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Stephen Curry hopes Cleveland locker room still smell like champagne; Cavs offended

2015 NBA Finals - Game Six

2015 NBA Finals - Game Six

Getty Images

This is from the “NBA players will use any slight — real, perceived, or invented — to motivate themselves” file.

The Golden State Warriors are back in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Monday night for the first time since they won the NBA Finals last season. As you would expect, Stephen Curry was asked about being back in the building and his memories, and Curry was his usual playful self. Here’s the quote, via Chris Haynes at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

“Obviously, walking in the locker room, it’ll be good memories,” Curry said Sunday to reporters. “Hopefully, it still smells a little bit like champagne.”

Is that inflammatory? No. I’d say colorful at best. But NBA players — particularly elite ones like Kobe Bryant/Kevin Garnett/Michael Jordan — are known for turning anything that maybe, sort of, from the right angle could be seen as an insult and using it as motivation. Haynes said that’s what happened with the Cavaliers.

Sources are telling cleveland.com that members of the Cavaliers have taken exception to the quote and viewed it as “disrespectful.”

Don’t want to feel disrespected? Beat the Warriors. If the Warriors win on Monday that will be five straight over the Cavs dating back to the Finals last season and that gives them license to talk (yes, I know about the injuries, doesn’t matter).

This whole thing blew up online fast — and I guess a lot of places relaying Curry’s quote only used the second half of it — so Curry took to Twitter to respond.