SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Steph Curry is much easier to track down after a press conference than when he comes off a screen. The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox and many others who have taken on this unwelcome defensive duty before can attest to that.
The Golden State star usually takes time after games to walk down the hallway of whatever arena he’s in, presumably because he’s dog-tired from yet another evening with eights on the court — and defenders — when he would be a balloon bleeding air. So, as I caught up with Curry after Sacramento’s 126-123 win over the Warriors in their first round opener on Saturday night, with the express purpose of discussing Fox’s defense and whether those tactics that ragged him would ultimately lead to Als Defending champion wearing down those kings, Curry was quick to point out there’s still a long way to go here.
“I mean, I play the way I play and I’ve played that way for a long time,” Curry told The Athletic. “It’s part of the challenge of on-ball/off-ball (attacking) and stuff like that. The playoffs are all about, “Who can last the longest to win four games?” That’s usually my advantage, but every series you’ve got to double down the looks of it, no matter who’s guarding you.”
Fox won that first round against one of the game’s all-time greats in spectacular fashion, scoring 29 of his 38 points in the second half while guarding Curry (and dishing out five assists) for most of the night. After Fox’s five postseason-less seasons in Sacramento, and with these Kings fans so excited and electrified to be in the playoffs for the first time since 2006, his playoff debut was as impressive as they come.
True to his Mr. Clutch form, he had 15 of the Kings’ 35 points in the fourth quarter while continuing to live up to his October declaration that the stars were pointing in the right direction for this kind of Kings renaissance. Curry, playing in his 135th playoff game, finished with 30 points (20 after halftime) with just two assists.
Their point guard fight was just a small part of the bigger picture of this series, but it’s arguably the most important duel in this unprecedented clash between the two Northern California NBA teams. To put it simply, you can’t beat the warriors unless you beat Curry. And the Kings, led by Fox, did just that.
The question now, with Game 2 at the Golden 1 Center on Monday, is Fox capable of carrying that kind of immense two-way load. Or perhaps Curry’s unique attack could ultimately break Fox’s spirit and vicariously the Kings’ hopes of igniting the Ray beyond the first round.
Curry’s roadrunner technique has always been a sight to behold, but that moment early in the third quarter was even more remarkable because of the context. Here was Curry, the 35-year-old four-time champion who is so proud of his ability to wear down his opponents with his legs and lungs and overtake another star player who was born a decade after him and who, by most accounts , is considered the fastest man in the NBA. That’s what it means to get the curry task.
As Fox later discussed, Kings coach Mike Brown convinced him in training camp that he needed to take his defense to a whole new level this season. The irony, of course, is that Brown has spent his last six seasons making Curry his best defensive line during his time alongside Steve Kerr on the Warriors team. To Fox’s credit, he personally took on Brown’s challenge then and is doing it well now more than ever.
But he’s also just learned that playoff curry is a different breed of basketball beast, the kind that requires inhuman amounts of defensive attention and energy for every nanosecond he’s on the floor. Just ask Matthew Dellavedova.
Of all the defenders who gave their best against Curry in the playoff stage, the former Cavs guard, who is a veteran voice at these Kings, has the most famous story of them all. His performance against Curry in the 2015 Finals was widely acclaimed, even though the Warriors went all-out in six games. The part that has always been overlooked, and one that former Cavs guard JR Smith highlighted in a recent podcast visit with JJ Redick, is that Curry’s insane motor was such a challenge for Dellavedova that it landed him in the hospital. As reported at the time, he spent almost a full day at the Cleveland Clinic between Games 3 and 4 dealing with severe cramping and dehydration. They used a stretcher to take him to the facility and put him on IV fluids overnight — all the work.
“I love Delly to death, but Delly almost died guarding Steph Curry,” Smith said of Dellavedova, who is currently out indefinitely with a broken finger. “No, (he) literally almost died. We have footage of this man in the ice tub (during the 2015 finale) literally trying to protect this man up to his neck. It’s crazy.”
Fox, who mentioned Smith’s interview in his post-game press conference, certainly gets it now.
“Have you all seen this clip of JR Smith talking about Delly; Have you seen the clip?” he began. “That is real. It’s real (laughs). I mean, of course, you know, I didn’t guard Steph the whole game, but I guarded him for most of the first quarter, most of the fourth quarter. And yes, um, this clip is real. Obviously my team wants me to play offense, but (Brown) isn’t worried about what I can do offense. He wants me to get better defensively and that’s something I want to face.
“I think we’ve all seen it in spurts, but I want to be able to do it as the game progresses. And playing 40 minutes, scoring 38 points is cool, but just trying to be as disruptive as possible while you’re guarding, if not best player in the world, best player ever, you know, jump shot- wise to shoot a basketball not only from catch but from dribbling (is more important).”
From then on Fox’s participation in the Curry Admiration Society continued.
“The guy’s probably one of the most skillful players to ever touch a ball,” he continued. “Just being able to just try to be disruptive to me is the biggest step I think. …I don’t want to prove it to anyone, but I want to prove to myself that I can go out there and just try to hunt down some of the best guards in the league.”
Fox didn’t do this job alone. Kings guard Kevin Huerter helped, as did Davion Mitchell, Malik Monk and Harrison Barnes. Brown spent much of the second half using the box-and-one defense against his old team, which his current team said their current team hadn’t practiced (on purpose). It was barely enough as Curry missed a 3-point try at the buzzer that could have tied it.
Returning to the team hotel for the night, Curry chuckled upon learning that Fox had highlighted Smith’s retelling of the old Dellavedova story. Gamer recognition game, in other words, with more great games likely to come.
“I appreciate the compliment (from Fox) but it’s more about the way I play,” Curry told The Athletic. “(Fox) has been trying to get pretty high on most possessions and I know that’s part of the strategy of trying to get me off the 3-point line and making me work. And he came back on the other end and hit some big shots, so that’s the kind of challenge in the game that I love. And I’m sure he’s trying to rise to the challenge.”
Say the least.
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(Top Photo: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)