April 20, 2021 • 48 mins
On today's episode, Jason dives deep into the unreal season that Steph Curry is putting together. The Chef dropped 49 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, including a signature 'Curry Flurry' in the 4th to help put the game away. He's been on absolute tear in the month of April, so much so in fact that Jason argues that Steph should be the NBA MVP. He's the epitome of Most Valuable Player; Take Steph off the Warriors and they're easily the worst team in the League. Later, Producer Rob G joins the show to pour a little cold water on Jason's take. First off, Curry's month of April isn't all that unusual. In fact, Damian Lillard put up similar stats to get the Portland Trail Blazers into the playoffs last year. Secondly, Curry has been fantastic but his 2021 season is eerily similar to Kobe Bryant's in 2006. Both guys put up otherworldly numbers only to have the MVP get handed over to player whose team won at a higher clip. Finally, the guys close the show with a nuanced conversation on what exactly makes Steph so popular amongst fans and media alike. Is it because he shoots 3's at an unbelievable clip? Is it because he's regularly outperforming superior athletes on the biggest stage? Is he because he's light-skinned? Whatever it is, unless you're going out of your way to be a curmudgeon, it's really hard to hate on the Baby Faced Assassin.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. What is up, everybody,
It's me Jason McIntyre, Straight Fire or Tuesday April. I'm
sure you can sense it. A giddiness in the voice.
Very excited for this podcast. Um, before we get started,
(00:27):
thank you to everybody for listening, and welcome the new
listeners who enjoyed Monday's Zion Williams to take a good
feedback from Rob g on that one and UM one
other quick shout out before we get to today's incredible podcast. Uh,
congratulations to Alex Smith of the Washington Football Club, the
Kansas City Chiefs, the forty Niners. He is officially retired.
(00:48):
Some of my jets, friand fans friends, if that makes
any sense, had said, hey, maybe we get him as
the backup Seck Wilson. We can't go in with you
know this Morgan guy as the backup. But no dice.
Alex Smith has decided to retire. That's probably for the best.
You know, he went in for Washington last year and
everybody was holding their breath. Um, given his injury history
(01:08):
and nearly losing his leg. So congratulations on a very
good career Alex Smith. All Right, let's get to the
biggest sports story of the day, and there is zero
debate about this and what's what's so fun? And I
know you guys can detect how excited I am. What's
so fun about this is Rob G, the esteem producer,
one of the best in the business, said on yesterday's pod, Oh,
(01:32):
I've got some steps Steph Curry slander cooking up for
this week. So then yesterday I look at the NBA schedule,
I'm like, all right, we could have this guest. Oh,
Curry could break that Kobe record and he's going into
the Sixers National TV game. Maybe we do Curry art.
(01:52):
Rob G, do you think you could fast track your
Steph Curry slander, you know, in case it's a good game. Yeah, yeah, Jay,
I'll be be ready because you know, Rob G is
a Curry hater and he won't admitted, he won't call
itself a Curry hater, but he I don't think he's
ready to give Curry the flowers that I am bestowing
(02:14):
upon the greatest shooter barn in NBA history. I said
he was the second greatest point guard a few years
ago in NBA history. On Cowherd Show, I caught so
much heat. Oh, Isaiah Thomas, Jay, what are you talking about?
Oscar Robertson, John Stockton? Look at the numbers. I mean,
I don't I don't need to go through John Stockton's
(02:37):
MVP votes in his career, or Isaiah Thomas's or even
their top five finishes for the m v P. I
call Oscar Robertson a combo guard, but come on, stop,
He's not even in Curry's class. He's a really, really
good player. Hall of Famer, excellent. Curry is elite, top
shelf and Monday starting alongside Kevon Looney and Kent base More,
(03:00):
who was owing five over five shooting. Coming off the
bench was Agent Moulder from the X Files. Oh no, sorry, sorry,
his name is um? What's it? Mark Mulder? I gotta click?
Michael m y C h A E. L. Michael Mulder,
young kid out of Kentucky. Who else did they play?
They play? Um? It looks like Kelly Ubrey got up
(03:21):
a bunch of shots in twenty two minutes, but it
didn't matter because they had Curry and it was the
Steph Curry Show once again against the East leading Sixers,
who were without Ben Simmons, much to the chagrin of
my fantasy team. My son not thrilled. Steph Curry went
for He had a bazillion points in the fourth quarter.
(03:42):
He was fourteen of twenty eight from the field, ten
of seventeen from three, and he basically beat the seventy
sixers by himself forty nine points. Now, I was thinking
of changing up how we attacked this pod, because you
guys have heard me gas up Curry. Don't need me
just going crazy and citing his April stats. Nearly three
(04:05):
weeks into April, Curry forty points per game shooting from
the field from three. So don't you dare say, oh,
he's taking a million three. He's hitting fifty threes this
month from the line. Steph Curry has made seventy eight
(04:26):
three pointers during this binge. Okay, this is one of
the most absurd stats I've ever heard. I'm sorry, seventy
three pointers during this bench Steph threes in the last
ten games. That's more than Chris, Paul Tobias, Harris Russell, Westbrook,
Pascal sim have made this entire season. Steph has made
(04:50):
that in ten games and the final one. I'm just
gonna kind of turn it to Rob because I want
him to get it off his chest and say his
point and say, oh I don't like It's not that
I dislike Curry. He's a great player. And then Rob
will like do that backhanded compliment and then go in
on him final number. And I know Rob is doing
(05:10):
just waiting. Steph Curry has six games with ten or
more threes this season. No other player in NBA history
has more than five in their career. Okay, and don't
give me the well that's the three point era. J
Come on, folks. Six games of ten or more threes
(05:33):
this season this season, that's obscene. He's the greatest show
in the NBA. Steph Curry is your m v Peeler
m v P leader right now. Let me say it again,
Steph Curry is your m v P leader right now.
He just wanted to. Joel Embiad's house dropped the forty
(05:56):
nine spot on Curry's brother and Danny Green and Matisse
thybel this great defender and Tyrese Maxie. I mean, Curry
was unstoppable. Joel embi eight he had and thirteen what
did damn do? Jarl Embiad supposed to be an MVP
contender and courage just dropped forty nine spot on his head,
(06:20):
surrounded by a bunch of G league guys. I don't
care that they're twenty nine and twenty nine. What he's doing,
and he's about to become the leading scoring leader in
the NBA. What Curry's doing this season? Given the injuries
we seem to Lebron and James Harden and you know
you could toss in and beat He's missed I think
more than twenty games. Everybody has fallen back due to
(06:43):
the injuries. Luca winning the season is a favorite. And
you know we've got about I think eighteen games left,
sixteen games up somewhere in there. Curry keeps us up.
I don't know how you don't vote him m v P.
And I don't care that they're twenty nine and twenty
nine and in the playing game. Do you know what
their record is without Steph Curry this year? I've seen
(07:05):
it in multiple places, one in eight, but I also
saw one in seven. Bottom line, they stink without Steph Curry.
What does m v P mean? Well, the most valuable
Jason Yeah, no, Ship Sherlock. How do you define value
if you take that player off the team? What are
they the seventies Sixers can swim without Joel embiad Ben Simmons.
(07:30):
They're a playoff team in the East without Joel Embid,
without Yokich, with Jamal Murray, I Nuggets are good, but
are they a playoff team? It's close. Without Steph Curry,
the Warriors are the worst team in the league. Worst
than the Timberwolves, worse than the Pistons. They've got single
(07:51):
digit wins. I think we can all agree on that.
I I love Lebron. You guys know, I'm a fan.
He's thirty six. With out him, I thought they would
go in the tank. Rob G thought they would go
in the tank. Every human thought without Lebron and a
d they go in the tank. They've kind of done, okay.
Frank Vogels kept them afloat their top five in the
in the West. So depending on how you define value, yes,
(08:16):
without the Luca, the MAVs are quite bad. But I
think we can all agree Without Curry, the Warriors are
by far the worst team in the league. So I'm
gonna turn it over to Rob G. I'm gonna zip
it Lockett put it in my pocket. Despite you know,
you know I'm an interrupter or I'm gonna want to
interrupt and push back. Rob and I are friends. We text,
(08:37):
I have him into his house. He hasn't been in mind.
But no matter what is said in the next fifteen minutes,
it's all fun. We are friendly. I've worked with he
was my producer on my weekend show for a while
before he got called up to the big leagues to
produce the Odd Couple. He's on the rise and Rob
g take it away. Well, first off, let me just
(09:00):
say this. The plan for the Steph Curry slander was
supposed to be on yesterday's Pot on the heels of
their loss. So but Jason McIntyre, knowing that there was
a good chance that they may be a depleted Philadelphia
seventies squads today, you know what, Rob, let's save that
for later in the week. So he kind of set
(09:21):
me up for failure on that one. But let me
just say this, there are few things more exciting and
sports than a Curry flurry, and that's what we got
in the fourth quarter last night against Philadelphia. I mean,
when he is on and he's cooking, it is mustie television.
