It Starts & Ends with Stephen Curry
In 2013, Stephen Curry made his playoffs debut, as the sixth seeded Warriors were up against the third seeded Denver Nuggets. The last two times the Warriors were in the playoffs were 2007, the infamous “We Believe” team, and 1994 with “Run TMC”. After a season where Monta Ellis was traded for an injured former first overall pick in Andrew Bogut and Curry continued to have ankle injuries, it was finally starting to trend in the right direction. This time, it featured an entirely different cast of characters. Instead of Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and that crew, it was the perfect blend of a rising young core and a trustworthy group of NBA veterans. I vividly remember the exact moment when I thought that maybe this season was the start of something special. During the 3rd quarter of Game 4 of the Warriors’ 1st round series against the Denver Nuggets, Curry got a steal, crossed half court, drifted a little to his left, and nailed a 3 over Ty Lawson. This was one of the first examples of Curry showing his basketball altering talent on one of the biggest stages in the NBA. This shot put the Warriors up by 17 with about a minute left in the quarter. Curry was already scorching hot that game, and ended up scoring 22 points in that 3rd quarter, leading the team to a 3–1 advantage against the higher seeded Nuggets. It was then that the party was just beginning to come alive.
Just a couple months before that night, Curry dropped 54 points in Madison Square Garden. Only the greatest of NBA legends have had those types of scoring outputs as a visitor in the Garden, the “Mecca” of basketball. Michael Jordan had 55 points in a game in 1995, and Kobe Bryant scored a ridiculous 61 points in 2009. Jordan and Kobe had these scoring outputs during the prime of their careers. In ’95, Jordan already completed one of his two three-peats with the Chicago Bulls. And in ’09, Kobe was already cemented as one of, if not the best player in the NBA at that time. He and the Lakers went on to win back to back titles in ’09 & ’10. Curry had his outburst during his fourth NBA season, and he was not even an all-star at that point. The 2013 playoff run for the Warriors made it conceivable that the team could be on their way for a nice little run for the next couple years, if everything fell right. Nine years later, we have seen Curry and the Warriors hoist up their fourth Larry O’ Brien trophy in their last six Finals appearances. There are only a couple of teams in NBA history that have matched or outlasted that type of prolonged success. When Curry was being given his first Bill Russell Finals MVP award on that stage in Boston’s TD Garden after this year’s Finals, it was a reminder to the basketball world that Curry is the alpha and omega of this dynastic run.
“Steph Curry, as terrific as he is, is a ‘System Quarterback’” — Jason Smith, Fox Sports, 2021
Now of course, what were the Bulls without Michael Jordan, or the Lakers without Magic or Kobe? Without superstar players, it is extremely difficult to win, let alone get to an NBA Finals several times. It takes a special type of player to win multiple championships during their career. “I’m obviously thrilled for everyone in that room. A lot of people had a big hand in this. I think the thing with Steph is… without him, none of this happens.” These are words Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said during his post game press conference after the clinching Game 6 of this year’s finals. “I’m happy for everybody, but I’m thrilled for Steph. To me, this is his crowning achievement in what’s already been an incredible career.” We can go through Curry’s accolades and achievements together. He has 4 titles, a Finals MVP award, 2 regular season MVP awards, 8 All-NBA selections, 2 scoring titles, and the most 3-pointers made ever. Some day, I will be sitting on a rocking chair telling my grandchildren about the basketball greatness that is Curry, and that whichever NBA star that they idolize will never be better than him. But what makes him the beginning and end of this version of the Warriors, is all of the things he does without the basketball in his hands. This includes everything basketball related on the court, as well as off of it.
“Incredible talent. But collaborative talent.” — Dave McMenamin, ESPN, 2017
NBA superstars before Curry were very easy to tell apart amongst average players around the league. Michael Jordan was a freakishly athletic and skilled player, who elevated athleticism in basketball to new heights. Jordan dominated the game on the court and through the air. LeBron James is a player that looks like he was made in a lab. His physical attributes are off the charts, and his basketball mind is just as impressive. You go down the list and you will see the same building block, physical dominance. Legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant all share similar qualities. They had to change the rules for Shaq, for crying out loud. All were either physically dominant or the most skilled player at their size. The shortest players amongst the ones I mentioned are Jordan and Kobe, both measuring at 6’6. The biggest difference between Curry and the history of NBA legends is his size, standing at about 6’3 with shoes. Our eyes as basketball fans have been conditioned to view players like LeBron and Shaq as “dominant”. I want to use a thought experiment Bill Simmons (who I am an avid listener of) likes to bring up a lot to convey my point. If you watched a couple minutes of LeBron, Jordan, or any of the players I listed before, it would be easy to say, “Okay, THAT is the best player in the world”. You would be able to tell the physical differences between them and the rest of the players on the court. With Curry, it is much harder to see. Since he is not bigger, stronger, or faster than the other players, he does not explode out of the screen.
The part of Curry that does jump out is his unbelievable shooting ability. I am sure we all know that he is regarded as the greatest shooter in the history of the universe, but what makes him an even bigger threat is that he uses his best quality to create opportunities for his teammates. Superstars are judged and criticized on how well they are able to enhance the play of their teammates. Curry does it by just (literally) running around on offense. Just the idea of him having an open shot stretches the defense so thin in ways we have never seen a player been able to do. He can be standing close to half court and the defense would have at least two players shading over in his direction, in order to prepare to defend any type of shot. Using only his presence as an offensive weapon, the Warriors are able to take advantage of this to create quality scoring opportunities as long as he is in the game. It is a credit to Curry’s skill as much as it is a credit to his unselfishness. There are a lot of NBA superstars, past or present, that would not accept having the ball in anyone else’s hands but their own. Then again, there are a lot of NBA stars that have not accomplished the feats that Curry has.
