‘Selfless Steph’ the perfect mentor for young Warriors
Jordan Poole knocked down a buzzer-beater from almost midcourt when Stephen Curry made a point to catch his gaze, and that celebratory staredown told so much about the veteran guard’s pride for his young teammate.
Curry expressed as much joy for Poole hitting the jaw-dropping shot from deep as he would had it been him, the superstar who already has more than his share of 3-pointers from way, way back. That’s Selfless Steph — never one to let his ego get in the way of Golden State’s success.
Curry still did plenty while scoring 29 points to lead the Warriors to a 107-88 Game 2 NBA Finals victory against the Celtics on Sunday night, evening the best-of-seven series at one game apiece as it shifts to Boston for Wednesday’s Game 3.
He applauded Poole for maintaining momentum going into the final period.
“That was obviously a big shot to get the crowd into it,” Curry said. “Put kind of a dagger on that great third quarter that we had.”
The 34-year-old Curry embraces living in a constant state of reflection — not to mention balance as a father of three young children — while also somehow keeping his mind acutely focused on the moment right in front of him.
Thinking back on how far he has come, from being selected as Golden State’s undersized firstround draft pick out of Davidson College in 2009 to all the losing early on in his career and a remarkable rise into one of the NBA’s greatest ever, Curry regularly acknowledges his gratitude.
“I’ve said it many times, Steph reminds me so much of Tim Duncan,” coach Steve Kerr said. “When I played with Timmy, there was the same vibe, this incredible, authentic humility and humor and joy behind the scenes. Then, frankly, a real arrogance on the floor, like ‘I’m the best player out here.’ It’s the perfect kind of leader, someone who you feel comfortable with in the locker room but somebody who you can count on to take you where you need to go on the floor.
“That’s what Steph possesses. It’s a very rare
combination of qualities. But it’s what makes him special.”
Curry exhibits that humility in how he goes about his daily business without worrying how many points he scores from night to night, assists he dishes out or arm flexes he gets to perform in the faces of adoring fans who chant “M-V-P!” at every chance.
He is relishing the process of helping the inexperienced Warriors players find their path — for this postseason and well beyond.
Earlier this year, the newly crowned all-time 3-point leader took great delight in the spotlight shining on teammate Andrew Wiggins as he earned his first career All-Star Game selection
and was named a Western Conference starter.
That unselfish nature goes back years. When Kevin Durant arrived with huge fanfare in 2016, Curry quietly took a back seat and allowed Durant to find his place with a new team. It was an important gesture that ultimately ended with two championships together and consecutive finals
MVP honors for KD.
“It all starts with Steph. When KD was here, our offense still started with Steph,” Draymond Green said. “That’s the way it’s going to be.”
Back on the finals stage for a sixth time in eight years, it’s Curry’s time to carry the Warriors again. But he will be thrilled to see Poole hit another 39-footer, for Kevon Looney to crash the boards to create second chances on the offensive glass, or for Wiggins to take on one of the toughest defensive assignments like guarding Jayson Tatum.
“I remember where I started and just the whole journey. You remind yourself of that every day,” Curry said. “Never let myself get too big-headed on that front. That’s how I live my life.”