My buddies are texting me about a Bleacher Report article that apparently features someone out there with the absolutely unmitigated gall to call Stephen Curry the greatest #2 option in franchise history.

And I’m sitting here like… wait… is this rage bait? The comments are hella funny. But also I think there’s something else here under the very human immediate instinct to flip a table and scream, “HOW DARE YOU CALL THE UNANIMOUS MVP A SIDE DISH?”.

C’mon, how offended could I really be that somebody is pointing out the fact that Stephen Curry encouraged megastar Kevin Durant to take on a healthy share of dynasty-forging responsibilities in the Bay?

We know Steph is the same monster who once looked off both Durant and LeBron in the Olympics because he just wanted to put entire nation of France to sleep.

We’re aware has no problem getting it out the mud with whoever the Warriors put a jersey on, and there’s something mystically old school and Michael Jordanian about him leading his teammates for so long.

So Steph totally accepted Durant’s help and in all his benevolent sorcery, bent the geometry of his own game so a seven-foot flamethrower could drop nuclear heat on Cleveland. Is that… bad?

Because to me, that sounds like Tuesday. That sounds like exactly how the dynasty worked. Durant didn’t materialize out of thin air people, the man clearly loved the idea of playing with Steph and the Dubs so much he looked at the great GSW–CLE rivalry and said, “Yeah, I’ll help make sure LeBron never sees another parade in Cleveland again.” And then they did exactly that. Twice. With confetti, choreography, and cruelty.

Now, I do understand why anyone with two eyes and a casual relationship with a basketball sees the blasphemy of prime Curry being referred to as anything remotely approaching a “second fiddle” with the Warriors. He revolutionized the sport, how could that guy ever be framed as something other than the first option?

In response to that, I’d remind the people that part of how Curry’s greatness changed the sport upside down is his selflessness. That’s the only way the Warriors are accomplishing what they are doing under Curry’s intentional, God-given inspiration.

But in the spirit of the levity of my group chat, let’s get even more absurd. Why not call him the franchise’s all-time third option?

Don’t forget Klay Thompson once scored the most points in a single quarter like he was speedrunning a video game. The same Klay that hit the most threes in a playoff game ever while KD could only watch in horror and curiosity as a Thunder defender, dissolving in real time. Heck, Andre Iguodala won a Finals MVP against LeBron on Curry’s watch, right? Maybe Steph’s the fourth option. It could go on and on.

That’s the part I hope we don’t miss. When we look at Curry’s magnetic generosity and feel his fiendish competitiveness? That is what rocket boosted the Warriors to become one of the greatest franchises sports has ever seen. If the worst thing anybody can say about your superstar is that he was so gravitationally powerful, so unselfish, so team-first that a super chill top-15 all-time hooper slid through to join forces with him and take some shine?… that’s not slander. That’s ruining the league!