June 2016 was a weird time. The Golden State Warriors had just finished a regular season where they went 73-9. Think about that for a second. They essentially forgot how to lose. Stephen Curry wasn't just the MVP; he was the first-ever unanimous MVP. He was hitting shots from the logo like they were layups. But then the Finals happened.
When you look at curry 2016 finals stats, the numbers tell a story that still starts arguments in sports bars today. It wasn't just a loss. It was a collapse. But was it really a "choke," or was there something else going on under the surface?
The Raw Numbers: A Brutal Drop-Off
Honestly, the drop from the regular season to the Finals was staggering. In the regular season, Curry averaged 30.1 points per game. He did that while shooting 50.4% from the field and 45.4% from deep. He was the most efficient high-volume scorer we had ever seen.
Then came Cleveland.
In the 2016 Finals, Curry’s scoring dipped to 22.6 points per game. That’s a seven-point drop. His shooting percentages cratered to 40.3% from the field. While he still hit 40% of his threes, the overall impact just wasn't the same. He looked... human.
Game-by-Game Breakdown
If you want to see where things went sideways, you have to look at the individual games.
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- Game 1: 11 points, 4-of-15 shooting. The Warriors won by 15, so nobody cared.
- Game 2: 18 points, 9 rebounds. Another blowout win. Everything seemed fine.
- Game 3: 19 points. This is where the Cavs started to punch back.
- Game 4: 38 points. This was the "I'm back" game. 7-of-13 from three. Warriors go up 3-1.
- Game 5: 25 points. This is the Draymond suspension game.
- Game 6: 30 points. But he fouled out. He threw his mouthguard. He was frustrated.
- Game 7: 17 points. The infamous behind-the-back pass to Klay that went out of bounds.
That Game 7 performance is the one that sticks in everyone's craw. 17 points on 19 shots. In the biggest game of his life, the unanimous MVP couldn't find the bottom of the net when it mattered most.
Was He Actually Hurt?
This is the big debate. Earlier in the playoffs, Curry suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain against Houston. He missed two weeks. When he came back against Portland, he dropped 40 points in his first game back, including an NBA-record 17 in overtime. He looked fine then. He looked fine in the Western Conference Finals comeback against OKC.
But the Finals are a different beast.
Ty Lue and the Cavs had a very specific, very physical game plan. They "mugged" him. Every time Curry ran off a screen, J.R. Smith or Iman Shumpert would bump him. They held his jersey. They made him work for every single inch of hardwood. If you've ever played with a knee injury, you know that lateral movement is the first thing to go. Curry didn't have that "twitch" to shake defenders like Matthew Dellavedova or Kevin Love on the perimeter.
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Remember the final minute of Game 7? Kevin Love—a guy not known for his perimeter defense—stayed right in front of Curry. Pre-injury Curry probably dances around him for a layup or a step-back. 2016 Finals Curry just couldn't get the separation.
The Turnover Nightmare
One of the most overlooked parts of the curry 2016 finals stats is the assist-to-turnover ratio. It was bad. Kinda horrific, actually.
Curry averaged 3.7 assists per game against 4.3 turnovers.
For a primary playmaker, that's a death sentence. He was careless with the ball. The pressure from Cleveland's defense forced him into "hero ball" moments where he tried to make the spectacular play instead of the simple one. That behind-the-back pass in the fourth quarter of Game 7 wasn't because of a knee injury; it was a mental error.
Beyond the Box Score: The Gravity Factor
Even when he was struggling, Curry’s "gravity" was still a thing. The Cavs were so terrified of him that they often let Draymond Green or Harrison Barnes wide open just to make sure two guys were on Steph.
Draymond Green almost won Finals MVP in a losing effort because of this. He had 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists in Game 7 because the Cavs were basically saying, "Anyone but Steph."
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Harrison Barnes went ice cold. He shot 5-of-32 over the final three games. If Barnes hits even two of those open looks, we aren't talking about Curry’s stats today. We’re talking about a back-to-back championship.
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Why These Stats Still Matter
People use the 2016 Finals to define Curry’s legacy, which is a bit unfair considering what he did in 2022 against Boston. But it serves as a reminder that even the greatest shooters can be disrupted by physical defense and a lack of health.
If you're looking at these stats to win an argument, remember the context. He was a guy coming off a knee injury, facing a LeBron James-led team that was playing for their lives, and he was being targeted on every single defensive possession.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
- Look at Efficiency, Not Just Points: Curry’s 40% from three in that series is actually "good" for most players, but for him, it was a major regression. Always compare a player's playoff stats to their own regular-season baseline, not just league averages.
- Watch the Off-Ball Movement: If you go back and watch the tape, count how many times Curry is grabbed or bumped without a whistle. It changed how he played.
- Contextualize the "Choke": A player can "underperform" without "choking." Curry underperformed, but the defensive scheme by Cleveland was an all-time coaching masterclass by Ty Lue.
The 2016 Finals will always be a "what if" for Warriors fans. What if Draymond wasn't suspended? What if Bogut didn't get hurt? But mostly, what if Steph was 100%? We’ll never know. All we have are the numbers, and they remain some of the most scrutinized digits in NBA history.
To get a better handle on how Curry evolved after this, compare these numbers to his 2022 Finals run. You'll see a player who learned how to handle the physical "mucking up" of the game that the Cavs pioneered.