“Having him as a teammate is incredible… Having him as a brother is even more special.” — Draymond Green, 2022
Perhaps the most impressive part of Curry’s entity, and the one that I believe Kerr was referring to in his press conference, is that his unselfishness is felt a great deal away from the basketball court. There are so many examples of his humility, loyalty, and commitment to winning throughout his career. When you have these qualities as a franchise player, success can be sustainable. In the Warriors’ case, ever since Curry’s rise, success runs through their blood. Curry’s personality, the way he empowers his teammates, and his want to share the spotlight, is ultimately what keeps the Warriors charged up. In 2016, fresh off one of the most incredible individual seasons in NBA history (let’s not talk about how that year ended for the team), welcomed another superstar in Kevin Durant. Yes, it was a very controversial move at the time, basketball followers have had this conversation a lot the past six years. But now that we are a solid time removed from then, and especially now that Curry has won another championship without Durant at his side, is it fair to say that Curry did not “need” Durant to win at the highest level? In retrospect, a lot of superstars might have not been able to accept the fact that their team was about to sign a player that had a chance to overtake them in popularity and personal accolades. When Durant was a Warrior, the team won back to back championships, and it was he who won the Finals MVPs and produced jaw-dropping statistics, leaving Curry as the perceived second fiddle. But, he never cared one bit about not getting the credit he rightfully deserved as the NBA’s best teammate. When the Warriors met with Durant during his free agency, he asked if it was okay with Curry to be on the team. Durant knew that if there was any inkling of hesitation from Curry, it might not be possible.There were never leaked stories about Curry being disgruntled about the amount of touches or shots he had throughout a game. We never heard any passive-aggressive comments about not winning Finals MVP in either 2017 or ’18. He even offered to take a pay-cut after the Warriors’ 2017 championship in order to keep all of the core players together, especially Durant. This is off of a cheap, four year, $44 million contract that was given to Curry because of his ankle problems earlier in his career. After two titles and two MVPs, he was still focused on sustained excellence and putting others before him. It is universally agreed upon that Curry is and has the talent of an NBA superstar, but he would much rather be regarded as the ultimate winner.
“He’s like the most unselfish superstar — that’s a good way to put it” — Andrew Wiggins, 2020
The pure selflessness of Curry continues to be a theme all throughout his career, and it is felt up and down the Warriors organization. In this era of the NBA, it has become a very common practice that a team’s star can demand his way in and out of any sort of situation they are in. We can look back no more than five years ago. Since 2017, here is the list of NBA stars that have switched teams due to simply not wanting to be in their current situation anymore: Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James twice, James Harden twice, Kyrie Irving twice, Paul George, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler three times, and Kevin Durant (who just requested a trade from the Nets). Even a bulk of the NBA community forgot that Kobe Bryant demanded a trade from the Lakers during a radio show in 2007. For an NBA star, signing a contract and demanding a trade from their current team are both just as easy. Curry is the longest tenured player on his current team in the league at 13 years (aside from Udonis Haslem). There are different points throughout the last 5 years in which he could have used his superstar status to go to another team. What if instead of resigning in 2017, he wanted to go somewhere else to not play with Durant? What if instead of accepting an extension in 2021, he wanted to go to a team where going to the finals was a foregone conclusion? During 2019–2021, the Warriors were injury-ridden, had a below average supporting cast, and had an immensely high payroll. In an alternate universe, Curry went to the Warriors’ front office and demanded them to trade Klay Thompson or Draymond Green or else he is not signing his contract extension. Instead of responding to his team’s situation negatively, he responded by leading the Warriors to another NBA championship. During the Warriors’ early struggles in Curry’s rookie season, he tweeted out, “Promise to all the Warrior fans…we will figure this thing out…if it’s the last thing we do we will figure it out.” The only thing we have to figure out as fans is how high Curry will end up on the list of the NBA’s greatest players of all time.
“What are they gonna say now?” — Stephen Curry, 2022
What else is there left to say about the 34 year old superstar? He is one of the few players in NBA history that has experienced the ups and downs of a long basketball career with the same team. This journey that the Warriors have been on since the moment they drafted Curry will end when he inevitably retires, and the new version of the team will be born. What will happen with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green? Will they last long enough to get to the end of Curry’s career? Will the keys be handed to one of the young talents on the roster? How will the co-owners of the team find another player that can bring as much revenue as what Curry has done? When Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Warriors franchise in 2010, it was valued at $450M. Forbes had the franchise valued at $5.6B in October 2021, and I am sure it has increased after the NBA Finals. Along with the team’s success, Curry’s amazing career was able to bring in an outstanding amount of revenue to help Lacob and Guber build a brand new basketball arena in San Francisco that opened in 2019. The Warriors’ game strategies, team culture, and home arena is not built without the help of Curry on and off the court. Numbers do not lie. The Warriors have a 66% winning percentage all time when Curry plays. According to Sportico.com in 2021, “Curry’s Warriors have appeared in each of the NBA’s five most-watched telecasts and eight of the top 10.” He has the remarkable resume, the overwhelming effect on how basketball is played today, and the reverence from sports fans all across the globe. If the Warriors organization is the Solar System, then Curry is the sun in which everything revolves around. There really is nothing left to say about the 6’3 guard out of Davidson. The only thing he needs is the golden statue in front of Chase Center depicting his beautiful, effortless jump shot.
