With LeBron James Standing Tall, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant Could Suffer Same Fate As Dr. J, Moses
By Sai Mohan
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have teamed up. But LeBron James is still the king of the mountain. Here’s why the last two MVP winners can relate to Moses Malone and Julius Erving and vice versa.
Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have won the last three MVP awards.
Do you remember the last time sequential MVPs joined forces? In 1982-83, reigning MVP Moses Malone left the Houston Rockets to join 1981 MVP Julius Erving‘s Philadelphia 76ers who were still reeling from an NBA Finals loss to the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers.
At the time, it was evident that Malone and Dr. J came together to stop the dual juggernaut that was Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. While Erving got a taste of Magic in the 1980 and 1982 finals, Malone and his Rockets were taken down by Bird & Co. in 1981.
Back then, you had to get through Magic or Bird to win a championship. Today, you have to get through LeBron James, who has reached the last six finals.
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After Durant picked the Golden State Warriors, many threw the “can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” slogan at the forward due to Thunder’s inability to finish off the Warriors in May.
But there’s another way of perceiving Durant and Curry joining hands. They both know what it’s like to lose to James in the Finals. They’ve come together to slay King James once and for all, something Dr.J and Malone tried to do to Celtics and/or Lakers.
Similarities:
Curry won MVP in 2014-15 and 2015-16/Malone won MVP in 1981-82 and 1982-83
Durant won MVP in 2013-14/Dr J won MVP in 1980-81
Before coming together:
Curry and Durant lost to LeBron James in the Finals
Dr. J and Malone lost to Lakers/Celtics in the Finals
What next?
Dr. J and Malone won the title in their first year together
Curry and Durant win the title in their first year together?
Anti-climax?
After 1983, Dr. J and Malone never got past Lakers/Celtics
After 2017, Curry and Durant never get past LeBron James?
Did Dr J & Moses succeed in their quest?
While Erving and Malone triumphed in their first year together, bulldozing their way through the playoffs before sweeping the Lakers in the 1983 finals, they faced a stark reality over the next few years as Bird and Magic proved too hot to handle.
By 1986, Sixers traded Malone. By 1987, Dr J. hung it up. The dream was long dead.
Despite the glaring similarities in two different chapters of NBA history, Curry, 28, and Durant, 27, have age on their side. Dr. J, who spent most of his peak years in the ABA, was a 33-year-old aging star when Malone came to Philadelphia.
Malone peaked too early, winning three MVP awards between 1979 and 1983 before slowing down a touch, making only two more All-NBA teams.
James turns 32 in December but doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Who is to say that the three-time Finals MVP won’t call upon a few friends in his twilight years?
As a matter of fact, we can’t rule out James teaming up with the next wave of stars such as Karl-Anthony Towns or Ben Simmons. James, the GM, has often taken a hands-on approach to stay in the NBA title picture for close to a decade.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that Curry and Durant come together and start to dominate the NBA. They have LeBron James standing in their way. If James defeats the new evil empire of the league, the Great of All-Time debate ought to be re-visited.