Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr watched Michael Jordan escape so many impossible shots over the years that he had to chuckle when asked if the circus behind Stephen Curry shot late in the first quarter of the win. 114-91 Tuesday night at the San Antonio Spurs reminded him of what the Chicago Bulls legend did on a regular basis.
“The song was kind of Jordan-esque,” Kerr said. “I saw [Jordan] make this move many times. Go to the rim and get dirty and just throw it back. He didn’t always succeed, but he liked to make that shot. This was an incredible example of body control, touch and feeling. What an amazing shot. “
In a career full of incredible gameplay, Curry’s swirling shot through three Spurs in the band was one of the most interesting in recent memory. With 2:01 left in the first quarter, he took a pass over the 3-point line from Draymond Green and dribbled to the rim, behind Swing, DeMar DeRozan, and veteran Rudy Gay, who was coming from the right to try to cut off the curry. As he approached the rim, Curry jumped into the Spurs ‘guard Lonnie Walker, thought of taking a step toward the Kent Bazemore Warriors’ guard in the corner, but changed his mind once he heard the whistle.
Curry turned the ball over with his right hand. The Spurs defenders were amazed trying to figure out how Curry had contorted his body in the air to finish such a piece.
“It was fun,” Curry admitted after the game. “I don’t know the ranking, but it was up there, for sure. I had to improvise. I don’t even know how to explain it; I had a good flow once I made contact and heard the whistle. Just pick it up glass as much as you can. All the wild and acrobatic photos you take or have tried, the instincts take over – so it was pretty cool. “
The game left teammates and coaches amazed – a reminder that Curry is playing at a different level at this point in his career.
“Man, I should go back to the safe for that,” Green said with a smile as he was asked to rank the song among Curry’s all-time moments. “It was beautiful. Take the mistake and throw it there. I don’t know if he did it [claps arms together], but it was very close to a little flip MJ. It was nice. So it was a good one, for sure. “
The move even seemed to surprise Curry himself – but it eliminated any comparison to Jordan and the flight stunts MJ exhibited during his career.
“There was nothing in flight or above the rim in that regard,” Curry said. “So at least I’m going to get on [Steve Smith] Smitty’s “under the frame” list. I will take this recognition. But yes, I changed my hand; that is the only comparison. “
Even though Curry tried to minimize his latest achievement, his colleagues couldn’t believe what they had just seen.
“If you follow me on the bench, I say, ‘Oh, my God, this is crazy!’ Said Juan Toscano-Anderson, the Warriors’ striker. I think he’s the best player in the world right now. Bases [Bazemore] he said the other day: [Curry’s] just unreal. And the fact that I follow him closely, I look at everything he does, is just – it’s great to follow him.
“I don’t take that for granted. I don’t think we’ll ever see anyone, I don’t mean ever, but for a very long time, we won’t see someone like Steph Curry.”
Curry’s screenplay came on the last night of one of the most impressive journeys he has had in recent memory. During the Warriors’ four-game game through Dallas and San Antonio, Curry combined for 149 points in four games and went 25-for-50 beyond the arc. After a slow start to the season, Curry embraced the challenge of leading a sub-team back into the postseason, a challenge that became even more difficult in Texas as the Warriors played without the big men James Wiseman (wrist) and Kevon Looney (ankle)).
“I’m blessed to be healthy after last year,” Curry said. “And obviously the way the season started, all kinds of comments, discussions and all that, I worked my ass out of season with rehabilitation and I’m just happy that I play every night … I feel strong, I feel In rhythm, I feel in final control of my game. My blows fall. And everything comes, not only with our own confidence, but also with the growing confidence of our team, in terms of how we try to play. Win or lose, familiarity and comfort come game after game, so it’s important. I definitely feel the strongest I’ve ever been. I have a lot of energy, I feed my boys and I just try to play. It’s a good vibe now. “
Curry plays so well that Kerr reiterated what he said last week: he believes the 32-year-old goalkeeper plays the best basketball of his career.
“I think that’s part of Steph’s brilliance, it’s that he constantly amazes you to the point where you almost take it for granted,” Kerr said. “I think, and maybe it’s circumstantial, given the injuries and the fact that he’s playing with a different group of guys – this is the best I’ve ever seen just in terms of confidence and power. And that says something, obviously, an MVP twice, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look better. “
It’s a sentiment that Green echoed, saying he also believes his longtime teammate plays “the best basketball of his career.” After all the frustration on the part of the fan base in recent days about whether Kerr and the Warriors would allow Curry to play a few more minutes after the initial 34-minute mark the team set for him to average Throughout the season, a win and Curry’s Incredible Game provided a welcome dose of happiness for a group that struggled to find consistency throughout the year.
Kerr couldn’t help but smile once more when asked if he thought about keeping Curry and Green out of Tuesday’s game after saying Monday’s loss to San Antonio that he wouldn’t sacrifice Curry’s minutes just to “watch the wins” this season.
“We thought,” Kerr said. “But we’ve heard so much from our fan base over the last couple of days, we just decided, ‘You know what?’ I should put them back to make everyone happy. “