This Western Conference Finals has been anything but kind to first ever unanimous league MVP Stephen Curry and his Golden State Warriors. The Warriors fell behind 3-1 to the rampaging Oklahoma City Thunder behind the play of Kevin Durant, and even more so Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook has been going at Curry relentlessly in the series. Through the first 4 games, it would be hard to argue against Westbrook getting the better of the MVP.

Before the series started, Westbrook was asked about the challenges that come with guarding a player like Curry. His response was surprisingly nonchalant.

Reducing who is widely regarded as the leagues best player to just “a shooter” is quite the statement. But, in the series, Westbrook has backed up his words, averaging 27.3 points, 11.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds. Westbrook is also adding a ludicrous 3.8 steals per game, as if just to rub salt in the Warriors already gaping wounds.

While on the other hand, his point guard counterpart Curry is averaging 24.3 points, 4.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds and “only” 2 steals.

This disparity in statistics as well as the general dominance that the Thunder have displayed has led to some members of the national Media, such as Colin Cowherd, to question Curry.

This is not to take anything away from the play of Westbrook, as he garnered equal amounts of praise for his play.

Some may see this as Westbrook exacting a bit of revenge on Curry, as the Warriors guard put the league in a vice grip all season and never let go. Westbrook has finished fourth in MVP the past two seasons and is letting everyone know that he feels he should be held in higher regard.

However, the NBA has seen this type of phenomenon before. The Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose won MVP in the 2010-11 season after LeBron James had won the award in the two previous years. The Bulls and James’s Cleveland Cavaliers met in the Eastern Conference Finals, and in a similar fashion to Curry and Westbrook, James took it to Rose.

James averaged 25.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and shot 44% from the field, while Rose was limited to 23.4 points, 4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, while shooting 35%. The Cavaliers easily handled the Bulls and won the series in 5.

This also happened in 1995, when MVP David Robinson met runner up Hakeem Olajuwon in the Western Conference Finals.

Robinson averaged 23.8 points and 11.3 rebounds to Olajuwon’s 35.3 and 12.5 and the Rockets took the series in 6.

Stephen Curry is hoping to avoid being grouped in the history books with Rose and Robinson as he looks to turn it around the rest of the series.

The Warriors climb back begins Thursday night at Oracle Arena at 6 PM PT.