Dynasty: Drafting Curry laid the foundation for building a powerhouse
CLEVELAND — The Warriors beat the Cavaliers handily and cruelly Friday night to wrap up another NBA championship, and the rout started early.
No, not in the first quarter, when the Warriors jumped out to a 13-3 lead.
The fun began June 25, 2009, when the woebegone Warriors drafted Stephen Curry, an underfed waif from a college that produces chess champions.
It took a while for Curry, who did not want to be drafted by the Warriors, to assert his greatness. But he was patient as the Warriors gradually assembled their fearsome machine.
They added Klay Thompson, and he and Curry adopted one another as brothers, sharing custody of the ball. The Warriors traded owners, Chris Cohan for Joe Lacob. They drafted pudgy junkyard dog Draymond Green and hired Steve Kerr to wave his magic Zen wand over the whole package.
Lastly came Kevin Durant, who (to oversimplify, but not to lie) threw in with the Warriors because he wanted to play basketCLEVELAND
ball with Curry.
The Warriors are strength in numbers, but the main number is 30.
Without Curry, well, that’s a thought too frightening to ponder for the Warriors and their fans.
Ask any kid in the Bay Area. Several youth sports leagues have had to retire the No. 30 because every kid on every team wants that number. You adults, where’s your imagination? Let every lad and lass wear No. 30. Why traumatize so many kids?
Curry wasn’t named Finals MVP, but he did not mope about it. Kevin Durant as MVP is debatable, but why bother? Curry will probably come over to Durant’s house in Oakland and buff that sucker up for his transcendent teammate. If Curry was selfish, Durant would have signed with some other team.
If Curry was a second banana in this series — or third, after LeBron James — he’s one of history’s greatest second bananas, with all respect to Jerry Rice, Scottie Pippen and Dean Martin.
The Warriors really felt like they needed a fast start Friday. Curry made it 2-0 with a tipin of a JaVale McGee miss. Before four minutes had elapsed, the Warriors led 13-3, and Curry had nine.
For the game, he had 37 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Importantly, after an incredibly horribleshooting Game 3, Curry hit seven three-pointers.
Remember, that’s a bedrock of the Warriors’ amazing four-year run — the three-pointer. With other teams closing the gap on threepoint accuracy and effectiveness, Curry and the Warriors have responded by re-defining effective range.
In Game 3, Durant hit three threes from behind 30 feet. Friday, Curry ranged far behind the arc for a few of his threes. It was like Curry and Durant had a personal H-O-R-S-E game going on within the game.
The four-point line, when it comes, the area behind it will be called Wardell World.
But it’s about way more than the circus shooting.
Don’t get Kerr started.
“He’s really an amazing human being,” Kerr said, responding to a question about Curry’s willingness to share the spotlight. “It’s rare that you see this ... combination of incredible talent and humility. That is such a powerful force in our locker room. In many ways, he sets the tone for the whole organization.
Kerr went on and on, and I checked Wikipedia to make sure Curry was still alive.
He did take a beating. Whether flopping or (more frequently) getting poleaxed, Curry picked up plenty of bruises in this series, some of them while guarding James. Curry, whose defense is often slighted and even ridiculed, was targeted by the Cavs and LeBron in this series, and came out smelling of James’ cologne. Critics, watching Curry battle the Mighty James to at least a draw, gave grudging respect.
Before the game, TV cameras caught Kerr delivering a super-chill version of a Knute Rockne speech, quietly suggesting to his players, “Lose yourself in the game.” Thompson thought he was in Yoga class and went into downward dog.
The Warriors did, they lost themselves in the game, and also found themselves. They reached down for a level of play they don’t often achieve. And it was fitting that Curry led ’em out of the gate.
Curry’s the guy who started it all, and it was fitting that Friday night, he was the finisher.
He’s so unselfish, even his injuries are planned to help the team. When his assorted injuries contributed to the Warriors losing two years ago, that opened the door for Durant.
He sat out the end of the regular season and the first six games of the playoffs with a knee injury, but that only served to put his teammates on red alert.
Now it’s over, but not over. Just one very satisfying chapter. Life is a journey and LeBron James is already rounding up a posse to track down the Warriors and take the title.
Curry will be ready. He’ll tune up his reflexes and concentration on the golf course, maybe make book tours with his more-famous wife, and come back firing, and sharing.