Golden State Warriors: Can We Just Appreciate Curry?

Stephen Curry is in the NBA Finals once again, so why are people so quick to try and discredit his accomplishments?

Oscar Robertson said that NBA coaches don’t understand basketball because of Stephen Curry.

When asked about Curry’s game, Charles Barkley said “he’s not more than a shooter. He’s just a great shooter.”

Tracy McGrady said that Curry being unanimously voted MVP proves that the NBA is “watered-down.”

LeBron James questioned what “valuable” really means in regards to Curry being named MVP.

Russell Westbrook openly chucked at a press conference when teammate Kevin Durant was asked about if Curry’s defense is underrated.

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These are just what NBA stars of yesterday and today have openly said about Stephen Curry during this season, when he had one of, if not the most

remarkable single-season in NBA history.

You can go on your social network of choice or proverbial barbershop and hear about how Curry isn’t that good, how he’s just a shooter, or how he couldn’t survive in the NBA in the ’90s or earlier.

Quite frankly, it’s weird.

And to be honest, it’s bulls**t.

In today’s world, we’re known to be one of the most cynical of generations. Nothing can be done without criticism and how the world has viewed Curry over the past year is living proof of that.

Curry just had one of the most singularly great seasons in NBA history, with the eighth-highest PER in league history (behind only seasons by Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and LeBron James), capturing the scoring title by averaging 30.1 points per game on a record-breaking 73-win team while also joining the 50-40-90 shooting splits club.

Curry also shattered his own single-season record for most three-pointers made in a season by a whopping 116 threes.

Curry cemented his name with the all-time greatest seasons in NBA history. Still, it doesn’t appear that his company has truly been accepted by the legends that he’s joining.

NBA legends belittling the accomplishments and games of current players aren’t anything new. In 2013, Dennis Rodman said on The Dan Patrick Show that LeBron James would’ve been “average” if he played in Rodman’s era.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said that Dirk Nowitzki is a “one-trick pony” this year. Older players will always think that their brand of basketball was superior or purer than the next generation’s.

Still, it feels like the former players and even today’s players are much more willing to criticize Curry on the record. They treat Curry with a strange disdain, almost like he’s a gimmick.

Is it that his meteoric rise from fringe All-Star to back-to-back MVP came relatively out of nowhere?

This isn’t like LeBron James or Kevin Durant, prodigies who most assumed would one day be an all-time great, where it was just a matter of time before they matured and put it all together.

Curry came out of Davidson University and, while a lottery pick, he was still taken behind Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn.

Stephen Curry declared for NBA Draft. Doug Gottlieb "He doesnt have the upside of Rubio. Jennings, Flynn, Mills, Teague all more athletic."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 23, 2009

Does his rise out of nowhere come with an air of disbelief, where people just don’t think it’s possible for a player to jump from being a borderline All-Star to being what Curry is today?

Is it his style of play? If so, that criticism is just nonsensical.

Curry is the most exciting player in today’s game and I don’t even think that’s debatable at this point.

The best thing about this game-winner from Steph Curry is Enes Kanter knew it was going in all along. Watch him. https://t.co/YFMgtNo7Op
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 13, 2016

If anything, his exciting style of play should be the main factor as to why Curry is appreciated. He is style meets substance, with a flair for the dramatic that matches greats who you can identify in one name like Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Kobe.

In today’s social media-driven world, this is the most exciting tweet in sports.

STEPH CURRY HEAT CHECK ALERT!!!!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 1, 2013

He’s exciting and his game is a breath of fresh air given what most NBA fans want to see.

Curry isn’t “just a shoote,r” but his shooting is easily the deadliest part of his game. It’s odd to see people like Barkley knock Curry for his shooting skills as if that isn’t one of the most basic basketball skills.

It’s also odd to criticize Curry for playing in the rules of his era, specifically regarding the “Curry wouldn’t have succeeded with more physical defense” argument.

Is that valid? Who knows. We’ll never find out because we don’t have time machines. Curry is playing right now and is the most dominant point guard since Magic Johnson.

It seems like we only criticize current players for not being able to succeed in other eras. Would Jordan be as successful without a three-point shot in today’s game?

Would Shaquille O’Neal dominate in a league where zone defenses are allowed and where big men who can shoot three-pointers take him out of the paint?

We don’t know. We never will. Jordan is the greatest player because of what he did during his time. O’Neal dominated in his era. Curry is dominating his and that’s all that should matter.

To criticize Curry for being born when he was born and playing to the rules of his time is a silly criticism to have.

Somebody must've told Stephen Curry that he couldn't get those shots off if guys were allowed to hand check. https://t.co/MvzKzKj4DC
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) March 8, 2016

Perhaps the Curry hatred is reactionary, caused by the wave of Curry love that came with his surge over the last couple years.

Last season, when Curry won MVP and the Golden State Warriors won 67 games in the regular season, then captured the title, people were quick to discredit them as a one-year wonder and that Curry won MVP due to his team’s achievement more than his individual merit.

Still, Curry-mania was among us. ESPN started dedicated pieces of their site to the Warriors and Curry, much like they had once done for the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.

Pieces on Curry became more popular and frequent, advertisements popped up, and virtually his entire family started becoming viral stars.

Anytime a star becomes a star, it’s eventually met with reactionary nausea. People get sick of hearing about the same player over and over. “We get it. Curry’s great, but he’s not the only great player.”

If Michael Jordan played in the 24-hour news cycle and social media culture, the same people tired of hearing about Curry would’ve been sick of hearing about Jordan, with his shoes and constant advertisements flooding your television set and social media feed.

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Like Jordan and James before him, there’s a reason why he’s the subject of the sports world’s eyes. Do you want ESPN and their basketball coverage to ignore someone having one of the greatest runs in NBA history for one of the greatest teams in NBA history?

No, and to think so would just be silly.

It’s a basic principle of writing that writers shouldn’t bury their lede, which should be the most important part of the story. The Warriors and Curry have been the most important part of this NBA season. Why would you realistically expect for that to be ignored or made a secondary story?

As Curry and the Warriors have accomplished so much this season going into the NBA Finals, it seems like the Curry hate has snowballed into a real thing.

While I’d imagine that Curry still has a great approval rating among fans, the amount of people who are quick to denigrate Curry’s recent success just doesn’t seem logical.

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Enjoy Curry and the Warriors while you can because one day, there won’t be anything like them.