In Getting Warriors to Game 7, Curry Again Shows He's One of NBA's Tough Guys
OKLAHOMA CITY — It's not exactly a complex, but there is a chip on Stephen Curry's shoulder regarding a certain topic.
Physical strength.
For his entire life, he's heard he's too small or skinny. It's why he lasted until the seventh pick in the NBA draft, and it's why he was barely recruited in high school and settled for attending Davidson.
Despite all the sports-star stereotypes Curry has smashed over the past couple of years, the old guard still believes you can bully and beat him.
Masculinity is a pride thing for every male on some level, no matter how comfortable you are with yourself and your accomplishments. And Curry's success has struck such a sweet spot now because our society is ready to accept and embrace a leading man who isn't a classic man's man. This isn't uber-aggressive Michael Jordan.
But Curry is great because he is passionate about proving to himself that he can do what other men cannot—and what other men believe he cannot.
So if you think he is weak because of his ankle problems, he will figure out all sorts of ways to strengthen them. (And he won't be embarrassed to make use of newfangled braces that help tremendously.)
If you think he will wear down after a long MVP season, he will train like a maniac to prepare for an even greater grind: a first unanimous MVP season. (He'll also take quiet pride in the fact that he played 79 out of 82 regular-season games and ranked in the league's top 20 in total minutes).
If you think he's not strong enough to bounce back from his ankle and knee injuries in the playoffs, he will do all he can not to use them as excuses (while delivering clutch Game 5 and 6 performances in the face of elimination against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals).
There was a default assumption that Curry's subpar play in this series was a result of injury. That is a testament to how accustomed we now are to Curry dazzling on the court—yet also a demonstration of the bias against his physicality.
If Curry's not playing well, it has to be that his body, not his mind, is weak in some way.
So it's particularly sweet that he was able to power through and force a Game 7 Monday.
He drove to the basket with 3:03 left in the third quarter of Game 6 Saturday, drew a foul and crash-landed under the hoop with Enes Kanter on top of him. Curry got up, visibly bothered by his right elbow, which had swelled up in Game 2.
When asked later about the continuous damage being done to his body late this season, Curry said: "I kind of like it because you understand the moment of the playoffs, and it just kind of gets you going. I'll be ready to go and give it everything I've got for Game 7."
In reading those words alone you can hear the undercurrent of pride in Curry's voice at meeting the physical challenge and getting to this final game.
A series pushed as far as it can go is fundamentally going to be decided by durability and perseverance. And we already saw Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook falter down the stretch of OKC's 108-101 Game 6 loss. Was it mental weakness…or fatigue?
Durant played about 45 minutes and Westbrook 44. Given the constant shot creation and extra defensive efforts, their burdens were enormous. Durant all but admitted they were tired, saying: "Well, our team needs us on the floor. Us two on the floor, we give ourselves a great chance to win. So we've got to fight through it."
The final stretch was such a blur to the Thunder that OKC coach Billy Donovan was asking someone afterward if it was true that his team turned the ball over on five of the final six possessions. It was true: Four of the turnovers were Westbrook's; the other was Durant's, who also missed what would have been a game-tying three.
Whatever happens in Game 7, Curry has accomplished something in sending a specific message to the masses—that he's resilient.
Not that anyone remembers because of that lovely 32-footer in the final second of overtime, but Curry made Golden State's Feb. 27 visit to OKC a classic only because he played through a left-ankle sprain that forced him to miss much of the third quarter. Curry got tangled up with athletic dynamo Westbrook—also while Curry was going to the basket.
Even the way the Thunder defense has played him this series traces back to those same predraft scouting reports that said Curry didn't have a great first step for driving and definitely wasn't strong enough to finish inside.
The OKC mandate for their big men when switched to Curry has been simple: Put a hand up and get out on him; dare him to drive past you because he'd rather finesse you and step back to shoot.
Of course, Curry's not as explosive as he once was after recently spraining the MCL in his knee, but the classic quarterback has come around to being the willing running back his team needs to survive this series.
It's not about sheer power or showing violence, although Curry did scuffle with Houston's Patrick Beverley in the opening quarter of the opening playoff game to stand up for himself.
It's about basketball being an undeniably physical game.
And Curry's physical strength is underrated. Anyone around the Warriors organization will attest to his considerable weight room time and dedication to leg work with his personal trainer. Just as two-time-MVP predecessor Steve Nash did to overcome chronic back problems and a bad rap for a lack of physical ability, Curry has built extreme core strength to get where he needs to go.
It has gotten him and the Warriors to an improbable Game 7 at home against the Thunder—another clash with LeBron James, the ultimate physical specimen, waiting thereafter.
Curry has done it by quieting the recent murmurs that he can't perform when he's not quite right physically.
But the truth is, the guy has been performing his whole life with people telling him he's not quite right physically.
And look where he is now.
Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
