Best by a long shot?
TNT’s Smith praises Blazers’ Lillard — and also overlooks Curry
Kenny “The Jest” Smith made a provocative comment after the Trail BlazersLakers playoff game Tuesday night.
Marveling at a clip of a superlong shot by Portland’s Damian Lillard, Smith gushed, “I don’t think you can shoot as deep as him, Steph.”
The remark on “Inside the NBA” might have faded into the night if not for the fact that, unbeknownst to Kenny the Jest, Stephen Curry is still alive.
Curry, I’m guessing, did a spit take with his protein shake, all over his livingroom big screen. So Kenny the Jest, along with having egg on his face, wore splotches of banana puree and rutabaga.
Curry instantly tweeted, “love you @The JetOnTNT ..... but you trippin right now.”
The Jest tweeted back, “Man it’s been a long time I forgot.”
A long time? Maybe Smith’s excuse would fly if he used it to explain to his wife why he forgot their anniversary. But he’s a basketball expert analyst and he forgot about Steph Curry?
What a splendid reality check for Curry and the Warriors, if they needed one. The world has spun on without you, fellas. You have been debubbled and devalued, and you are decomposing. Your achievements have been tucked back in the NBA’s Ancient History section next to “George Mikan, the Glory Years.”
It’s not just Smith. Max Kellerman of ESPN’s “First Take” upped the ante, chiming in with, “Dame Lillard is like Steph Curry, but a Steph Curry who gets better in the biggest moments.”
Apparently there are bigger moments than the NBA playoffs and Finals. Who knew? Lillard would have had a better chance to show his bigmoment chops in past seasons, if only he could have gotten his team past Curry’s.
Remember, Portland cannot sell its
basketball arena, the Moda Center, because Curry owns the place.
Smith’s shootfromthelip comment, taken in the context of TV blather, was no big deal. But it was a big deal, and here are some of the takeaways:
What probably made Smith’s comment so piercing to Curry is that it had some validity. Lillard right now the league’s leading deepjacker. In 66 games this season, Lillard made a leaguerecord 54 shots from 3040 feet, shooting 43%. Curry has made 61 such long shots, but over 11 seasons.
Lillard has upped his deep game over the past two seasons and joined Curry in the exclusive club of players who use the 30footplus jack as an actual option, not a desperation heave.
Those dinky, layuplike 23footers still count as three points. Curry is a 43.5% shooter from beyond the arc for his career. Lillard: 37.3%. Playoffs? Curry: 112 games, 470 made, 40.1%. Lillard: 52 games, 157 made, 35.6%.
Steve Kerr, if he wasn’t already, is on red alert. The
Warriors’ head coach, with Alvin Gentry, designed the offense that shot Curry into superstardom. To get back to where the Warriors want to be, Kerr will need to find another level, or at least new wrinkles to maximize Curry’s game. Their fortunes are intertwined, and Smith’s insult had to hit home with Kerr, too.
Let’s not forget Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. A shot at Curry is, by extension, a shot at the Warriors, another downplaying of all they’ve accomplished. Five straight NBA Finals, three NBA championships, one injuryravaged down season and they are forgotten, except when a broadcaster uses them as an example of being bypassed by a new Flavor of the Day.
Among Warriors fans, Charles Barkley is no longer the most disliked TV bloviator. Hey, Charles, you had a nice run, which is kind of what folks are saying about Curry, and I believe both of you will respond like champions.
Curry will forever wage an uphill battle for respect. Coming out of high school, he had more chessclub offers than basketball offers. When he started winning league MVP trophies, the greatness deniers came out of the woodwork.
Fortunately for the Warriors, Curry has never come to terms with the doubters and deniers. A mellower fellow would have chuckled at Kenny the Jest’s potshot Tuesday night. Not Curry, who heard it for what it was: the voice of basketball telling him he sucks.
Next season, Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, the Warriors will be the most motivated team on earth. “Last Chance U,” the great Netflix documentary about downandout athletic teams, might want to focus on the Warriors.
The Warriors have soooo much to prove. That they can do it without Kevin Durant. That even though the league has copied their style of play, the Warriors still can play Warriors ball better than anyone.
And that Steph Curry and the Screensetters are still the hottest act in showbiz.