It reminds me and I've said this before on record
of when Kobe would get it cooking, you know on
(09:42):
those really really bad Lakers teams where he would make
four or five buckets in a row and you just
like wow, like the buzz was everywhere. I never thought
there'd be anything close to that as a sports fan,
like those three minute bursts, and then Steph Curry happened
and you'd get the same thing, only different differences. He's
shooting it from thirty ft away is that of eighteen,
So it just looks cooler to watch him shoot like that.
(10:05):
Having said all of that, number one, Steph Curry does
not belong in the MVP conversation. That that may have
been the worst take you've had in the nine months
that we've been doing this podcast, and you've had a
handful of really bad wait, worse than the Lakers will
go too and fifteen without Laurent and a. That was
that was my take. I think I know that's what
I'm saying. That whatever. Okay, so there's one, But number two,
(10:33):
I'm really, really really I can't say I'm even surprised.
It's I'm just I'm I'm disappointed that there's so many
people in the media you included who have decided that,
you know, this Steph Curry month of April just might
(10:53):
be the greatest basketball we've ever seen. And that's not
to say is that has been impressive. I mean, you
guys having forty points so far the month. I mean,
it's it's awesome. Ten games is a considerable sample. Yes,
it's it's it's been great. And I'm not even gonna
count that that February that Kobe had, the year that
he dropped eighty one, where he didn't win the NBA
(11:13):
think he lost to his step Nash because that was
just you know, that's so long ago. I'm not even
gonna bring that up. But lest we forget, just last season,
Damian Lillard was putting up very, very comparable stats just
to get his team into the postseason when they got
(11:34):
to the bubble in Portland and they knew, like, hey,
we're fighting up a little bit uphill battle. If we
even want to get a chance at the play in
we almost have to run the table. During that span,
he averaged thirty seven ten and four how many games
eight games? Excuse me, forty three eight nine splits. The
(11:58):
Blazers won six and two in that spat. Now, I
know that they're a little bit off from what step
You know, step has forty points, so it's more there.
Dame's got more assists. Time out. Can I ask was
c J McCollum playing in those games? He was, because
I believe he's been an All Star, right, No, he's
never been in all Gosh. I apologize, continue and so
and it's like I said, I'm not taking away from
(12:19):
what because what step STEP's doing he is great, but
to act like this is something that it's like, oh
my gosh, we've never seen anything like this before, and
it's like, well, yes we have. You know, we may
not have seen the exact numbers, you know, because up
until the last three or four years, only people were
shooting threes like that was was this generation. But we've
seen guys have these runs before, and we saw something
(12:41):
like it just last season. So that's my only thing
when I say that it's not even I think it's
may have oversold it by calling it slander because it's
not really slander. It's just, you know what, let's be
realistic about what we're seeing from Steph Curry. Steph is
great and he's having an incredible stretch, but during this month.
What they're six and four, So am I really supposed
(13:02):
to say that this is the greatest things and sliced bread.
He's scoring at an unbelievable clip that that's kudos to him.
He's keeping them afloat. They may get into the play
in tournament, but it's just, you know, it's being oversold.
I think a little bit. Okay. I had to go
back and look at the Damian Lillard um in the bubble,
(13:24):
and it was an impressive streak. He had sixty one
against Dallas, he had fifty one against Philly, he had
forty five against Denver. Yeah, that was that was a
hot streak. He had the memorable meltdown against the Clippers
where Patrick Beverley and one of the Morris Coons they
were laughing on the sideline and slap it. You remember that.
(13:45):
I do like that. After all this time, you still
don't know which more his place for which tea. I
think I do that by design because I think that's
a little funnier. I don't know if it's so funny.
Um he had thirty and sixteen assists at a loss. Yes,
that was a torrid streak for Damian Lillard, no doubt
about on it. Um, it was in the bubble. I
I don't know what to make of that. I'm not
(14:06):
the guy who's bashing it because it was in the bubble.
I'm just saying it was no fans. You know, Steph
Curry's going into hostile territory, into Philly. I don't know
if it's hostile. I just felt like tossing that in there. Um.
But nevertheless, it you know, it was not a poor
man's version, but it was a Steph Curry light run, right. Um.
(14:29):
I just if I want you to guys to I
don't want you to pause the podcast and you know,
go out of this, but I really want you to
go on YouTube, go to the NBA account and look
up the Sixers Warriors game. It's like three minutes of
Steph Curry highlights. That's all it is. And I want
you to look at specifically in the fourth quarter when
(14:50):
Curry takes over. By the way, the Curry flurry that phrase.
We need to put that on a T shirt and
just like Steph Curry's outline or something, I think that
would sell well. I would buy it. I would wear
it sleeveless of course. Um. Watch during the Curry flurry,
the reaction of a the players on the Sixers. Every
three that goes up, you can see they turn to
(15:12):
look and then instantly the shoulders slumped like, oh jees,
he did it again, and he hits like four or
five of these in a row. And then on the
second viewing, go back and watch the Sixers bench because
it's they're watching right in front of it. And Folks,
if you look closely, nobody moves. If they're they're stunned.
They are in awe. Not even like oh my gosh,
(15:35):
or throwing their hands on their head or just like
shaking their head. They are literally stunned. The only comparison
I had was in the movie Jaws, where the Jaws
goes into like the little marina area and takes down
that guy in the boat and bites his leg off,
and the kid who was um the cops. I can't
(15:57):
believe I'm spacing on the names here, the cops son,
he's like flowing treading water there and he's frozen as
the huge great white passes him and they have to
pull him out of the water and he's frozen. He's
just stunned. And that is what the Sixers bench look
like as Curry was dropping bombs from everywhere on the court,
(16:20):
there is like no movement it is. It's it's like
you don't see that happen in the league. And Curry's
making it look easy. And I know that you don't
want to give him Rob the m v P because
they're twenty nine and twenty nine, they're going to be
in the playing game. I just want to point out
(16:43):
this stretch has come in a season where there's only
seventy two games, so essentially Curry and who knows how
much longer this will go. I don't know if it's
gonna last. I can it go? Can it go much
further than this? Can he stayed this hot? Possible? I
don't know. I'm looking at the schedule now, and like
(17:03):
you know, listen, there's is a chance this continues. But
he's really when people say like he's not human, like yo,
he's not. He's just he's not. This is not normal
behavior for a basketball player. They have Washington coming up
Denver Friday night, Oh, Yokich versus Curry m v P showdown.
(17:25):
Then they have the Kings and the Maths and the
oh my goodness, the Timberwolves and the Rockets, so maybe
it can continue. I mean, Washington, Sect, Washington, Minnesota and
the Rockets are three of the worst teams in the league.
Although Washington is starting to percolate a little bit. Russ
is playing well. But I mean, Rob, I can see
(17:48):
Curry sneaking in and in an odd season with seventy
two games and everybody hurt, I can see Curry stealing
this award. Now, remember last year he was injured, miss,
I think the entire season, but a handful of games.
So I don't want to defend him by saying he's rested,
but this is a guy who should be super fresh
(18:12):
here coming down the stretch. I know they had the
five straight trips to the finals, and you know obviously
last year of the injury, but he should be rested
to go the rest of the way. I just want
to remind you. In the last let's see one, two, three, four, five, six,
seventy nine games, Curry has led them in scoring with
(18:33):
sty two fifty three forty one he I mean, all, Rob,
I don't see how there's a Okay, fine, how about this.
I'll give you Yokich as the leader for the m
v P. Who's your second place voting to right now, Oh,
right now, it would be Joel embiid okay, who's third.
(18:56):
I like how he's really trying hard. Not because I
like it, because you don't you know, if you put
in third, then there's a chance over the final fifteen
ish games. Oh man, could Curry steal this thing? Because
that's where I'm feeling. Well, My my problem is that
I would have had James Harden up there, except that,
you know, I don't know how long much longer he's
He's out all week. That's the problem. That's not a
(19:18):
problem for Curry. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
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Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live.
ESPN does a strong maybe yeah maybe a couple of months.
Every couple of months they do the straw poll, and
they actually get information from the voters. Are people either
(19:43):
people who are already voters or people who are in
the city's where it would be a fair and accurate
assessment of how the m V people is going to go.
And in their most recent straw poll, out of a
hundred and one voters, YOKI had ninety first place votes.
He's the leader. Doubt about Steph Curry, I believe was right,
(20:04):
So I don't realistically see any chance he even gets
the top five. All that being said, I think when
they did this strung poll two months ago, Lebron was
leading it and it was Lebron and Embiide followed by Yoki.
I'm pretty sure that's how it was. In the span
(20:25):
of two months, we've gone from Lebron and beat Yokich
to Yokich and really no second and no no Jamal Murray.
Let's see how Denver does here again. Yokich is very
um obviously, has earned all the accolades. He has been
tremendous this season, and he was very very good Monday Night. Um.
