By throwing his mouthpiece in a Game 6 temper tantrum, Stephen Curry didn’t help his case against the growing rumblings of his entitled attitude. He was reacting to a call — albeit a questionable one — for a foul against LeBron James and lost his cool. If you’re the Warriors, it’s not the example you want out of your leader with the season on the line.
After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr blamed the officials for not treating Curry like a star player.
“He had every right to be upset,” Kerr said. “He’s the MVP of the league. He gets six fouls called on him. Three of them were absolutely ridiculous. He steals the ball from Kyrie clean at one point. LeBron flops on the last one. Jason Phillips falls for that, for a flop. This is the MVP of the league we’re talking about.”
A star player not getting star calls? Kerr was fined $25,000 for those comments, and these:
“Yeah, I’m happy he threw his mouthpiece,” Kerr said. “He should be upset. Look, it’s the Finals. Everybody is competing out there.”
Upset is one thing. Irresponsible is another. Earning his sixth foul was the culmination of a rapid slide — about to lose two games in a row and a 3-1 series lead, a string of disappointing performances, Curry threw a fit and was ejected from the game when his teammates needed him.
At the point of fouling out, Curry had scored 30 points in 35 minutes and had hit six of his 13 three-point attempts. The Warriors were down by 13 points with 4:22 left in the game. Not a lot of time for most teams to come back, but plenty of time for the 73-win Warriors. Curry’s ejection all but sealed the win for the Cavs and a seventh game in the finals.
In Game 7, Curry has to show more composure. Not just in the face of wayward whistles, but also in the face of pressure. If he learns anything from watching LeBron right now, it should be how to ignore the noise. Not just saying he doesn’t hear the noise, but actively not allowing it to impact his performance. For someone with the reputation of having it too easy, it’s a chance to embrace the adversity and overcome it.
LeBron has shown up the league’s unanimous MVP, averaging nearly seven more points, four more assists and six more rebounds while shooting 10 percent better than Curry. Facing a 3-1 deficit, LeBron has turned in perhaps the greatest performance in back-to-back Finals games in NBA history. The stakes couldn’t have been higher, the challenge of both the situation and opponent couldn’t have been more historic. LeBron scored 40-plus and flirted with a triple double in both elimination games as he carried the Cavs from the brink of elimination to the doorstep of greatness.
But individual performances are dispersed through the prism of winning. If LeBron turns in another Super-Saiyan/Magic-Johnsonian performance and loses, it wasn’t enough. If Curry’s Warriors prevail despite another 20-something point, inefficient shooting outing, it’ll be looked over in favor of Golden State’s historic season.
With the way the Cavaliers have outplayed the Warriors in the last three games, though, an average performance from Curry won’t be enough. It’s obvious that the injury he suffered in the first round are still having some sort of detrimental effect, but not all of his struggles can be attributed to that factor alone. Curry hasn’t played well these Finals, but he has one last chance to turn things around. After six games, the slate is wiped clean. These are the moments when the Greats embrace the game for what it is, ignore the noise, and go to work.
This regular season was defined by Curry’s explosions, draining 38-foot game winners, burying opponents in a barrage of slithery layups and back-breaking three-pointers. He made defense irrelevant and offense into a brand new school of abstract art. He never shrunk from the moment but the moments have been growing.
LeBron, throughout his 13-year career, has proven time and time again he’s up to the task. Curry’s had the advantage of an historically great team to prop him up when he’s weak, but the Cavs have played the Warriors to a draw so far and Curry won’t have such a crutch.
With one great performance the mouthpiece, the disappointing play and the petty complaining will all be forgotten.
Game 7.
One game for the championship.
One game for legacy.
One game to rewrite history.
To alter short-term memory.
Or to crumble under the pressure.
On Sunday, we’ll find out if the unanimous MVP and the best player in the league are one in the same.