Curry, Lillard get together — it’s a longdistance thing
If they’re in the mood, they’ve got the stage. Sunday night’s NBA AllStar Game marks the perfect time for Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard to show what separates them from the rest of the league in the realm of longdistance shooting.
And they can do it as teammates.
Just for fun, team captain LeBron James should make sure Curry remains in the game when he brings Lillard off the bench. Then it’s on: One of them fires away from 30 feet, the other man tops that, then they’re casting off from the halfcourt logo, and finally unloading from beyond halfcourt. The spectacle quickly falls apart if it’s a dual misfire, but it could be great fun for a few choice minutes if they’re both in character.
Come to think of it, bring another Team LeBron legend, Luka Doncic, into the showdown. There doesn’t seem to be any limit to his range. It’s just a shame Trae Young didn’t get voted in, because he badly wants to be included among the league’s most brazen 3point shooters.
In the first week of December, Lillard posted an Instagram video showing him firing from the logo in practice, casually draining one after another. Curry sent out a friendly response on Twitter, suggesting they both cast off from there — with 18 seconds left on the shot clock, Curry specified — when the Warriors opened their home season against Portland on Jan. 1.
The duel never materialized, Lillard suggesting that Curry might be most concerned about developing his teammates’ shooting, but that’s fine. Sunday night is all about the show, and with so many pandemicweary players saying they’d prefer to take the entire AllStar break (Friday through Wednesday) off, this game could use a boost of creative energy.
Can’t go wrong either way
As the “Who’s best, Curry or Lillard?” argument rages on, it really boils down to this: Curry is the better, more complete, more entertaining scorer over the course of a game. He’s a natural, beloved showman and nobody questions his status as the greatest shooter of all time. But when it comes to clutch shooting, Lillard owns the league — and it’s really not close. He’s hit a leaguebest 29 shots that either tied or won the game inside the final 20 seconds in his career, and the man just keeps coming. Sacramento had a onepoint lead with three minutes remaining in Thursday night’s game, but Lillard’s 20footer, driving layup and pair of 3pointers led to a comfortable Portland win . ... Lillard performs through a classic poker face, even when he’s in gameending “Dame time” mode. But he’s hurting inside these days. Severely. The Athletic revealed this week that over the past 18 months, Lillard dealt with the death of 35yearold Brandon Johnson, his cousin and personal chef; lost an aunt to cancer; had a family friend die of COVID19; and learned that a cousin was killed in West Oakland. Then, a week ago Thursday, two people in his inner circle were killed by gunfire in Portland. Feeling intensely loyal to his teammates and staying true to his work ethic, Lillard has persevered without a break — and you wonder how many athletes in any sport could stay so strong. Lillard said it’s all about family, and “I know that my success makes them happy. Every game we play, my whole entire family is at home watching . ... That’s a major part of our happiness as a family and us being able to continue forward and stay together.”
Thoughts on the Pac12 football schedule released this week: Cal has its dullest home schedule in memory: Nevada, Sacramento State, Washington State, Colorado and Oregon State before USC comes to Berkeley Nov. 13 . ... The flip side of that: Colorado hosts Texas A&M and Minnesota in September . ... There are no Thursday games, thank goodness, but Friday night games are still far too prevalent — and Stanford has two of them, including Nov. 5 against Utah in Palo Alto . ... Tremendous thing about the Stanford schedule: Nothing but Power Five opponents, start to finish. That should be the case for every team, every year, in every Power Five conference . ... USC really lucks out, not having to play Oregon or Washington . ... Should be fun: Sept. 4 at the Rose Bowl, it’s UCLA’s Chip Kelly against LSU’s Ed Orgeron . ... As the San Diego Padres build their powerhouse, exGiants Drew Pomeranz and Mark Melancon have a shot at (or may share) the closer’s job . ...
Beyond the daily listings for spring training games, check the MLB TV guides for a tapedelay surprise or two. Sunday’s GiantsAngels opener was shown at 8 p.m., and the A’sAngels game aired Friday night, same time . ... The approaching season stirs memories of Joe Morgan, Oakland’s own, who died Oct. 11. Dirk Smith was the Giants’ assistant public relations director in 1982, and he recalled his first trip with the team: “I’m sitting on the plane, completely intimidated and trying to keep my head down. So Al Holland walks up to ask me a question, and he starts off with ‘Hey you.’ Before he could finish the sentence, Joe Morgan, who was sitting behind me, says, ‘Hey, the guy’s name is Dirk, not ‘hey you.’ I was shocked, because I didn’t even think Joe knew my name. From that point forward I was treated with respect by all the players.”