(20:47):
Obviously he's getting some help from Michael Porter Jr. But
I mean, I you know, you want to compare rosters
like I don't. I don't know that that really comes
into play. What this boils down to rob is the voters,
because I don't know at some point they're gonna have
to say, do we give the m v P two yo,
(21:08):
get your Curry. I mean, Harden hasn't played enough games.
Lebron has not played enough games, and Bead has not
played enough games, and there's a bunch of back to
backs coming up for the Sixers. I would not be
surprised if it beats sat out some of those, because
that's what he does given his injury history, which I'm
fine with, um. But again, like there is a bit
(21:29):
of a window here fifteen ish games for Curry to
steal it. Now. I also want to point at fun
fun nugget from Sixers Warriors Steph Curry. I like to
look at the plus minus column. Steph Curry is plus
eleven the Warriors one by eleven. Honestly, like when he's
(21:52):
off the floor, Rob it's like almost like in college
basketball where the star goes to the bench and you know, like, oh,
can they day float for a few minutes without their
best player? And usually the answers no, And a lot
of the good teams go through this. Lebron went through
this with the Lakers last year, UM, because it's like
we need to rest a d we need to wrest Lebron.
(22:13):
Can the Lakers survive without him for minutes against the
heat And it was like you're treading water? Treading water? Okay, fine,
they'll get the superstars back, But I don't know, man,
I can totally see again. Just to recap Curry breaking
the Kobe Bryant record, I keep mentioning what the record is, um,
scoring thirty points in eleven straight games. That's the record
(22:38):
for a player thirty three year older. Now, Rob not
living out here in l A. My entire life only
been on here five years. Um, I don't even recall
the Kobe stretch where he was torching people and scored
eighty one against the Raptors. That game was like on
NBA TV or something right Sunday afternoons it actually happened,
(23:00):
or in an NFL playoff game, if I recall, and
I think that's yeah, a lot of people weren't aware
of what was happening until he was already at like
seventy and they're like, oh, my goodness, something's going on
on NBA TV in the Lakers Raptors game that nobody
is watching. And then you find out that he had
eighty one. And so here's the deal, Like, first of all,
(23:21):
do you know off hand what year that was? Was
in two thousand seven? That was two thousand and six, Okay,
so two thousand six. I don't think social media exists.
Twitter didn't exist, right, I don't think Instagram was around,
and I mean I don't think I was getting text like, Yo,
you gotta check out NBA TV. Uh, Kobe's got seventy. Like,
(23:44):
I don't think that thing was even a thing. I'm
trying to think back like two thousand six. Yeah, my
Twitter says I joined in two thousand and nine, So
you were out here, you were privy to it. I mean,
I I sadly I don't really remember it. It was
not like one of the great games of all time.
(24:04):
It was like, oh my gosh, Kobe is just getting
buckets on buckets. Yeah. And it's funny about that game
is if you go back and watch it, it's not
like he was hunting for that eighty one points like
the way Devin Booker did. I think to get seventy,
where it was like, let's just get in the ball
and hopefully he can score even though we're not winning,
Like they were down big in that first half and
(24:24):
they needed him just to stay afloat. I think he
had like thirty at the half or something like that,
and then they were down in the third quarter. Then
he scored like another thirty in the third quarter alone,
and you're like, well, they're up like six, and it's
like they needed all of it. Because I'll go to
my deathbed telling people who aren't Laker fans he didn't
follow Kobe like that, that his sixty two and three
(24:47):
quarters against Dallas was more impressive than the eighty one
point game because he outscored the entire Dallas team through
three quarters sixty two to sixty one. And that wasn't
like Toronto, who was a also ran team at that
point in history, like Dallas was one of the best
(25:08):
teams in the Western Conference during that run. So I
mean that that that night was incredible. Um. But going
back to your Steph Curry m v P, I think,
and I know you made a compelling case. I'm not
gonna say you didn't. That was actually a very good case. Um. However,
there was a month during that one point season that
(25:28):
Kobe had where I think he averaged forty three for
an entire month of January and they were nine and four,
and that was a season where they, you know, made
the seventh seed. And if I recall, the starting lineup
was get this, uh, Kobe Bryant, Smush Smush Parker Luke Walton,
lamar Odom and Chris mem So that I will tell
(25:53):
you right now that that lineup is worse than what
the words. Oh boy, I need to look up lamar
Odom ever make an All Star team, nod rather have
lamar Odom or Andrew Williams. That's a no brainer. Lamar Odom,
Chris mim Or, Kevon Looney, Oh boy, Draymond Green, Draymond
(26:14):
Green obviously the card over somebody Um Smush Parker or
Um Kent Baysmore. That's a like three seasons. By the way,
to all the people who didn't listen to the interview,
Jim Jackson what it was just a month ago went
and recapped the Smush Parker series against the Sun's with
(26:38):
Lakers sons, and you've gotta go listen to it. Jim Jackson.
Of course, Um halfway through the series told his real
estate agent to put his house on the market because
he knew what was coming. That's how That's how south
it went for Smush Parker. That was That was fun
stuff from Jim Jackson. Um, but I would say I
bring that up only to say that Kobe had an
(26:59):
incredible scoring season. He was I think at thirty five
points a game. The Lakers were a seven seed in
the loaded Western Conference, and Steve Nash want the m
VP that year. So I know that Steph Curry is
having an incredible running. He could very well end the season,
you know, if you count the previous ten games and
through the rest of the last fifteen games averaging thirty
(27:20):
five points a game. And I still don't think he's
gonna make up enough ground to really get into the
MVP conversation. I'm trying to look at the m v
P voting in two thousand six. Um, apparently Shock was
very upset that he didn't get it the year uh,
the year before. Actually, Kobe finished fourth. In two thousand six,
Nash wanted over Lebron, Dirk was third, and then in
(27:41):
two thousand and seven, Dirk wanted, Nash was second, Kobe third. Huh. Yeah,
it's weird that Kobe only has one m v P. Huh.
It's weird that Shock only has one m v P two.
Also strange, Shock is not happy about that Curry has
two m vps. By the way, yeah, one of them
unanimous history. Let's wrap up. Let's wrap up on why
(28:10):
you said something interesting earlier. And I don't want to
go after colleagues. Okay, you said something interesting about why
the media feels the need to get excited and root
for Korea and blah blah blah. Um. I think some
of it has to do it this weird disrespect and
(28:31):
we have I think we've touched on this with someone else.
There are three things really that people disrespect about Corey.
Number One, he is a below the room player. The
NBA has always been about skywalking guys like Michael Jordan's,
Dominique Wilkins, dunking machines. Um, I mean, you know, Miles
Bridges is heralded as like, oh Miles, did you see
(28:51):
that dunk? Like you know it's the NBA loves athleticism
and dunks and highlight real stuff. And Currie lives below
the room. That's one. Number two, and a lot of
people aren't gonna like this. I put it out there before.
I think the light skin has something to do with it.
I really do. Um Uh, you know, I'll let former
(29:11):
players touch on that. I don't want to step in
it myself. I've touched on it plenty of times. There
is some sort of disrespect about Curry because he has
the Suburban game. He is you know, you want to
call him soft, don't. He's below the rim. I don't
know that he's soft. He gets he gets pushed around
a lot um and he's he's a light skin brother.
(29:32):
Like you know, Chris Broussard has come on this podcast
and talked about it at length, like that's a real thing.
So those two, and I think the third one is
he didn't win a finals MVP and for whatever reason,
like that makes him garbage. And again, I'm not going
to call out colleagues because I'm friendly with these guys
and I work with him, and I'm just not in
the business of trashing people I work with. Um. Trashing
(29:55):
people on other networks I have no problem with. But interestingly,
nobody had the other networks for Bassis Curry. Nobody was
a brain at least and you know this rob like
finals MVP, Like we could go look at the finals
where they beat the Calves. I think it was four two.
It was like Lebron with uh, you know, Matthew Dellavadova
(30:17):
and Kevin Love was out and Kyrie got hurt in
the first game, and um, you know, Curry was very
good in that series. He didn't win the finals MVP
because Andrea Goodalla Um had I some success late in
the series against Lebron. I thought it was a little overblown. Frankly,
(30:38):
Igdala was good, but Lebron is still eight and I
think because he doesn't have a finals MVP, people hold
that against him. I just want to remind people, Uh,
steps played in five finals. I'm just I'm not gonna
look up how long every series was, but let's just
say thirty games in the finals. The guys played like
(31:01):
twelve seasons in the league. Let's say he's played ten
seasons eight games about he's played eight hundred games, and
I'm just ballparking, you're gonna hold thirty games in the finals.
By the way, his final stats, his points per game
and the counting numbers are very very good. But because
he doesn't have a finals MVP, guys had eight hundred
(31:23):
or so games in his career two MVPs, but in
those thirty games, he does not have a finals MVP.
So people just feel like, oh, well they blew a
three one later, Oh, he doesn't have a finals MVPs. Garbage, Like,
it's just it's so weird. Robbed, all right, I just ranted.
