The NBA Should Be Scared Steph Curry is Considered an Underdog for the First Time in a While

For the first time in five years, the Golden State Warriors aren't considered the favorites to win the NBA Championship.

The team lost Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets in free agency, while Klay Thompson is sidelined with a torn ACL. Power duos have emerged in the Western Conference (Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers as well.

Nobody is buying into Steph Curry leading the Warriors, rendering him an underdog. According to "Steph vs. the Game" co-creator Gotham Chopra, Curry is "relishing" in the underdog role. That's bad news for the rest of the league.

"I think the thing that's kind of revealing that you find out is he's really relishing this new role that the team has as an underdog," said Chopra, via an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. "It's something that Steph is very comfortable with. He said it was really strange for him to be in that Goliath role the past five years where everyone looked at them as sort of the super power.

"He's more comfortable in that underdog role."

Curry has thrived as an underdog ever since he was passed on by six other teams in the 2009 NBA Draft. While there were hardships at the start of his career with the Warriors, he was the prime reason why they emerged at the top of the standings in the 2014-15 season and eventually hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy that year.

To be specific, Curry averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals, leading to his first-ever MVP award. Even in the NBA Finals, he averaged a staggering 26 points and 6.3 assists in the six-game series.

Now, fans and experts are giving Curry no shot of succeeding next season, despite what he's accomplished in the past. While many would falter at having no support, Curry will be using that as motivation to silence the naysayers.