Steph Curry is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He’s certainly the greatest shooter, and his style of play has influenced every player and every team in the league.
Despite his greatness, Curry was shockingly benched in the clutch against the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry’s defense was a liability, causing head coach Steve Kerr to sit his star in a critical game where the Golden State Warriors needed a win to avoid the Play-In tournament.
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The game was tied at 111-111 with 17.5 seconds remaining. Kerr decided to sit Curry to have a stronger defensive team on the floor. This idea isn’t far-fetched, since Curry’s defense is the weakest part of his game.
Still, to sit one of the best players of all-time in the clutch was certainly going to cause fans to react.
Steph Curry getting benched in the clutch because he’s a defensive liability is one of many reasons why he will never be in the GOAT conversation. pic.twitter.com/2UVqhLAVXy
— HiNote. ???? (@HiNoteee) April 13, 2025
Kobe and MJ and LeBron and Magic and Bird and Kareem never got benched when the game was on the line .
— Wehosrm Think (@wehosrm) April 13, 2025
Great on offense and a cone that gets aggressively targeted on defense
— Bro Flacco (@BroFlacco1738) April 14, 2025
Getting benched ≠ putting your best defensive lineup on the court and immediately calling a timeout to put Steph in the game when the ball is secured by GS
mf really thought he cooked ????????
— Joe-W Embiid (@LockCity_USA) April 14, 2025
As you can see, not all fans were against the decision to bench Curry in the clutch, but most were. The game went into overtime where Curry returned to the floor to score three points on 1-3 shooting.
The Clippers walked away with the 124-119 victory, securing their place in this year’s postseason. As for the Warriors, they will now have to battle the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In.
Did the benching mess with Curry’s psyche? Curry scored 36 for the entire game on 10-20 shooting, including 7-12 from three. There certainly was a drop off after being benched.