I don't know, No, I think you're onto something. I
(31:44):
just think, Um, the reason why the detractors to Steph
Curry it seems so much louder than you hear from
other players, is that the worshiping of Steph Curry I
think has gone a little bit too far in some cases,
Like I know that you kind of walk back the
idea of Steph Curry being better point guard than Magic
(32:04):
Johnson because you've you toiter. I don't know if you
actually said it out loud, but I know that you
and I if if they were healthy and they beat
the Raptors. Curry has four rings, right, Okay, Magic has five? Correct?
Curry has two m v ps? What does Magic have three?
(32:25):
And he has three or four? Yes? Right, So when
you start looking at those big ticket items m v
P s, championships like they're close, and then you can
start splitting hairs with like, oh, Magic basically saved the
NBA with Larry Bird in the eighties. That's a fact
that's undeniable. Okay. Curry significantly changed the trajectory of the
(32:48):
league to make it a three point league, to the
point that there are serious talks about the NBA moving
back to three point line or doing something to change
the league from becoming a massive three point league. Like,
that's the impact Curry has had. And I mean Rob, Like,
you know, I don't want to go tote toe, but like,
(33:09):
if that Raptors series goes the way we all think
it does, Katie's healthy, Clay's healthy. I think we agree
Warriors win that series, right of course, and history is
a little different, but that's not how it went. I wait,
let me just quickly one other stat. So NBA playoff
point per game averages Jordan's first thirty three Iverson who
(33:31):
played in five finals games with Kevin Duran his fourth,
Lebron is fifth a d is six. He's only played
in one finals. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is playoffs.
I apologize. Allen Iverage in twenty nine in the playoffs,
Katie twenty nine in the playoffs, Lebron twenty eight in
the playoffs. Steph Curry playoff NBA history twenty six points
(33:53):
per game. So this idea that he's not good in
the playoffs is a joke. Okay, Elijah one is twelveth
Kbe is now Kobe is held back by a couple
of those early series where he was like nineteen years
old throwing up air balls against the Jazz that hurts
his scoring average and brings it down. Dominique is up there,
Dirk Russ Dame Korea is tenth all time in playoff
(34:18):
points per game. So let's just perish the narrative that
he doesn't show up in the playoffs, All right, Rob?
Any any other thoughts? No, I mean, I think that
a lot of what you said was accurate there at
the end, especially um the part about that the media
really liking him, And I think part of it has
to do and you've said it in a roundabout way,
but I think a lot of it has to do
with people see him and they think, oh, one of
(34:41):
us can do it too. Watching him shoot threes, handle
the way he does is all skills that you can develop.
It's not like you're God given blessed six to sixty
like Lebron James with a vertical like you can't. You
can work out as much as you want, never gonna
get that big. But you know, Steph Curry looks like
(35:03):
a guy who worked and worked and worked at his game,
and he developed his skills and he became something special,
and so I think a lot of people in the media,
either consciously or subconsciously, they're more impressed by the things
that he does versus some of the things that Lebron,
Kevin Durant, Joe l Embiid can do. I would agree
with that. I also need to point out Nicola Yokich.
(35:25):
You know, I said he had a good game against
the Grizzlies. You know, double overtime and yokif and eight, Um,
pretty nice night. I do wonder subliminally if he saw
what Curry did and was like, oh, you know, I
gotta I gotta up my game. I if they're looking
at scores at halftime, um, But I mean Yokich had
one of those pretty big games. Again, He's going against
(35:48):
Xavier Tillman, right, and Brandon Clark Um. Memphis has beat
up that they don't have their their big guy. Um
whose name is Valan Tuna Valentinis did not play. Yes,
thank you, Rob. One other quick note on Curry and
this is weird. I'm going to ask you a question, Rob,
don't overthink it, just answer is who is the what?
(36:13):
What is the is the media's primary objective to serve
its readers. No, no, okay, what is the primary objective
to make money? Fair enough, I would say largely the
newspapers want to make money. But the actual journalists, I
(36:35):
would say, they've got to serve their their their audience.
What does the audience want? Then you get to the
discussion of well, is it what the audience wants or
what the audience needs? Because my kids need to eat
vegetables every night, and then they sit down and they
pick and they don't want to eat it, and then
they sit around and then they end up throwing to
throw them out. Okay, they need the vegetables. The audience,
(36:56):
I think in newspaper world clearly was into Steph Curry.
He was the best selling jersey for like four straight
years in the middle of Lebron's prime, kind of a
big deal. There was a time from like twenties, fifteen, sixteen,
seventeen eighteen, or any NBA game you went to any
arena in the country. You go to a game in Memphis,
(37:19):
you go to a game in Portland's, you go to
a game in Miami, and there were a lot of
people in the Lower Bowl wearing Steph Curry jerseys. Any
arena and I think that irked the hell out of
a lot of NBA stars. Chris Paul is one of them,
Russell Westbrook's one of them. We know they've had beef
booth Curry. For whatever reason, the fans were attracted to
(37:44):
Steph Curry's game again under below the rim guy shooting threes,
the ultimate American underdog story. And I know you could say, well, wait,
his dad was in the NBA. Fine, his dad was
in the NBA that did that. That also had him
zero scholarship offers. Okay, at the high major level, Davidson
offered him as Scali Virginia Tech famously. Sorry we can
(38:08):
you can be a walk on like that is the
American dream. Okay, you go to Davidson, prove everybody wrong.
Take Davidson too, the Elite eight, and you make yourself
a household name. Oh yeah, and then what happens at
the NBA draft? You get overlooked for a bunch of bigger, faster,
stronger athletes or a bigger name from Syracuse. Uh, the
(38:31):
kid Johnny Flynn who was a nice player at Syracuse.
He had an injury and never was anything in the NBA.
My favorite Curry story, Wow, not my favorite. One of
my favorite is my two favorite Steph Curry stories obviously
involved me. I'll tell you this in a second, Um,
Steph Curry had a workout set up against Tyreek Evans.
(38:55):
They had both of them in for a workout and
they had to play one on one. Tyreek Evans went
to Memphis. He was a scoring machine, unbelievable high school player,
really good at Memphis. I don't think they did anything
in the n c A tournament. And they played one
on one, which is asinine because you know, Tyreek Evans
has built like a bull and he's like six three
six four baby, and Curry's like frail coming out of Davidson.
(39:16):
Come on, guys, skinny, and Tyreek Evans destroyed Curry one
on one. He will admit this story happened. And of
course the Grizzlies are level. She's gotta take Tyreek Evans.
This guy just murdered Curry one on one. Well, you
know how that worked out. I think Tyreek Evans one
Rookie of the Year. You know, I'm sure Curry is
very happy with not winning Wookie the Year in his career.
(39:38):
My two favorite step Curry stories, just because this has
been a long pod dedicated to a guy who's taken
over sports This week, I don't know what I mean.
The NBA drafted, NFL Draft, sorry, is coming up this
next week. It's gonna be exciting. But right now it's
Steph Curry's world. We just live in it. I had
started a podcast at the website, The Big Lead Way
way Back. I don't know, two thousand tennis. Maybe he
(40:01):
has eleven twelve somewhere around there. Well, now I should
be able to get the date, because it was, you know,
after Curry had come into the league, and this was
early on in the podcast space like Spotify I don't
think existed, and I wanted to have a big name guest.
So I had known a guy who was a fan
(40:22):
of the website. His name's Bill Voth, and he's from
North Carolina, and he happened to work at a local
TV station where uh near Davidson, where Steph Curry was
becoming a superstar. And of course Bill had interviewed Curry
a bunch and got to know like his circle. And
Bill was like, listen, man, I liked that you're starting
to pot I like the website. You've done great stuff.
(40:43):
I can get you Curry, and I was like, wow, sure,
oh my gosh. Of course Curry got on the phone
with me for like fifteen minutes to talk about Hey,
he was closed. It was right before he signed that extension,
which turned out to be like one of the greatest
contracts ever for a team. He had to take a
bit of a haircut because he had the ankle injury,
(41:04):
and I think they only gave him eight email or
whatever it was when all the extensions were bigger, way
bigger money than that. And so that's my favorite stef
Corey Curry story. The second favorite is UM twenty nineteen
after the uh Raptors Finals. Um, Curry starts the season
(41:25):
and gets hurt, breaks his hand, I guess, and Um,
he came out to my neck of the woods out
here in southern California for surgery. A buddy of mine
knows the surgeon who did it, so Curry had to
then come back for the surgeon to you know, give
the check up or whatever. So when Curry came back here,
he ended up going to my gym. And you know,
my gym just happens to be uh the former Clippers
(41:49):
facility and a lot of NBA players work out there
leading up to the draft, Wendell Carter, Jalen Brown, and
so I know the trainers there and like, you know
Damian Lillards there in the off season, like Jerry West
goes uh to check out NBA draft prospects. Like it's
it's a pretty good gym. And I get a text
during this is so funny, during my son's what was
(42:11):
third grade, third grade draft is happening, and I start
getting text from people at the gym like yo, Steph
Curry shooting at the gym right now, Like what wow,
that's wild. And they're like, I'm going to check it out.
