BIG DOG LEADS PACK
Selfless star joins the elite with multiple titles and MVP awards
Stephen Curry never made it about himself. Not when the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years in 2015, not when he was hobbled as they lost a 3-1 Finals lead in 2016, not when they went out and signed a superstar who would steal his spotlight.
And not after Monday night’s Game 5, when he ascended into elite company with another championship.
“A blur of pure emotion and energy,” Curry said, describing the feeling as he drained a three-pointer with 42 seconds left in the championship clincher.
With another NBA Finals victory against the Cavaliers, Curry became one of nine players in NBA history to win multiple championships as well as multiple MVP awards.
The others? Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain. There is, by definition, no more elite company than that.
He’ll hate the obvious being pointed out: In that group he — now 29 and with eight seasons under his belt — still looks like the little brother. The kid who snuck into the team photo.
But, in his heart, Curry knows that is part of his magnetism and wide appeal. He is putting up dominating numbers that one doesn’t expect to see coming from a player with either his body or his personality. After the Warriors won the championship, Kevin Durant said Curry played like a “big dog.” And he did, with 34 points, 10 assists and three steals in the final game. He averaged 28.1 points per game in the playoffs.
But big dogs in the NBA usually don’t like to share the spotlight. They like being the alpha male on their teams. And while Durant got most of the criticism for joining the Warriors, Curry got some, too. He was called soft for being willing to join forces with another star, for being willing to give up some shots to make his team better.
He didn’t care. He was excited to elevate the team even further.
“It’s kind of crazy to think about the conversations we had (last) summer, about how we can both mesh and be the players that we are, and then see it come to life in this series,” Curry said.
“There was a point where I tried to analyze and control the situation and make sure everybody was happy and getting shots,” he added. “But, honestly ... I kind of understood that we have such high IQ players that if I could be aggressive and do what I do, everything will kind of flow from that. The proof is what we were able to accomplish. Everybody being the best version of themselves and putting all the puzzle pieces together.”
That will also be part of his legacy, along with the bling. The sharpshooter with the high IQ who knew how to make things click, who played with a flow and a joy that we may not have seen since Magic Johnson’s Showtime heyday.
Clevelanders, who prefer their big dogs to be physically imposing and dictatorial, hate Curry. One media person called him “whiny and arrogant,” a description that seems ludicrous to anyone who has dealt with Curry — media member, teammate, kid with cancer, employee at Oracle, random person on the street.
“The stuff you hear about Steph sacrificing and being selfless and caring about his teammates and other people is real,” Durant said. “It’s not fake. It’s not a facade. He doesn’t put on this mask to come in and fake in front of you guys. It’s amazing to see a superstar who doesn’t care about nothing but the group.”
Joining forces with Durant, surrounded by homegrown Warriors, a core in its prime, means Curry is positioned to be the anchor of a dynasty. He’s the guy who witnessed the dysfunction of the old Warriors and is the fuse for the new Warriors.
And with this championship, he is now officially a big dog. Even if he doesn’t act like one.