The NBA’s back-to-back MVP was completely focused on his smart phone as he headed to the front of the room for a press conference.
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That’s kind of how Curry’s generation rolls.
He swears that he’s taking this all in, well, stride.
“Well, I can’t tell you exactly what I’ve adjusted to”, James said. I think we’ll be fine.
Game 7, then, is the truth teller. “So that’s kind of all I’m anxious about”.
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and his wife Ayesha attend the Andre Ward fight against Sullivan Barrera in their IBF Light Heavyweight bout at Oracle Arena on March 26, 2016 in Oakland, California.
Curry concluded with a joke: “I might have to cut the Wi-Fi off in my house there”. There is some objective, statistical analysis needed when sizing up the nuances of Game 7, too.
Leading the Warriors to a record 73 games and being the first-ever unanimous MVP won’t mean much to Steph Curry if they lose on their homecourt.
Stephen Curry isn’t 100 percent and has had pedestrian performances in the NBA Finals.
Asked what James said, Curry replied, “Nothing”.
“He’s always going to try to impose his will on the game”, Iguodala said of James. “So I need to take it up another notch for Game 7, and that’s what the greats do”.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Warriors fans. His impressive 41 points and 11 assists helped him reach Earned Their Keep status – in spite of his royal average annual salary of $23.5 million. If you haven’t seen it – SPOILER ALERT FOR SOMETHING THAT FIRST AIRED NINE YEARS AGO – the finale ends with Tony Soprano and his nuclear family eating onion rings at a diner, during which the screen abruptly cutting to black in what would typically be the middle of a shot.
James brought the Cavaliers to the verge of a title with back-to-back 41-point games to stave off elimination and force this decisive final game.
Now comes the follow-up act and all that’s attached. Of course there’s going to be some anxiety. The Warriors are losing players to injury or lack of confidence (Barnes is a couple of missed shots away from having his value reduced to six personal fouls to use on James).
Curry has thrived amid the scrutiny and the expectations to become a household name.
Cleveland will complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, becoming the first team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to claim the crown, or the Warriors will crown the most successful season in league history with a championship repeat. Golden State was defending James as well as any team has fared against him in a series.
Call it pressure or whatever you want, or ignore it, but it will be there on Sunday. “That’s why I’m confident”, Curry said.
“Because of what the stakes are – that doesn’t mean score 50 points, though”, he continued.
We talked about the vast pressure building on the Warriors and Curry, and what that means for Game 7, and what the Oracle crowd might be like tomorrow. Sure, basketball rivalries are fun but do we really have to focus on why we love or hate both players? Whatever it takes to win. The man who during the season routinely undressed big men who dared to venture out beyond the arc can’t shake Tristan Thompson and Richard Jefferson. It’s just that proving that is the essential issue. “So he’ll be the first to admit he probably deserves some of it, but it’s not going to change who he is”. He’s still to me the best player in the world. “We’ve had two chances already, haven’t gotten it done, 48 minutes to do it, so if we come up short, we’ll all be very, very, very disappointed”.
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Maybe then they can all exhale, pop a cork and post a championship tweet.