You know, a Lonzo Ball had been there. Nobody's going
to check at Alonzo ball. So like two days later,
I'm at the gym. I go to a morning run
with some friends and I come out, um to get
(42:35):
a towel. After, you know, I light some team up
for a bunch of points. You can laugh at that, um,
And I walked back in. I'm like, all right, I
got one more game, so we play one more game.
I walk out early. I could have stuck around, but
I walk out early. It was as if not to
get all religious on you, but like a higher power
of saying, Jake, get up out of there. I leave.
(42:57):
I have my bag on my shoulder, you know. I'm
looking at my phone seeing the text I got, and
I look up and there's this big, skinny guy right
in front of me and I'm like, oh, ship, that's
Steph Curry. He's right in front of me, and he's
got a guy on each side. And I started looking
around and everybody, of course, is staring at him as
he's walking down, and UM, I'm like, all right, well,
(43:19):
what's the play here? What's the move? And uh, I
just say, hey, Steph, you probably don't remember me, and
he turns around. I'm like, I had you on my podcast.
I'm at FS one and he's like, oh, yeah, I
remember you. And I'm sure he was just I know
he was just saying that to be nice, but we
should start talking. And I'm like, all right, Steph, give
(43:41):
me a seth. I'm gonna text my wife to pull
my kids out of school and bring him over here.
And he starts cracking up. I did not do that. Um,
And eventually, you know, he walks over and all these
people are just staring at him. You know, it's housewives
and a couple of housewives come up for a photo
and he's like, Yo, can you give me a minute?
Let me uh put my stuff down, blah blah blah.
So I'm like, do I do the picture? Why? Why not?
(44:03):
You know, I'm like, I'm a media guy. I I've
never done this in my life where I'm like, hey,
can I get a picture? Never once, I mean you
see people out and about, I've never said let me
get a photo. And Magic Johnson was my favorite player ever.
The first time my dad took me to an NBA
(44:23):
game in New York Madison Square Garden. It was the
Lakers versus the Knicks. It was like holiday break, so
we had traveled from Virginia up to New York. My
dad got tickets and it was amazing. You know. I
was like, oh, this guy Magic is amazing, incredible, what
a talent. So Magic is my favorite player. And then
Curry starts doing his thing at Davidson and he comes
(44:43):
on the podcast of course uh and I became the
biggest step Curry fan, like he was my guy, and
he at some point passed. Magic is my favorite player.
So I'm like, I gotta get a picture. It's like
Stef can I get a pick as nerdy. But and
I I had let in with you know, Steph, I
put this out there on FS one. I'm sure you
(45:03):
disagree with it, but you know, you guys are gonna
be pretty bad with you out this season. And if
Janice and the Bucks stink and Janice is up for
his contract, you know, you guys offer that pick that
Timberwolves pick and he goes and we get nice with
like a smile like he had thought about it, and
I was like, yeah, he's like, oh, it's not bad.
(45:25):
It's like he you know, this is what the NBA guys, dude,
they think steps ahead. And I'm telling you right now,
like I don't think the way Curry is playing and
Rob you can disagree. I don't think even though they're
only five, that they're gonna be done trying to make
a run at a title with Curry. Would you agree
with that? I think they'd be foolish not to push
(45:45):
their chips and try to make a run at a
title with Steph Curry. I mean, why someone will come
back next year. I don't know what it would take
to get a guy like bal and would be all
work with Bill Clay and Curry Draymond and Wiseman. But
then you probably have to give up wise in right. Yeah, well,
with that lineup, you wouldn't need a center like that anyways.
You would need a guy who's just a switching big
(46:08):
Kevin Looney would be a fine JaVale McGee would be
a fine center. Stop come on with that. With that,
with that lineup, all you gotta do is be tall.
You don't really gotta do a whole heck of a
lot because the spacing is going to be unreal with
the lineup like that. I don't know. I had thought
Beale would be a contender to go after, um. The
(46:29):
other name that I keep hearing as Karl Anthony Towns.
Let's see what happens, um. But other than that, there's
not a lot of stars right now who are eligible.
Like strangely, you know, it's not like Deer and Fox
is gonna be going anywhere, right, Um, I don't know,
I'm I'm missing someone like I don't think you could.
Can you get Shay Gil just Alexander? Is he that
(46:52):
much of a difference maker? Though? No? I think the
only two names that you would consider would be Bradley
Beale or Towns. There has to be a screneled star
who's already been in the league for seven, eight, nine years. Yeah,
and I guess the problem is, you know, Clay's coming
back as a shooting guard, Like, they don't really need
a shooting guard. Can you move Clay to three? Well? Yeah,
I mean he's coming off these injuries. He's probably lost.
(47:13):
I mean, he's never really been the fastest guy to
begin with. But you imagine you might get a Clay
Thompson who's a half step slower and like ten pounds
heavier just because you would you go, would you make
a play for And again, I don't know if they
willing to part with him, but Pascal Siakam is at
a rough year with the Raptors. Can you get him
at a bargain basement price without giving up then the
(47:34):
Timberwolves pick? Could you part with Weissman in some way,
shape or form to get I think in that scenario
you would probably have to give up the pick and
keep wise. Now huh interesting? All right, anyways, we've gone
way long on Curry and the m v P. Rob
This was fun. Um, Hopefully you don't end this hating me.
(47:55):
I do like debate. I feel like I was born
for it. Yeah, and let me just say this before
we wrap it up. Um, I just noticed now on
our zoom, which is how we record all these interviews,
that your name is displayed as Steph Curry. Yes, it
took you forty seven minutes to realize that. My gosh,
I did that from the jump and I noticed you
didn't notice. I was like, oh, he'll see you later. Okay, Yes,
(48:15):
we do this over zoom and I named myself Steph Curry. Um,
I'm gonna go outside and shoot a bunch of threes today.
That's what I'm gonna do. All right, Thanks for listening everybody.
We will be back tomorrow. I'm out.
This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. What is up, everybody,
It's me Jason McIntyre, Straight Fire or Tuesday April. I'm
sure you can sense it. A giddiness in the voice.
Very excited for this podcast. Um, before we get started,
(00:27):
thank you to everybody for listening, and welcome the new
listeners who enjoyed Monday's Zion Williams to take a good
feedback from Rob g on that one and UM one
other quick shout out before we get to today's incredible podcast. Uh,
congratulations to Alex Smith of the Washington Football Club, the
Kansas City Chiefs, the forty Niners. He is officially retired.
(00:48):
Some of my jets, friand fans friends, if that makes
any sense, had said, hey, maybe we get him as
the backup Seck Wilson. We can't go in with you
know this Morgan guy as the backup. But no dice.
Alex Smith has decided to retire. That's probably for the best.
You know, he went in for Washington last year and
everybody was holding their breath. Um, given his injury history
(01:08):
and nearly losing his leg. So congratulations on a very
good career Alex Smith. All Right, let's get to the
biggest sports story of the day, and there is zero
debate about this and what's what's so fun? And I
know you guys can detect how excited I am. What's
so fun about this is Rob G, the esteem producer,
one of the best in the business, said on yesterday's pod, Oh,
(01:32):
I've got some steps Steph Curry slander cooking up for
this week. So then yesterday I look at the NBA schedule,
I'm like, all right, we could have this guest. Oh,
Curry could break that Kobe record and he's going into
the Sixers National TV game. Maybe we do Curry art.
(01:52):
Rob G, do you think you could fast track your
Steph Curry slander, you know, in case it's a good game. Yeah, yeah, Jay,
I'll be be ready because you know, Rob G is
a Curry hater and he won't admitted, he won't call
itself a Curry hater, but he I don't think he's
ready to give Curry the flowers that I am bestowing
(02:14):
upon the greatest shooter barn in NBA history. I said
he was the second greatest point guard a few years
ago in NBA history. On Cowherd Show, I caught so
much heat. Oh, Isaiah Thomas, Jay, what are you talking about?
Oscar Robertson, John Stockton? Look at the numbers. I mean,
I don't I don't need to go through John Stockton's
(02:37):
MVP votes in his career, or Isaiah Thomas's or even
their top five finishes for the m v P. I
call Oscar Robertson a combo guard, but come on, stop,
He's not even in Curry's class. He's a really, really
good player. Hall of Famer, excellent. Curry is elite, top
shelf and Monday starting alongside Kevon Looney and Kent base More,
(03:00):
who was owing five over five shooting. Coming off the
bench was Agent Moulder from the X Files. Oh no, sorry, sorry,
his name is um? What's it? Mark Mulder? I gotta click?
Michael m y C h A E. L. Michael Mulder,
young kid out of Kentucky. Who else did they play?
They play? Um? It looks like Kelly Ubrey got up
(03:21):
a bunch of shots in twenty two minutes, but it
didn't matter because they had Curry and it was the
Steph Curry Show once again against the East leading Sixers,
who were without Ben Simmons, much to the chagrin of
my fantasy team. My son not thrilled. Steph Curry went
for He had a bazillion points in the fourth quarter.
