Warriors’ hot start brings the return of ‘Currymania’

The throngs of Stephen Curry devotees who spent years following the Golden State Warriors’ every move have returned.

In recent weeks, Curry, the beloved ringmaster of a traveling circus that reached five straight Finals from 2015 to 2019, has drawn “MVP” chants from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. After leaving the Clippers in the dust with a signature fourth-quarter flurry on Sunday, he exited the Staples Center court to a standing ovation and was greeted by hundreds of fans begging for sneakers, grasping for hugs, shouting his name and angling their cellphone cameras in his direction. Many had arrived before noon to ogle his extensive pregame routine. The Warriors, owners of the NBA’s best record and top point differential through the first quarter of the season, are once again feeling the crushing effects of their popularity, writes Ben Golliver of The Washington Post.

“Nobody is following a s--- team so you want that (attention), but it has its downsides,” forward Draymond Green said, after the Warriors improved to 18-2 and notched their seventh straight win. “Sometimes you want to go to dinner, and you have to get through 30, 40 or 50 people to go to dinner. It gets a little challenging at times. You lose some of your life. You lose some of your freedom.”

As “Currymania” returns to fever pitch and the Warriors trigger flashbacks to their 2014-15 title team and their 24-0 start in 2015-16, Curry himself isn’t chasing the past. In truth, the 33-year-old guard looks better than ever, more disciplined and complete than he was during his two MVP campaigns and more empowered than he was during his three seasons with Kevin Durant. With Golden State racing out of the gate, Curry has averaged 28.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game and separated himself from Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic as the 2022 MVP front-runner.

The foundation of Curry’s game — his unmatched 3-point shooting and well-honed ability to exploit the space he creates for his teammates — remains unchanged. But Curry has made subtle improvements that have helped him shoulder a heavy burden without Klay Thompson, who is nearing a return from two season-ending injuries, and Durant, who departed in 2019 free agency.

Most important, Curry has utilized a diligent weight room program that has helped make him a steadier on-ball defender. Earlier in his career, opponents targeted the 6-foot-2 guard by posting him up or attacking him off the dribble in hopes of drawing careless fouls. In those situations, Curry acknowledged that he once felt the need to gamble for steals or deflections when defending bigger players.

“I’ve gotten stronger so I can handle physicality a little better if guys try to roll you into the post,” he said. “Or when you’re defending a drive, you can take that first hit you don’t get knocked off balance. That helps. Then you don’t foul unnecessarily because you’re not reacting.”

Golden State possesses the league’s topranked defense and Green, the early leader for Defensive Player of the Year, said that Curry has become “one of the best defenders we have on our team” because he has worked on his lateral quickness, situational intelligence and control.

“The one thing that has been constant forever is his effort,” Green said. “I think he used to reach a lot. He would be in great position and foul.”