League’s MVP is really Curry
During the awkward times he shared the Warriors’ backcourt with Monta Ellis, Curry quietly went about his business, never trumpeting his superiority, simply working on his game until he became the most mind-blowing shooting machine the league has ever witnessed. Grossly underpaid for years, he never uttered a word of frustration. The threepoint shot has revolutionized offensive strategy on many fronts, but none more conspicuous than Curry leading a title-winning charge from well beyond the perimeter.
And every undersize kid on the playground, casting off from 30 feet and dribbling earnestly with basketballs in each hand, wants to be just like him.
As you watch Curry glide through his summer, enjoying himself and making others feel good, you realize there isn’t a better ambassador in the sport. When Durant came on board, it was the type of maneuver that could irritate a star of Curry’s magnitude, costing him shots, publicity and glory. Curry welcomed Durant from the start, and they crafted sweet music together — with no end in sight.
Once Curry got two official MVP awards, it seemed the league was out to prevent that from ever happening again. Opposing players simply can’t believe this boyish, fun-loving kid (which is absolutely his nature) not only rules the league, but also is its most popular player. They’re all conspiring to create a star-laden team to supplant Curry’s Warriors, but that won’t be happening during Steph’s prime. If you can believe it, the so-called “Banana Boat crew” — James, Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony — still dream of playing on the same team, somehow, some year.
“To them,” wrote reader Michael Pollock, “Curry is a despised interloper whose success punctures their selfcreated narrative. Unable to beat him on the court, they exclude and deprecate him off the court. Yet they are confronted every day with his popularity, immunity from ridicule and singular talent as he leads a team of unselfish players. His skill level, matched with a lack of ego, translates into a catalyst for greatness no other current player matches.”
In the presence of another class act, Durant, Curry isn’t even the most complete player on his own team. Draymond Green’s fiery nature is the Warriors’ tonic for complacency. The one constant in their ascent, going back to the Don Nelson years, is Curry. How fortunate, for his global following, that he’s just 29 years old.
Complete waste of time
It doesn’t get much more ridiculous than the Indiana Pacers accusing the Lakers of tampering with potential free agent Paul George. Tampering is a way of life in the NBA, especially now, with players eager to escape their contracts and join forces. Yes, George was under contract during the Lakers’ alleged misdeeds, but he was long gone, actually stating his preference to play for the Lakers someday. Now that team is building the components of a big-time resurgence, which is great for the league; no way Commissioner Adam Silver messes with that ... When rage supplants logic: With the Indians trailing the Red Sox 1-0 in the eighth inning Wednesday night, two out and a runner on first, pitcher Cory Kluber took offense when ex-Giant Eduardo Nuñez took a swing so ferocious, he nearly fell down. With obvious intent, Kluber’s next pitch was a fastball that hit Nuñez and nearly sailed behind him. It didn’t work out so well, because Mookie Betts followed with a runscoring single to left, and the Red Sox went on to win the game. But Sox broadcaster Jonny Gomes was impressed, calling Kluber’s rage “old school,” and Mike Krukow can relate. If a batter had a habit of stepping out of the box right before a pitcher’s delivery, and pulled the stunt on Krukow, “I’d just drill the guy,” he said. Message delivered ... Catcher Gary Sanchez hit four home runs during the Yankees’ series in Detroit, and there are times when his power matches that of teammate Aaron Judge. His reputation has changed, though. During the big brawl Thursday, Sanchez threw sucker punches at Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos when they were down. “Cheap shots will stay around the league forever,” Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez wrote on Twitter. “I think Gary Sanchez could be badly remembered for this for a long time.” ... It appears that Judge will be the first player in Yankees history to strike out 200 times. Babe Ruth routinely led the league in strikeouts, but he fanned more than 150 times just once — and when he did (170 in 1923), he hit .393 with a 1.309 OPS ... As modern-day sluggers figure it’s no big deal to strike out, they should look up another great Yankee, Joe DiMaggio, who never whiffed more than 40 times in a season and checked in at 20 — almost inconceivable — when he hit .381 in 1939 ... It appears that Mavericks big-wave surf contest will be sold by the Cartel company (which filed for bankruptcy) to the World Surf League, which operates a classy big-wave tour and broke ground with a women’s event last year at Jaws (Maui). Details to come if the sale goes through next month.