(03:42):
He was fourteen of twenty eight from the field, ten
of seventeen from three, and he basically beat the seventy
sixers by himself forty nine points. Now, I was thinking
of changing up how we attacked this pod, because you
guys have heard me gas up Curry. Don't need me
just going crazy and citing his April stats. Nearly three
(04:05):
weeks into April, Curry forty points per game shooting from
the field from three. So don't you dare say, oh,
he's taking a million three. He's hitting fifty threes this
month from the line. Steph Curry has made seventy eight
(04:26):
three pointers during this binge. Okay, this is one of
the most absurd stats I've ever heard. I'm sorry, seventy
three pointers during this bench Steph threes in the last
ten games. That's more than Chris, Paul Tobias, Harris Russell, Westbrook,
Pascal sim have made this entire season. Steph has made
(04:50):
that in ten games and the final one. I'm just
gonna kind of turn it to Rob because I want
him to get it off his chest and say his
point and say, oh I don't like It's not that
I dislike Curry. He's a great player. And then Rob
will like do that backhanded compliment and then go in
on him final number. And I know Rob is doing
(05:10):
just waiting. Steph Curry has six games with ten or
more threes this season. No other player in NBA history
has more than five in their career. Okay, and don't
give me the well that's the three point era. J
Come on, folks. Six games of ten or more threes
(05:33):
this season this season, that's obscene. He's the greatest show
in the NBA. Steph Curry is your m v Peeler
m v P leader right now. Let me say it again,
Steph Curry is your m v P leader right now.
He just wanted to. Joel Embiad's house dropped the forty
(05:56):
nine spot on Curry's brother and Danny Green and Matisse
thybel this great defender and Tyrese Maxie. I mean, Curry
was unstoppable. Joel embi eight he had and thirteen what
did damn do? Jarl Embiad supposed to be an MVP
contender and courage just dropped forty nine spot on his head,
(06:20):
surrounded by a bunch of G league guys. I don't
care that they're twenty nine and twenty nine. What he's doing,
and he's about to become the leading scoring leader in
the NBA. What Curry's doing this season? Given the injuries
we seem to Lebron and James Harden and you know
you could toss in and beat He's missed I think
more than twenty games. Everybody has fallen back due to
(06:43):
the injuries. Luca winning the season is a favorite. And
you know we've got about I think eighteen games left,
sixteen games up somewhere in there. Curry keeps us up.
I don't know how you don't vote him m v P.
And I don't care that they're twenty nine and twenty
nine and in the playing game. Do you know what
their record is without Steph Curry this year? I've seen
(07:05):
it in multiple places, one in eight, but I also
saw one in seven. Bottom line, they stink without Steph Curry.
What does m v P mean? Well, the most valuable
Jason Yeah, no, Ship Sherlock. How do you define value
if you take that player off the team? What are
they the seventies Sixers can swim without Joel embiad Ben Simmons.
(07:30):
They're a playoff team in the East without Joel Embid,
without Yokich, with Jamal Murray, I Nuggets are good, but
are they a playoff team? It's close. Without Steph Curry,
the Warriors are the worst team in the league. Worst
than the Timberwolves, worse than the Pistons. They've got single
(07:51):
digit wins. I think we can all agree on that.
I I love Lebron. You guys know, I'm a fan.
He's thirty six. With out him, I thought they would
go in the tank. Rob G thought they would go
in the tank. Every human thought without Lebron and a
d they go in the tank. They've kind of done, okay.
Frank Vogels kept them afloat their top five in the
in the West. So depending on how you define value, yes,
(08:16):
without the Luca, the MAVs are quite bad. But I
think we can all agree Without Curry, the Warriors are
by far the worst team in the league. So I'm
gonna turn it over to Rob G. I'm gonna zip
it Lockett put it in my pocket. Despite you know,
you know I'm an interrupter or I'm gonna want to
interrupt and push back. Rob and I are friends. We text,
(08:37):
I have him into his house. He hasn't been in mind.
But no matter what is said in the next fifteen minutes,
it's all fun. We are friendly. I've worked with he
was my producer on my weekend show for a while
before he got called up to the big leagues to
produce the Odd Couple. He's on the rise and Rob
g take it away. Well, first off, let me just
(09:00):
say this. The plan for the Steph Curry slander was
supposed to be on yesterday's Pot on the heels of
their loss. So but Jason McIntyre, knowing that there was
a good chance that they may be a depleted Philadelphia
seventies squads today, you know what, Rob, let's save that
for later in the week. So he kind of set
(09:21):
me up for failure on that one. But let me
just say this, there are few things more exciting and
sports than a Curry flurry, and that's what we got
in the fourth quarter last night against Philadelphia. I mean,
when he is on and he's cooking, it is mustie television.
It reminds me and I've said this before on record
of when Kobe would get it cooking, you know on
(09:42):
those really really bad Lakers teams where he would make
four or five buckets in a row and you just
like wow, like the buzz was everywhere. I never thought
there'd be anything close to that as a sports fan,
like those three minute bursts, and then Steph Curry happened
and you'd get the same thing, only different differences. He's
shooting it from thirty ft away is that of eighteen,
So it just looks cooler to watch him shoot like that.
(10:05):
Having said all of that, number one, Steph Curry does
not belong in the MVP conversation. That that may have
been the worst take you've had in the nine months
that we've been doing this podcast, and you've had a
handful of really bad wait, worse than the Lakers will
go too and fifteen without Laurent and a. That was
that was my take. I think I know that's what
I'm saying. That whatever. Okay, so there's one, But number two,
(10:33):
I'm really, really really I can't say I'm even surprised.
It's I'm just I'm I'm disappointed that there's so many
people in the media you included who have decided that,
you know, this Steph Curry month of April just might
(10:53):
be the greatest basketball we've ever seen. And that's not
to say is that has been impressive. I mean, you
guys having forty points so far the month. I mean,
it's it's awesome. Ten games is a considerable sample. Yes,
it's it's it's been great. And I'm not even gonna
count that that February that Kobe had, the year that
he dropped eighty one, where he didn't win the NBA
(11:13):
think he lost to his step Nash because that was
just you know, that's so long ago. I'm not even
gonna bring that up. But lest we forget, just last season,
Damian Lillard was putting up very, very comparable stats just
to get his team into the postseason when they got
(11:34):
to the bubble in Portland and they knew, like, hey,
we're fighting up a little bit uphill battle. If we
even want to get a chance at the play in
we almost have to run the table. During that span,
he averaged thirty seven ten and four how many games
eight games? Excuse me, forty three eight nine splits. The
(11:58):
Blazers won six and two in that spat. Now, I
know that they're a little bit off from what step
You know, step has forty points, so it's more there.
Dame's got more assists. Time out. Can I ask was
c J McCollum playing in those games? He was, because
I believe he's been an All Star, right, No, he's
never been in all Gosh. I apologize, continue and so
and it's like I said, I'm not taking away from
(12:19):
what because what step STEP's doing he is great, but
to act like this is something that it's like, oh
my gosh, we've never seen anything like this before, and
it's like, well, yes we have. You know, we may
not have seen the exact numbers, you know, because up
until the last three or four years, only people were
shooting threes like that was was this generation. But we've
seen guys have these runs before, and we saw something
(12:41):
like it just last season. So that's my only thing
when I say that it's not even I think it's
may have oversold it by calling it slander because it's
not really slander. It's just, you know what, let's be
realistic about what we're seeing from Steph Curry. Steph is
great and he's having an incredible stretch, but during this month.
What they're six and four, So am I really supposed
(13:02):
to say that this is the greatest things and sliced bread.
He's scoring at an unbelievable clip that that's kudos to him.
He's keeping them afloat. They may get into the play
in tournament, but it's just, you know, it's being oversold.
I think a little bit. Okay. I had to go
back and look at the Damian Lillard um in the bubble,
(13:24):
and it was an impressive streak. He had sixty one
against Dallas, he had fifty one against Philly, he had
forty five against Denver. Yeah, that was that was a
hot streak. He had the memorable meltdown against the Clippers
where Patrick Beverley and one of the Morris Coons they
were laughing on the sideline and slap it. You remember that.
(13:45):
I do like that. After all this time, you still
don't know which more his place for which tea. I
think I do that by design because I think that's
a little funnier. I don't know if it's so funny.
Um he had thirty and sixteen assists at a loss. Yes,
that was a torrid streak for Damian Lillard, no doubt
about on it. Um, it was in the bubble. I
I don't know what to make of that. I'm not
(14:06):
the guy who's bashing it because it was in the bubble.
I'm just saying it was no fans. You know, Steph
Curry's going into hostile territory, into Philly. I don't know
if it's hostile. I just felt like tossing that in there. Um.
But nevertheless, it you know, it was not a poor
man's version, but it was a Steph Curry light run, right. Um.
