Other than the World Cup, NBA free agency continues to dominate the headlines. Everyone is wondering where LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will end up and the Kevin Love saga continues with no clear end in sight. Steph Curry decided he just wanted to play basketball yesterday and forget about all the rumors for a short period of time.
Curry went to showcase his skills at the San Francisco Pro-Am and put on a show in front of about 2,500 people at the Kezar Pavilion. Curry usually displays his skills in front of a sold out Oracle Arena, but for one night he gave a couple thousand people an electrifying show. Our very own Bram from the Warriors Huddle Podcast was there and he shared a little about his experience last night.
If you’ve never attended a Pro-Am, they are quite unique. Unlike an NBA game with all the glitz and glamour, this just looked like a high school basketball game. Alcohol was present and the vague scent of DeAndre Jordan’s cigarettes was in the air. When professional basketball players decide to attend these type of Pro-Am games, usually they are rumored to show up, but you never really know until they actually step on the floor.
Most NBA stars will wait until the game is about to start for them to finally step out onto the floor, but not Curry. He came for the fans and was there taking part in the warm-up drills. While he would end up with 43 points and leading the S.F. City to a 110-104 victory over Bay Pride, Curry would start the game 0 for 7. Which left the crowd and the rest of the players on the floor a bit stunned. Everyone in that arena came to watch Curry drop 110 points, but the start of the game was rough and the crowd was getting a little antsy.
Curry was still dazzling the crowd with his moves, but he needed one shot to go in and we it finally did, he couldn’t be stopped. It was remarkably unfair how Curry’s talent level was much greater than everyone else on the floor. It was a man amongst boys, but it was beautiful to watch. Curry is obviously much better physically and athletically, but his basketball IQ was simply unmatched. Curry’s understanding of spacing on the floor and his ability to out-think his opponent was incredible. At times it looked like nobody was guarding him.
Watching the players who were playing alongside Curry was entertaining as well. You could tell that they were nervous to play with one of the better players in the NBA and who could blame them. The pressure of making the right pass or set the right screen was apparent on his teammate’s faces. As the game progressed it quickly turned into the Curry show and the game felt like it was a part of the And One Mixtape Tour. The crowd was going wild and the only thing missing was all the people rushing the court.
Curry did have to leave immediately after game because the mob of people was beginning to swarm him after the team picture. All in all, if you were lucky enough to be at the Kezar pavilion yesterday, you got to witness an incredible show. In case you missed it, here is our Warriors Huddle Podcast discussing his performance: