Stephen Curry can do lots of things. He usually makes for an entertaining show during pre-game warm-ups. He has the ability to make the best defensive player in the league look foolish, as demonstrated Monday night.He’s even a big hit among the kids.(Thanks to the Warriors for the above vines.)
Whatever it is that Steph Curry’s doing these days, the byproduct generally seems to have a positive effect on the Golden State Warriors. Heading into Saturday’s 5:00 PM EST meeting with the Sixers at The Center, the 27-year old point guard led the NBA in scoring (29.9 points per game), field goals attempted (19.3 per game), field goals made (9.9 per game), three-point field goals attempted (10.6 per game), and three-point field goals made (4.8 per game). He has more 30-point and 40-point games than anyone else in the league, having generated 21 and seven such performances, respectively. He also ranks 11th in assists (6.6 per game), and fourth in steals (2.2 per game). “We haven’t really seen a player like him, I haven’t, in my lifetime,” said Nerlens Noel, now in his second season as a pro. “He’s a great player. He knows how to get the ball up. He doesn’t need much space to shoot any type of shot. It’s going to be a lot of pressure that I’m going try to help my guards out in that pick and roll and blow some things up, and just take the pressure off them.”The member of the Sixers who will shoulder the bulk of the burden of attempting to defend Curry is Ish Smith. Both born in 1988, and both raised in the Charlotte area, Smith and Curry got to know each other at a young age as teammates on the same A.A.U. basketball team. “I was talking to [Associate Head Coach Mike] D’Antoni, funniest thing ever,” said Smith following Friday’s practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I said, ‘We’re going to have a high [defensive] pick-up when he crosses half court?’ He said, ‘Nah. [Golden State] get in around 5:00 today. You need to go pick him up then.”The joke drew laughter, and underscored the immense challenges associated with having to chase the whirling, darting, and explosive Curry around a court.Smith continued, “We’re going to try our luck. Steph’s playing great basketball. Happy for him, excited for him.”Curry has enjoyed a spectacular ascent over the past three seasons, emerging as one of the NBA’s elite, if not most elite, performer. The 2015 MVP, Curry was recently selected to start his third consecutive All-Star Game. He finished second in voting only to the outgoing Kobe Bryant. Curry had just over 1.6 million ballots cast in his favor. “I think what happened was, last year, he was just kind of playing. Then, all of a sudden, they were 60-some games in, and he was MVP,” Smith said. He believes Curry is more confident now than ever before. “Now, you start believing like, ‘I’m really this good.’ Not out of pride, just out of confidence. I think that’s where he’s at now.”Curry averaged 20-plus points for the first time in the 2012-2013 season, his fourth in the NBA. The next year, he helped guide Golden State to what has since become a streak of three consecutive playoff campaigns. “Two or three years ago,[he was] trying to find himself, still playing at a high, high level,” Smith reflected. “Then last year, playing at a high level. And now this year, he’s the best player in the league right now. He’s just playing with so much confidence.”In addition to sharing an A.A.U. roster spot with Curry, Smith also had a brief six-game stint with Curry and the Warriors during the 2011-2012 season. Smith’s Christmas Day Golden State debut in 2011 coincided with Curry’s first appearance that year. They appeared in five games together before Smith was waived. Curry was shut down two months later due to a lingering ankle injury.
