James sticks up for Stephen Curry against criticism from old guard

For a second straight season, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors stand as the biggest stumbling block in LeBron James' quest to bring a title to "The Land," but that doesn't mean James isn't willing to stand up for a fellow MVP.

James doesn't appreciate the way old heads have come crawling out of the woodwork to marginalize Curry's accomplishments. The way James sees it, respect is a two-way street.

"I'm respectful to all the guys who paved the way, the greats, guys who were role players, guys who were part of a championship team or was not. I've always been respectful, so it does kind of suck when you've got guys who played before us and paved the way for us (and) … they like to talk down on a lot of our players, saying, 'Well if they played in our era it wouldn't be the same,'" James told Sam Amick of USA Today.

Related: Reggie Miller implores old timers to 'embrace Steph'

Notables such as Charles Barkley, Oscar Robertson, Phil Jackson, and many others have tried to downplay Curry's accomplishments - just like how critics sought to undercut James.

"I heard Dennis Rodman say if I played in their era I'd just be an average player - yeah, about me, that I'd be just an average player," James said. "And they say the same things about Steph, 'If Steph played in our era, then we'd be more physical with him and we'd go at him.' And it sucks because we're just trying to carry the torch for the next group to come behind us."

The way James sees it, all of the greats, both past and present, seek to advance the game of basketball. There's no need for the old guard to talk down about today's game. They're all building towards something greater.

"So you hear about (the criticism), but you don't let it affect you because we understand that they paved the way for us. Then you've got (Tim) Duncan, Kobe, KG (Kevin Garnett). They paved the way for us. Now myself, D-Wade, ‘Melo, Chris Bosh, CP3 (Chris Paul), we're kind of paving the way for Steph, Klay, all those generations, and now they're doing it for the younger guys. It's no biggie," James said.