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The Golden State Warriors have proven undoubtedly better with Steph Curry on the court, and a part of that has been his distinct approach to the game that has given this team a different vibe throughout the years.
To those familiar with the game, Curry has taken shots that no other players dare to shoot in most situations — one-handed 18-foot floaters, off-handed 16-foot runners, and 30-foot bombs with no presence on the glass or chance for an offensive rebound. It's all part of what makes Curry so different and so much fun to coach.
“When I'm out there, for me to be successful, I've got to play a certain way,” Curry told ESPN's Baxter Holmes. There are undercurrents of his playing style, but the heartbeat, the very soul of it, is joy.
“I've always had a joyous disposition,” Curry added. “When I've always played basketball, I was always the goofy kid, running around, having fun, doing what I loved to do. I don't think I've ever lost that as I've gone through the ranks — high school, college to now. I just enjoy it. I think from my personal belief system is that I've been in this situation, this stage, for a reason: to shine light on things that I believe in. That's the most constant thing for me.”
Curry's confidence can come off as ignorance — taking shots that would find most players sitting on the bench after taking them, even in nights where he's struggled with his shot.
“That shot, I sort of realized as a coach, ‘You've got to back off,'” coach Steve Kerr said. “That shot's part of who Steph is — it's part of his power and his force. So I can't be the old-school coach like, ‘Come on, Steph, you've got to search for a better shot.' I can at key times, strategically. But mostly, I've got to let Steph do Steph.”
It's that same confidence that took a 2-for-13 Curry to shoot 25-of-62 from deep (40 percent) the rest of the Western Conference Finals after making a robust 44.1 percent from distance in the semifinals against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Even teammates like Draymond Green are able to recognize the effect Curry has had in the fiber of this team throughout the years.
“You can feel his effect on the game,” Green said. “The way we play when he's out there, it's a more joyful style. When he's not out there, it's a grinding style. It's not as fun. Obviously, basketball is always fun, but it's not as free-flowing.”
The Warriors will need that unbridled joy once again as they near the end of the line, four games away from a third championship in the last four seasons.
