San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Warriors’ stars are in sync both on and off court
During his first year at Davidson, Stephen Curry often visited ESPN.com the day after games to see whether he had eclipsed Texas’ Kevin Durant as the nation’s top-scoring freshman.
“I was always measuring myself against him,” said Curry, who, at 21.2 points per game finished that 2006-07 season a distant second to Durant (25.6).
Now leaders of the Warriors, Curry and Durant feed off each other’s strengths to form the most potent 1-2 punch in the NBA. At the
root of their partnership is mutual respect. Though they come from contrasting backgrounds, Curry and Durant understand each other in a way that perhaps no one other than LeBron James could.
Both generational superstars in the socialmedia era, Curry and Durant are the subject of relentless scrutiny. Their massive salaries and global influence come with the burden of knowing that every smirk, sound bite and Instagram comment will be analyzed by the public.
Two-thirds of the way through their third season together, Curry and Durant recognize when a dearth of privacy is taking its toll on the other. Instead of bemoaning their enviable circumstances, the two former MVPs try to channel their frustration into their performance, using off-court grievances to fuel on-court gains.
In a season plagued by distractions, Curry and Durant have managed to play some of the best basketball of their careers. Curry ranks second in the league in free-throw percentage (91.7), third in scoring (28.7 ppg) and sixth in 3-point percentage (44.8); Durant is tied for fifth in scoring (27.3), sixth in free-throw percentage (90.5) and 17th in assists per game (six).
They are on pace to become the eighth pair of teammates since 1968-69, including the first since Durant and Russell Westbrook in 2011-12, to finish the regular season among the top five in scoring. Golden State enters Sunday evening’s game against Miami having won 14 of its past 15 games to build a 2½game lead over Denver for the Western Conference’s top seed.
“From Day 1, Steph and I have had great synergy,” Durant said. “We’ve both had the best stretch of basketball of our careers — as far as team success, individual success, everything all in one.”
In July 2016, when he encouraged Durant to join the Warriors in the backyard of an East Hampton, N.Y., estate, Curry was resolute that this grand experiment would succeed. Not only did Durant — arguably the greatest one-on-one scorer in NBA history — provide a new dimension to Golden State’s offense, but he possessed the IQ and selflessness to make his new teammates better.
Curry, who is six months older than Durant, had been familiar with Durant’s playing style since they crossed paths on the AAU circuit in high school. While Team USA teammates at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2014 World Cup, Curry came to realize that he and Durant viewed the game similarly.
“Like me, he was in search of playing beautiful basketball,” Curry said. “He wants to be great. He cares about how he plays. That doesn’t mean scoring 40 every night, but just being dominant.”
In 2016-17, after taking a couple of months to get comfortable playing alongside each other, they hushed those who
questioned whether Durant’s signing would ruin Golden State’s chemistry. With Curry and Durant operating in concert, the Warriors romped to their second NBA title in three years with a 16-1 postseason record.
Injuries and a year of film made it trickier for Curry and Durant to find that equilibrium last season. During the Western Conference finals against Houston, Curry was often marginalized as Golden State force-fed Durant in isolation situations. Not until the Warriors’ NBA Finals sweep of Cleveland did Curry and Durant settle into their signature groove.
Outside of the 11 games Curry missed with a groin injury, Golden State’s two best players have worked in tandem this season. Curry and Durant have both scored at least 20 points in 23 of their past 31 outings. With Curry forcing defenders to guard him out to 35 feet, Durant has capitalized on wide-open driving lanes. Their true-shooting percentages — an advanced stat that considers all types of shots — both rank among the league’s top 15.
“I think they’re just more in sync within the offense this year,” said Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser, who works closely with Curry and
Durant. “They know where each other will be and how to play off of each other.”
Because they’re in different phases of their lives (Curry is married with three young kids; Durant is a bachelor), the two don’t hang out much in their free time. But in trying times, when the burden of fame weighs heavy, they are sounding boards for each other.
When Durant’s oncourt spat with Draymond Green dominated the news cycle in midNovember, Curry helped mend the rift before it threatened to fracture the locker room. In the aftermath of Durant’s contentious postgame news conference Wednesday, in which he called out media for coverage of his pending free agency, Curry has again been a unifying force.
“If you’re not consistently great and in conversations of being the best player in the league … nobody cares about what you have to say or what you’re doing,” Curry said. “There’s some give-and-take. But again, it’s all about what you do on the floor that matters.”