Anyone who knows me knows that Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have been a thorn in my side for nearly a decade. Is Curry the reason for my dismay? Not necessarily. But boy, those fast-break threes would make me puke during his NBA Finals battles with LeBron James. This past Olympic season, that changed. The Paris Olympics were one of the most memorable displays of competition we’ve ever seen. It didn’t end with Team USA Basketball, but they certainly highlighted it.
In the semifinals and finals of the six-game tournament, Curry displayed shooting performance unlike anything ever seen in international play. In my opinion, there weren’t enough moments in high-stakes games where Curry rose to the occasion. I thought he finally had the decisive moments to his name during the 2022 NBA Finals. It was his fourth NBA title, which he would ultimately win, but the first victory as Finals MVP for Curry. Nicknamed the “Babyfaced Assassin,” Curry has always had incredible range. The older guys would call it “in the gym.” But as a longtime LeBron fan, I never believed Curry showed the ability to carry his team when his hired mercenaries were down. That evidence is certainly obvious, but that’s the standard I had set.
For all the criticism LeBron gets, I felt Curry was able to go unnoticed without the same pressure being put on him. Paris changed all that. We understood the task, Team USA needed gold. On the world stage and against the toughest international basketball competition, Curry was critical. The basketball I saw him play in those last two games was some of the best I’ve ever seen him play. The beauty of seeing him isolated on the perimeter was something to behold. Opponents even knew those shots were going to go in.
Curry’s career-defining moment was undoubtedly the three-pointer against a double team. The fact that he made that shot and we believed it was going in says it all. I finally learned what it was like to be on his side. It’s fun as hell to cheer for Steph Curry. I finally got the hype, instinctively. He’s one of a kind and it’s hard to imagine anyone more productive.
The Olympics allowed us to admire our homegrown stars in a way we don’t normally get to see. For example, Curry and LeBron can play as a team in an All-Star game. But unfortunately, the guys don’t take that game even one percent as seriously as the Olympics. So we get to watch a fantastic super team go all out. From that passion, talent and hard work came the joy of basketball in its entirety.
