Cavs for the historic 2016 title win, the first and third runs to the championship ended in heartbreak for Shumpert, and it sounds like he still hasn’t forgotten about those painful memories.
‘I Don’t Feel Like Chasing Steph Around’
GettyIman Shumpert of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during Game Three of the 2016 NBA Finals.
“Shump” recently sat down with the sports broadcasting group, Whistle, and answered questions about his 10-year NBA career. Shumpert appeared in only two games this season with the Brooklyn Nets.
Having played in 18 NBA Finals games against the Warriors during his days with Cleveland, Shumpert had a lot to say about Curry.
“It is a NIGHTMARE guarding @StephenCurry30.”
Squaring off against Chef Curry for one game or even a single possession sounds brutally tough. Going head-to-head against the best shooter in the world in excruciatingly difficult NBA Finals series three straight years does indeed sound like a nightmare.
Lakers, Warriors to Square off Twice in 2021 NBA Preseason
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during a game in May.
Shumpert may have spent some of Tuesday looking back on the good and the bad, but the Warriors have a lot to look forward to, like the 2021 NBA Draft, the summer of trades and free agency, and for some, the Tokyo Olympics. Looking way ahead into the fall, Dub Nation got a tiny glimpse of what they could be looking forward to on October 8 and October 12th.
Though a full Warriors 2021 preseason schedule has yet to be released, just knowing that they’ll be taking on the (for now) defending champions is pretty exciting. The squads played each other four times in the 2019 preseason, but didn’t see each other in the 2020 edition.
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Former Cavs, Knicks Star Calls Warriors’ Stephen Curry a ‘Nightmare’