Golden State rolls:
Stephen Curry scores 40 in preseason romp over the Timberwolves in Shanghai.
SHANGHAI — Midway through the first quarter, with Stephen Curry at the foul line, a chant emanated from the sellout crowd of 16,007: “MV-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!”
The chorus returned a halfdozen or so times Sunday night, growing louder with each rendition. By the time Curry — fresh off lofting a floater over the outstretched arm of 7-foot Karl-Anthony Towns — stepped to the freethrow line late in the third quarter, the chant was almost deafening.
It was Chinese fans’ thank you to one of their favorite NBA stars. On the last night of the Warriors’ weeklong tour of the country, Curry was at his can-you-believe-it best, needing only three quarters to pour in 40 points, including six three-pointers. Golden State ran away with a 142-110 exhibition rout of Minnesota.
“Obviously, Steph put on an amazing show for the fans,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s what they want to see.”
That Curry has spent much of the past half-decade working to build his fan base in the NBA’s biggest international market made the outburst only more memorable.
In 2013, while in China for two exhibitions against the Lakers, Curry watched an injured Kobe Bryant repeatedly get his name chanted. Curry was just beginning to become a household name stateside, but he made himself a promise: Someday he would become as big in the Far East as Bryant.
Each of the past four years, Curry has visited China for promotional tours with Under Armour. He has run basketball clinics in a new city on each trip, tried tai chi and signed numerous autographs. Periodically, Curry has hosted a 45-minute Weibo chat with his Chinese fans.
Among his Rolodex of commercials are ad spots with Chinese cell phone company Vivo and Chinese car company eHi. To help appeal to his No. 1 audience outside the U.S., he partnered with Under Armour to create a Chinathemed sneaker.
Along the way, Curry endeared himself to a fan base that appreciates All-Stars who take a personal interest in their country. Curry, not the retired Bryant, has boasted China’s best-selling NBA jersey each of the past two years.
Throngs of fans, security details and crowd barricades have greeted Curry throughout Golden State’s stops in Shenzhen and Shanghai. The crowds at both exhibitions against Minnesota were dotted with his No. 30 jersey.
When he trotted onto the court Sunday at MercedesBenz Arena for pregame warm-ups, Curry triggered a roar. Fans cheered as he swished jumper after jumper during shooting drills.
It was a fitting setup to one of his more dazzling performances in recent memory.
Midway through the second quarter, Curry hit a threepointer from the top of the arc to knot the game 66-66. Little more than a minute later, Curry sent a behind-the-back pass to Omri Casspi, who hit Klay Thompson for a corner three-pointer.
“Just to be out there on the floor and watch him take over games like that, it’s special to watch,” Draymond Green said. “It’s special to be a part of.”
Curry paved a dominant Warriors third quarter that helped ensure their first preseason win. Thompson was a worthy sidekick to Curry, chipping in 28 points.
“I’m happy the Shanghai fans and the fans in Shenzhen got a good glimpse of what he does so well,” Thompson said of Curry, who was not made available to the media. “I was glad to see so many Curry jerseys because he deserves it.”
While Curry was leaving the court Sunday, a swarm of Chinese fans, several thousand deep, congregated around him. As Curry disappeared through the tunnel, a young woman in a No. 30 jersey shrieked “Curry, you’re my MVP!” while she snapped a picture on her iPhone.
“I’m glad he’s on our team,” Kerr later said.