Stephen Curry: Warriors are prepared to be villains

Stephen Curry knows there are going to be plenty of people who want to see the Golden State Warriors lose next season, and the two-time reigning NBA MVP says the team will be ready for that.

In an interview with Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group this week, Curry spoke about the defending Western Conference champions adding one of the best players in the NBA to the fold in Kevin Durant. If that move results in the Warriors being hated, Curry won’t be concerned.

“In most arenas, we had a strong contingent of Warriors fans. But as far as being hated, all the noise stays out of our locker room,” he said. “We focus on what we have to do. We have experience dealing with it. We were the villains (in the Finals) so we will be more prepared. But all that matters is what goes on in our locker room.”

Everybody wants to beat the best, and the majority of fans want to see the best lose. Last year’s NBA Finals were unique in that they pitted the best player — LeBron James — against a team that won an NBA record 73 games in the regular season. For many haters, it was a no-win situation.

Curry is aware that anything short of an NBA title next year will be a failure for Golden State.

“It was the same thing last year,” he said. “We’re used to having that kind of pressure. We know what it feels like. We’re more prepared for it and we will be better for it.”

If you heard some of the comments Curry made during the regular season last year, you know the Warriors failed to accomplish their goal. Now that Durant has joined them, anything less than a title would be a huge disappointment.