(14:29):
I just if I want you to guys to I
don't want you to pause the podcast and you know,
go out of this, but I really want you to
go on YouTube, go to the NBA account and look
up the Sixers Warriors game. It's like three minutes of
Steph Curry highlights. That's all it is. And I want
you to look at specifically in the fourth quarter when
(14:50):
Curry takes over. By the way, the Curry flurry that phrase.
We need to put that on a T shirt and
just like Steph Curry's outline or something, I think that
would sell well. I would buy it. I would wear
it sleeveless of course. Um. Watch during the Curry flurry,
the reaction of a the players on the Sixers. Every
three that goes up, you can see they turn to
(15:12):
look and then instantly the shoulders slumped like, oh jees,
he did it again, and he hits like four or
five of these in a row. And then on the
second viewing, go back and watch the Sixers bench because
it's they're watching right in front of it. And Folks,
if you look closely, nobody moves. If they're they're stunned.
They are in awe. Not even like oh my gosh,
(15:35):
or throwing their hands on their head or just like
shaking their head. They are literally stunned. The only comparison
I had was in the movie Jaws, where the Jaws
goes into like the little marina area and takes down
that guy in the boat and bites his leg off,
and the kid who was um the cops. I can't
(15:57):
believe I'm spacing on the names here, the cops son,
he's like flowing treading water there and he's frozen as
the huge great white passes him and they have to
pull him out of the water and he's frozen. He's
just stunned. And that is what the Sixers bench look
like as Curry was dropping bombs from everywhere on the court,
(16:20):
there is like no movement it is. It's it's like
you don't see that happen in the league. And Curry's
making it look easy. And I know that you don't
want to give him Rob the m v P because
they're twenty nine and twenty nine, they're going to be
in the playing game. I just want to point out
(16:43):
this stretch has come in a season where there's only
seventy two games, so essentially Curry and who knows how
much longer this will go. I don't know if it's
gonna last. I can it go? Can it go much
further than this? Can he stayed this hot? Possible? I
don't know. I'm looking at the schedule now, and like
(17:03):
you know, listen, there's is a chance this continues. But
he's really when people say like he's not human, like yo,
he's not. He's just he's not. This is not normal
behavior for a basketball player. They have Washington coming up
Denver Friday night, Oh, Yokich versus Curry m v P showdown.
(17:25):
Then they have the Kings and the Maths and the
oh my goodness, the Timberwolves and the Rockets, so maybe
it can continue. I mean, Washington, Sect, Washington, Minnesota and
the Rockets are three of the worst teams in the league.
Although Washington is starting to percolate a little bit. Russ
is playing well. But I mean, Rob, I can see
(17:48):
Curry sneaking in and in an odd season with seventy
two games and everybody hurt, I can see Curry stealing
this award. Now, remember last year he was injured, miss,
I think the entire season, but a handful of games.
So I don't want to defend him by saying he's rested,
but this is a guy who should be super fresh
(18:12):
here coming down the stretch. I know they had the
five straight trips to the finals, and you know obviously
last year of the injury, but he should be rested
to go the rest of the way. I just want
to remind you. In the last let's see one, two, three, four, five, six,
seventy nine games, Curry has led them in scoring with
(18:33):
sty two fifty three forty one he I mean, all, Rob,
I don't see how there's a Okay, fine, how about this.
I'll give you Yokich as the leader for the m
v P. Who's your second place voting to right now, Oh,
right now, it would be Joel embiid okay, who's third.
(18:56):
I like how he's really trying hard. Not because I
like it, because you don't you know, if you put
in third, then there's a chance over the final fifteen
ish games. Oh man, could Curry steal this thing? Because
that's where I'm feeling. Well, My my problem is that
I would have had James Harden up there, except that,
you know, I don't know how long much longer he's
He's out all week. That's the problem. That's not a
(19:18):
problem for Curry. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows
at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within the I
Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live.
ESPN does a strong maybe yeah maybe a couple of months.
Every couple of months they do the straw poll, and
they actually get information from the voters. Are people either
(19:43):
people who are already voters or people who are in
the city's where it would be a fair and accurate
assessment of how the m V people is going to go.
And in their most recent straw poll, out of a
hundred and one voters, YOKI had ninety first place votes.
He's the leader. Doubt about Steph Curry, I believe was right,
(20:04):
So I don't realistically see any chance he even gets
the top five. All that being said, I think when
they did this strung poll two months ago, Lebron was
leading it and it was Lebron and Embiide followed by Yoki.
I'm pretty sure that's how it was. In the span
(20:25):
of two months, we've gone from Lebron and beat Yokich
to Yokich and really no second and no no Jamal Murray.
Let's see how Denver does here again. Yokich is very
um obviously, has earned all the accolades. He has been
tremendous this season, and he was very very good Monday Night. Um.
(20:47):
Obviously he's getting some help from Michael Porter Jr. But
I mean, I you know, you want to compare rosters
like I don't. I don't know that that really comes
into play. What this boils down to rob is the voters,
because I don't know at some point they're gonna have
to say, do we give the m v P two yo,
(21:08):
get your Curry. I mean, Harden hasn't played enough games.
Lebron has not played enough games, and Bead has not
played enough games, and there's a bunch of back to
backs coming up for the Sixers. I would not be
surprised if it beats sat out some of those, because
that's what he does given his injury history, which I'm
fine with, um. But again, like there is a bit
(21:29):
of a window here fifteen ish games for Curry to
steal it. Now. I also want to point at fun
fun nugget from Sixers Warriors Steph Curry. I like to
look at the plus minus column. Steph Curry is plus
eleven the Warriors one by eleven. Honestly, like when he's
(21:52):
off the floor, Rob it's like almost like in college
basketball where the star goes to the bench and you know, like, oh,
can they day float for a few minutes without their
best player? And usually the answers no, And a lot
of the good teams go through this. Lebron went through
this with the Lakers last year, UM, because it's like
we need to rest a d we need to wrest Lebron.
(22:13):
Can the Lakers survive without him for minutes against the
heat And it was like you're treading water? Treading water? Okay, fine,
they'll get the superstars back, But I don't know, man,
I can totally see again. Just to recap Curry breaking
the Kobe Bryant record, I keep mentioning what the record is, um,
scoring thirty points in eleven straight games. That's the record
(22:38):
for a player thirty three year older. Now, Rob not
living out here in l A. My entire life only
been on here five years. Um, I don't even recall
the Kobe stretch where he was torching people and scored
eighty one against the Raptors. That game was like on
NBA TV or something right Sunday afternoons it actually happened,
(23:00):
or in an NFL playoff game, if I recall, and
I think that's yeah, a lot of people weren't aware
of what was happening until he was already at like
seventy and they're like, oh, my goodness, something's going on
on NBA TV in the Lakers Raptors game that nobody
is watching. And then you find out that he had
eighty one. And so here's the deal, Like, first of all,
(23:21):
do you know off hand what year that was? Was
in two thousand seven? That was two thousand and six, Okay,
so two thousand six. I don't think social media exists.
Twitter didn't exist, right, I don't think Instagram was around,
and I mean I don't think I was getting text like, Yo,
you gotta check out NBA TV. Uh, Kobe's got seventy. Like,
(23:44):
I don't think that thing was even a thing. I'm
trying to think back like two thousand six. Yeah, my
Twitter says I joined in two thousand and nine, So
you were out here, you were privy to it. I mean,
I I sadly I don't really remember it. It was
not like one of the great games of all time.
(24:04):
It was like, oh my gosh, Kobe is just getting
buckets on buckets. Yeah. And it's funny about that game
is if you go back and watch it, it's not
like he was hunting for that eighty one points like
the way Devin Booker did. I think to get seventy,
where it was like, let's just get in the ball
and hopefully he can score even though we're not winning,
Like they were down big in that first half and
(24:24):
they needed him just to stay afloat. I think he
had like thirty at the half or something like that,
and then they were down in the third quarter. Then
he scored like another thirty in the third quarter alone,
and you're like, well, they're up like six, and it's
like they needed all of it. Because I'll go to
my deathbed telling people who aren't Laker fans he didn't
follow Kobe like that, that his sixty two and three
(24:47):
quarters against Dallas was more impressive than the eighty one
point game because he outscored the entire Dallas team through
three quarters sixty two to sixty one. And that wasn't
like Toronto, who was a also ran team at that
point in history, like Dallas was one of the best
(25:08):
teams in the Western Conference during that run. So I
mean that that that night was incredible. Um. But going
back to your Steph Curry m v P, I think,
and I know you made a compelling case. I'm not
gonna say you didn't. That was actually a very good case. Um. However,
there was a month during that one point season that
(25:28):
Kobe had where I think he averaged forty three for
an entire month of January and they were nine and four,
and that was a season where they, you know, made
the seventh seed. And if I recall, the starting lineup
was get this, uh, Kobe Bryant, Smush Smush Parker Luke Walton,
lamar Odom and Chris mem So that I will tell
(25:53):
you right now that that lineup is worse than what
the words. Oh boy, I need to look up lamar
Odom ever make an All Star team, nod rather have
lamar Odom or Andrew Williams. That's a no brainer. Lamar Odom,
Chris mim Or, Kevon Looney, Oh boy, Draymond Green, Draymond
(26:14):
Green obviously the card over somebody Um Smush Parker or
Um Kent Baysmore. That's a like three seasons. By the way,
to all the people who didn't listen to the interview,
Jim Jackson what it was just a month ago went
and recapped the Smush Parker series against the Sun's with
(26:38):
Lakers sons, and you've gotta go listen to it. Jim Jackson.
