Steph Curry and LeBron James both seen as salvation for suffering fans

Kurt Helin has posted a fantastic article at Pro Basketball Talk that discusses some really interesting comparisons between Stephen Curry and LeBron James. He compares their supposed caricatures, their skills, their popularity and, one of the most compelling similarities, what they represent to the respective fan bases of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The last time the Golden State Warriors won an NBA title was 40 years ago, led by Rick Barry. The Warriors have had some of the loudest and most loyal fans in the league — this team went through a couple of decades of terrible ownership prior to the current group buying the team, yet the fans continued to show up. Warriors fans stuck with their team through years of rough times.

The last time any team won any title in Northeast Ohio Lyndon B. Johnson was president and was talking about the just-released Warren Report on the assassination of President Kennedy. "Dr. Strangelove" had just entered the theaters. Bob Dylan was just becoming popular as a singer/songwriter. It has been more than half a century since a title came to the greater Cleveland area — which has always been a special burden for LeBron.

There's a lot on the line when the NBA Finals tip off this Thursday.