BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Moments after the final horn sounded and the floor all-but cleared, Steph Curry took off his postgame interview headset.
If those earphones were noise-canceling, he got bombarded with a cacophony of adoration.
MVP chants. Loud ones. In Barclays Center. After he led the Warriors over their Nets.
It’s only normal for him.
“That’s built on years and decades of winning,” Curry said. “People being a part of that journey. I don’t ever take that for granted. I actually thrive off it. Because not only does it keep you in the moment, keep you motivated, that’s probably one of the things you’re going to miss when it’s all over. Very appreciative of it.”
Curry capped a 4-1 Warriors trip with 40 points in a win over Brooklyn. He ignited the crowd with a turnaround 3 at the halftime buzzer from the logo even he was surprised went in. His seven 3-pointers inched him within a game’s worth of the unprecedented 4,000 mark.
Curry averaged 34.8 points per game this past 10 days away from the Bay. He dropped a season-high 56 against Orlando, took over Madison Square Garden and showed out for his hometown fans in Charlotte.
It never gets old — not for him, not for his teammates nor his coach.
“The NBA is lucky, because this man is going into every arena, putting on a show,” Draymond Green said. “We’re all lucky to watch him operate the way he operates, play the game he plays the game. It’s been special to watch. But this road trip was something different, for sure.”
A combination of him feeling healthy physically, being reinvigorated by Jimmy Butler’s presence, and the stretch run toward the playoffs has Curry looking like the MVP he was 10 years ago.
Every arena Curry walks into turns into a home crowd for him. But this was a different level. It’s the type of rare unanimous approval rating few players have ever experienced.
Something only a Face of the League could generate.
One of the most pervasive topics this season has been the nebulous “Face of the League” debate. Which player can take the mantle when Curry and LeBron James are gone? Can the media do anything differently to put the greatest players in better positions to carry the league?
Jayson Tatum, the best player on the reigning NBA champions, said recently he checks off all the boxes. For whatever reason, he got clowned for it.
At the end of the day, the fans determine the face of the league — not the media and sometimes not even the players themselves. You can hit every accolade checkmark and be nothing but a class act, yet if the fans don’t resonate with you, sorry.
The fans choose.
“Aint that the name of the game?” Curry said. “We’d all love to play basketball and get paid to play basketball whether there’s 19,000 people in the fans or zero. But that’s what the NBA’s about. It’s about 30 fan bases creating an environment that makes basketball fun and talked about 24/7, covered like it is. It’s why I think the game’s in such good hands — there’s so many different guys that play different styles and have a different way about them that fans will ride or die for.”
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Those fans have had a unique connection to Curry for 16 years now. He’s expanded their imaginations with his otherworldly range. He’s played with fierce competitiveness, confidence that only approaches arrogance and an unbridled joy any young hooper can aspire to emulate. He’s been about the right things and said as much, too.
Even after all these years, fans still flock from all over the world to see Curry — from Asia, South America, Europe. They still show up early to watch his pregame warmup routine and hold up handcrafted signs in hopes of an autograph.
Curry has staying power. And 16 years in, it was on display all road trip.
If a face of the league exists, it would look a whole lot like Curry behind enemy lines, turning road arenas into colosseums roaring for him.
“Incredible trip,” Steve Kerr said. “Put on a show in every city. What he does, it’s amazing. Just the show that he puts on, the joy that he brings to so many fans who are coming to see him play in all these different cities. Every fan base loves Steph. There’s a reason: he’s an incredible performer.”
