Evidently Stephen Curry heard the noise about him being overrated, a system player and that his legacy is in jeopardy.
After the Warriors got off to a slow start, losing three of their first five games by 25 points or more, the Twitterverse started to take some shots at Curry. Much of it was fuelled by the criticism of Channing Frye. On the heels of Curry scoring 26 points but being minus-27 in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Frye said on the Dubs Talk podcast, “This year, there’s a lot of questions, not of can he play, but can he adjust his game without those all-stars to make everyone else better.”
Frye wanted to see a return to the playoffs and Finals before he gave Curry props.
“Until the Warriors go back without him, it’s like, ‘Well, you had to have a stacked team with five Hall of Famers on it,’” Frye said. “This is the question, and this is unfair, but can Steph do that now?”
The answer is Curry has won two NBA MVP awards and three NBA championships. His legacy is already cemented.
However, Curry had his own answer. The statement game to quiet the noise was last Sunday when Curry created 50 of his 62 points unassisted. He followed that up with another 30 points and near triple double in 31 minutes in the 137-106 blowout win over the Sacramento Kings.
And Sunday, Curry and the Warriors will face the Toronto Raptors at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.
At 32 years and 295 days old, he became the second oldest player to score 60 just behind Kobe Bryant.
The Curry brothers took turns taking subliminal shots back at the growing group of haters after Curry dropped 62 points as a response.
1 down. 60 more left to determine a legacy
— Seth Curry (@sdotcurry) January 4, 2021
Stephen’s media response was just as clear.
“The great ones always are confident in who they are,” Curry said. “No matter what is said, it doesn’t affect us or me in that respect.”
The feeling of being fuelled by being slighted is something the great ones have in common, as Curry used The Last Dance documentary as a reference in describing his mindset.
“You know the Jordan meme, right? I take all that personally,” Curry said. “I sensed the opportunity to kind of assert my will on the game early and try to create some energy, and you know, get off on the right foot.”
And this phenomenon isn’t new. At the beginning of Curry’s career, people were mad when the Warriors traded Monta Ellis and gave Curry the keys to the franchise. In hindsight, it unlocked the version of Curry the basketball world gets to enjoy today.
I’ve never understood the over the top Curry slander. His brand is literally being the underdog, the same size as the common man, that worked so hard at his craft he was so good he became a brand. All the while staying so humble, his Curry brand powered by Under Armour has the slogan “change the game for good” as they channel their proceeds to philanthropic causes for youth. His basketball camps are dubbed the underrated tour as they are tailored for three star recruits — what he was coming out of high-school — not five star showcases put on by most shoe brands.
He’s the basketball version of David vs. Goliath and then passing dimes to the community like Robin Hood. If he’s so relatable, why is he so hateable?
Whatever the reason, his game is not debatable.
Yes, last year Curry played only five games due to a broken hand. Yes, Curry will turn 33 in March. But you don’t forget how to shoot. And I’d argue that next to his handles and his release, Curry’s greatest skill is his basketball IQ.
And the longevity of his greatness might be the most impressive factor. Before he scored 62 last week, his previous high was a 54-point game in Madison Square Garden when he exploded on the scene as a must-watch NBA league pass treasure. The Warriors’ starting centre in that February 2013 game against the New York Knicks was Andris Biedrins. That’s a marathon of time from playing pick-and-roll basketball beside teenager James Wiseman now. And yet Curry like a fine wine gets better with time.
After years of sacrifice, his usage and his ego to accommodate other stars, we are now getting a return to Davidson’s Curry. The guy we fell in love with in the NCAA tournament who is hunting his shot and using the crazy attention opposing defences give him to allow his teammates wide open looks on the weak side.
After a slow start out the gate, his regression should mean another 50/40/90 season for the greatest shooter of all-time. In 2021, Curry leads the NBA in three-point makes with 41. He is averaging a career-high seven free throw attempts per game — well above his previous high of 5.2 — and his 11.6 three-point attempts is just under his career high.
Curry is averaging 30 points on a field goal, three-point and free-throw shooting line of 45/39/95. Curry also leads the team with 6.8 assists per game despite having only one teammate, Canadian Andrew Wiggins, averaging over 17 points per game.
There is a spectacle aspect to his greatness that is hard to quantify. It’s not just what he does, it’s the unreasonable fashion he’s able to do it. Even in practice. The viral video of his 105 straight threes in five minutes might be his best performance of the season.
It’s a shame it’s a friends and families only party of 50 people at Chase Center to witness the in-game heroics. The building in the Bay was literally made for these types of Curry runs.
That fact was on full display Friday when he was exclusively guarded by Patrick Beverley, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Despite the attention, Curry dragged the Warriors back from 22 down with 19 points, four-and-six from three in the third quarter versus the Clippers to beat the team with multiple all-stars and championship aspirations 115-105. Curry finished with a line of 38 points, 11 assists and nine made threes and three steals. The performance was his 26th career game with nine or more threes — no other player in history has 10.
To put in perspective what just seemed like a routine night, it was his 50th career game with eight-plus threes. Nobody else in NBA history has 50 games with seven threes. Don’t take his greatness for granted.
It took a while for Curry to fully adjust to the consistent, unabashed defensive attention he’s getting without a Splash Brother beside him in the back court. The Nick Nurse famed box-and-one, just straight hard double teams and traps in the pick and roll, or a second or third body thrown at him as soon as he crosses half court. All eyes are on Curry as he is the only name that matters in the Golden State scouting report.
It also took a while for his teammates to learn the tendencies in his off the ball movement and the fact that often when Curry gives it up, it’s only as an outlet so he can relocate and get it back when the defence starts to relax. Remember there was an abbreviated training camp and pre-season. Not only is he playing with players who lack experience playing together, Curry is relying on teammates who lack playing experience period.
The Warriors’ offence is not a bunch of set plays, but reading and reacting to compromise a defence, which when you’re playing with veterans like Shaun Livingston, Andrew Bogut, Kevin Durant and David West, is a thing of beauty. Now, nine of his 15 teammates are 25 years of age or younger.
As that chemistry grows, so should the video game numbers he’s putting up. Which is why it was such a hot take and so shortsighted to think after a week of bad fantasy stats, Curry’s body of work was some how illegitimate.
Has there been a more valuable player in the first month of the season? Thus far, Curry is averaging more points and assists with a higher usage rate (33.6) and true shooting percentage (.631) than he did in his unanimous MVP season. As he goes, they go. The Warriors are now 5-0 when Curry scores 30 plus points this season.
Curry is force multiplier for good and an accelerant in the viewing experience and in the win column. But don’t let the baby face fool you — he’s also a stone-cold killer.
This Sunday marks Curry’s first matchup with the Raptors since they put him in a box-and-one, took his championship trophy and paused his dynasty. If we’ve learned anything about Curry, it’s that he keeps receipts.
The We The North faithful certainly weren’t among the contingent that pondered if Curry is overhyped. Curry is averaging 28.3 points per game against the Raptors, the most versus any opponent in his career.
A player who loves playing against the Raptors already due to his personal and family ties to the city doesn’t need any more motivation. He also doesn’t need to do anything more to prove his greatness. But he is still playing like he has something to prove.
He might not be the MVP, but he still has the crown for the MWP: most watchable player. Just watch what you say about him.
