As usual, many are wondering if Steph Curry now belongs in the NBA’s GOAT conversation after he pulled off more heroics; in this case, the Warriors superstar has everyone’s attention by helping Golden State defeat the Houston Rockets in seven games during the 2025 Western Conference playoffs first round.
Retired NBA veteran and ESPN “Get Up” panelist Kendrick Perkins, at least, believes Curry is on the cusp of being in the GOAT conversation, needing to reach two specific goals before retiring.
“Here’s the thing: Steph Curry is one championship away and one Finals MVP away from entering the GOAT conversation,” Perkins said Monday. “Real talk. And I would dare somebody to try and argue or make me seem like I’m saying something ridiculous. What he has done for the game … he has changed the game forever. Forever.
“He’s given life to all the guys who are under [6-foot-3]. Not just because of his shooting ability, but because what he brings to the table night in and night out on a day-to-day basis as a true professional, and now he’s getting it done on both ends of the floor.”
Curry, a slender 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, could enter the GOAT conversation in Perkins’ eyes during Golden State’s current playoff run. All Curry would have to do is, well, lead the Warriors to a 2025 NBA Finals victory and be the series MVP.
Perkins, though, admitted that Curry deserves much respect for Golden State’s first-round series victory over Houston. Regardless of the GOAT conversation, Curry stepped up big time against likely the toughest defense the Warriors will face all postseason.
“We have to give him credit about his conditioning and how much he puts into his body,” Perkins said. “That was a tough-ass series he just went through. You’re talking about Amen Thompson, who was physical with him. We’re talking about a [6-foot-7], bigger guy who was face-guarding [Curry] at times, trapping him.
“He damn near ran two miles – but it was two miles of physicality. It was like running two miles with a 15-pound weight vest.”
The second-seeded Rockets tried everything to stop Curry. Yet, the NBA’s all-time greatest shooter and his Warriors advanced after he averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists over the seven-game gauntlet.
Curry also averaged 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game and locked down whomever when the lights were brightest.
He might not be known for being a stout defender, but Perkins raved about that aspect of Curry’s game as it helps his case for being the GOAT.
“He’s been getting it done on both ends of the floor,” Perkins said. “In his fourth championship, against the Boston Celtics, they were trying to pick on him, and I thought that’s when he leveled up and took it to the next level defensively.”
Curry and the Warriors have a long way to go before earning their fifth NBA title in 11 seasons. But if they do, Perkins apparently would put Curry in the GOAT conversation.
