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Stephen Curry is the best shooter in NBA history. He is also successful in the postseason, having won four NBA championships and a Finals MVP. Here are the 10 greatest NBA players to never defeat Stephen Curry in a playoff series, ranked.
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1. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is the most decorated player to never defeat Stephen Curry in a playoff series. Back in 2016, Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals over Curry's 73-9 Golden State Warriors. To everyone's surprise, the Warriors came to life and stormed back from the 3-1 hole to eliminate Durant and the Thunder. During the offseason, Durant infamously left OKC to take his talents to Golden State, forming a super team with Curry.
2. Nikola Jokic
Despite being in the same conference, it's quite a head scratcher that NBA fans hadn't gotten plenty of Nikola Jokic-Stephen Curry duels in the playoffs. The only time these two MVPs met was back in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Curry's Warriors finished The Joker and the Nuggets in five games in the first round. Make no mistake, Jokic was in MVP form during the series, averaging 31.0 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. However, Jamal Murray's absence certainly affected the series.
3. Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum has solidified himself as a star, especially after winning one with the Boston Celtics. However, two years before winning his first title, Tatum and the Celtics couldn't find answers against Curry's Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. Curry ultimately dominated the series, eventually claiming his first NBA Finals MVP.
4. Jaylen Brown
Like Tatum, Jaylen Brown was also left puzzled against the Golden State Warriors at the 2022 NBA Finals. In fact, the Warriors managed to neutralize Brown, including terrible performances in Games 2 and 5, when the 2024 NBA Finals MVP shot less than 30% from the field overall. The Celtics eventually lost in six games.
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
There hasn't been many playoff clashes between Curry and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With SGA and the Thunder emerging as legitimate threats in the West, fans can only hope that there will be more duels to come in the postseason between these two superstars.
Their last duel against each other was when SGA was still playing for the Los Angeles Clippers back in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. The Clippers gave the Warriors a run for their money, but the latter still prevailed in six games. SGA had memorable performances in Games 4 and 6, finishing with 25 and 22 points, respectively.
6. James Harden
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Next up on this list is James Harden. His duels against Curry and the Warriors all happened during his tenure with the Houston Rockets, where he successfully transformed into an MVP-caliber player. Unfortunately, out of three playoff series against each other, the Warriors always reasserted their mastery, including the 2018 Western Conference Finals.
7. Russell Westbrook
Curry also proved to be a thorn on Russell Westbrook's playoff hopes. Westbrook was part of the Thunder squad that raced to a 3-1 series lead over the Warriors. However, Curry and Klay Thompson connived to power the Warriors over Westbrook and the Thunder. It was the closest Westbrook has been to returning to the Finals for the first time since 2012.
8. Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol was already on the last legs of his storied NBA career when he joined the San Antonio Spurs. But around this time, the Spurs actually had all the tools to pull off an upset against the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, Kawhi Leonard's injury in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals changed the complexion of the series. Nonetheless, Gasol gave a valiant effort, including a 12-10 double-double effort in Game 3 before suffering a sweep at the hands of the Warriors.
9. LaMarcus Aldridge
Like Leonard and Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge was a part of that Spurs team, who were dark horses of the Western Conference during the 2016-17 season. Unfortunately, the All-Star power forward was basically shut down in the series with exception to his 28-point performance in Game 1. Afterwards, Aldridge struggled the rest of the series that ended in a sweep in favor of the Warriors.
10. De'Aaron Fox
Prior to De'Aaron Fox being traded to the Spurs, he led the Sacramento Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. However, they faced Curry and the Warriors in the first round and lost in an epic seven-game series. Fox averaged 27.4 points, 7.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. However, Curry dropped 50 points in an epic Game 7 blowout victory.