Of course, Um halfway through the series told his real
estate agent to put his house on the market because
he knew what was coming. That's how That's how south
it went for Smush Parker. That was That was fun
stuff from Jim Jackson. Um, but I would say I
bring that up only to say that Kobe had an
(26:59):
incredible scoring season. He was I think at thirty five
points a game. The Lakers were a seven seed in
the loaded Western Conference, and Steve Nash want the m
VP that year. So I know that Steph Curry is
having an incredible running. He could very well end the season,
you know, if you count the previous ten games and
through the rest of the last fifteen games averaging thirty
(27:20):
five points a game. And I still don't think he's
gonna make up enough ground to really get into the
MVP conversation. I'm trying to look at the m v
P voting in two thousand six. Um, apparently Shock was
very upset that he didn't get it the year uh,
the year before. Actually, Kobe finished fourth. In two thousand six,
Nash wanted over Lebron, Dirk was third, and then in
(27:41):
two thousand and seven, Dirk wanted, Nash was second, Kobe third. Huh. Yeah,
it's weird that Kobe only has one m v P. Huh.
It's weird that Shock only has one m v P two.
Also strange, Shock is not happy about that Curry has
two m vps. By the way, yeah, one of them
unanimous history. Let's wrap up. Let's wrap up on why
(28:10):
you said something interesting earlier. And I don't want to
go after colleagues. Okay, you said something interesting about why
the media feels the need to get excited and root
for Korea and blah blah blah. Um. I think some
of it has to do it this weird disrespect and
(28:31):
we have I think we've touched on this with someone else.
There are three things really that people disrespect about Corey.
Number One, he is a below the room player. The
NBA has always been about skywalking guys like Michael Jordan's,
Dominique Wilkins, dunking machines. Um, I mean, you know, Miles
Bridges is heralded as like, oh Miles, did you see
(28:51):
that dunk? Like you know it's the NBA loves athleticism
and dunks and highlight real stuff. And Currie lives below
the room. That's one. Number two, and a lot of
people aren't gonna like this. I put it out there before.
I think the light skin has something to do with it.
I really do. Um Uh, you know, I'll let former
(29:11):
players touch on that. I don't want to step in
it myself. I've touched on it plenty of times. There
is some sort of disrespect about Curry because he has
the Suburban game. He is you know, you want to
call him soft, don't. He's below the rim. I don't
know that he's soft. He gets he gets pushed around
a lot um and he's he's a light skin brother.
(29:32):
Like you know, Chris Broussard has come on this podcast
and talked about it at length, like that's a real thing.
So those two, and I think the third one is
he didn't win a finals MVP and for whatever reason,
like that makes him garbage. And again, I'm not going
to call out colleagues because I'm friendly with these guys
and I work with him, and I'm just not in
the business of trashing people I work with. Um. Trashing
(29:55):
people on other networks I have no problem with. But interestingly,
nobody had the other networks for Bassis Curry. Nobody was
a brain at least and you know this rob like
finals MVP, Like we could go look at the finals
where they beat the Calves. I think it was four two.
It was like Lebron with uh, you know, Matthew Dellavadova
(30:17):
and Kevin Love was out and Kyrie got hurt in
the first game, and um, you know, Curry was very
good in that series. He didn't win the finals MVP
because Andrea Goodalla Um had I some success late in
the series against Lebron. I thought it was a little overblown. Frankly,
(30:38):
Igdala was good, but Lebron is still eight and I
think because he doesn't have a finals MVP, people hold
that against him. I just want to remind people, Uh,
steps played in five finals. I'm just I'm not gonna
look up how long every series was, but let's just
say thirty games in the finals. The guys played like
(31:01):
twelve seasons in the league. Let's say he's played ten
seasons eight games about he's played eight hundred games, and
I'm just ballparking, you're gonna hold thirty games in the finals.
By the way, his final stats, his points per game
and the counting numbers are very very good. But because
he doesn't have a finals MVP, guys had eight hundred
(31:23):
or so games in his career two MVPs, but in
those thirty games, he does not have a finals MVP.
So people just feel like, oh, well they blew a
three one later, Oh, he doesn't have a finals MVPs. Garbage, Like,
it's just it's so weird. Robbed, all right, I just ranted.
I don't know, No, I think you're onto something. I
(31:44):
just think, Um, the reason why the detractors to Steph
Curry it seems so much louder than you hear from
other players, is that the worshiping of Steph Curry I
think has gone a little bit too far in some cases,
Like I know that you kind of walk back the
idea of Steph Curry being better point guard than Magic
(32:04):
Johnson because you've you toiter. I don't know if you
actually said it out loud, but I know that you
and I if if they were healthy and they beat
the Raptors. Curry has four rings, right, Okay, Magic has five? Correct?
Curry has two m v ps? What does Magic have three?
(32:25):
And he has three or four? Yes? Right, So when
you start looking at those big ticket items m v
P s, championships like they're close, and then you can
start splitting hairs with like, oh, Magic basically saved the
NBA with Larry Bird in the eighties. That's a fact
that's undeniable. Okay. Curry significantly changed the trajectory of the
(32:48):
league to make it a three point league, to the
point that there are serious talks about the NBA moving
back to three point line or doing something to change
the league from becoming a massive three point league. Like,
that's the impact Curry has had. And I mean Rob, Like,
you know, I don't want to go tote toe, but like,
(33:09):
if that Raptors series goes the way we all think
it does, Katie's healthy, Clay's healthy. I think we agree
Warriors win that series, right of course, and history is
a little different, but that's not how it went. I wait,
let me just quickly one other stat. So NBA playoff
point per game averages Jordan's first thirty three Iverson who
(33:31):
played in five finals games with Kevin Duran his fourth,
Lebron is fifth a d is six. He's only played
in one finals. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is playoffs.
I apologize. Allen Iverage in twenty nine in the playoffs,
Katie twenty nine in the playoffs, Lebron twenty eight in
the playoffs. Steph Curry playoff NBA history twenty six points
(33:53):
per game. So this idea that he's not good in
the playoffs is a joke. Okay, Elijah one is twelveth
Kbe is now Kobe is held back by a couple
of those early series where he was like nineteen years
old throwing up air balls against the Jazz that hurts
his scoring average and brings it down. Dominique is up there,
Dirk Russ Dame Korea is tenth all time in playoff
(34:18):
points per game. So let's just perish the narrative that
he doesn't show up in the playoffs, All right, Rob?
Any any other thoughts? No, I mean, I think that
a lot of what you said was accurate there at
the end, especially um the part about that the media
really liking him, And I think part of it has
to do and you've said it in a roundabout way,
but I think a lot of it has to do
with people see him and they think, oh, one of
(34:41):
us can do it too. Watching him shoot threes, handle
the way he does is all skills that you can develop.
It's not like you're God given blessed six to sixty
like Lebron James with a vertical like you can't. You
can work out as much as you want, never gonna
get that big. But you know, Steph Curry looks like
(35:03):
a guy who worked and worked and worked at his game,
and he developed his skills and he became something special,
and so I think a lot of people in the media,
either consciously or subconsciously, they're more impressed by the things
that he does versus some of the things that Lebron,
Kevin Durant, Joe l Embiid can do. I would agree
with that. I also need to point out Nicola Yokich.
(35:25):
You know, I said he had a good game against
the Grizzlies. You know, double overtime and yokif and eight, Um,
pretty nice night. I do wonder subliminally if he saw
what Curry did and was like, oh, you know, I
gotta I gotta up my game. I if they're looking
at scores at halftime, um, But I mean Yokich had
one of those pretty big games. Again, He's going against
(35:48):
Xavier Tillman, right, and Brandon Clark Um. Memphis has beat
up that they don't have their their big guy. Um
whose name is Valan Tuna Valentinis did not play. Yes,
thank you, Rob. One other quick note on Curry and
this is weird. I'm going to ask you a question, Rob,
don't overthink it, just answer is who is the what?
(36:13):
What is the is the media's primary objective to serve
its readers. No, no, okay, what is the primary objective
to make money? Fair enough, I would say largely the
newspapers want to make money. But the actual journalists, I
(36:35):
would say, they've got to serve their their their audience.
What does the audience want? Then you get to the
discussion of well, is it what the audience wants or
what the audience needs? Because my kids need to eat
vegetables every night, and then they sit down and they
pick and they don't want to eat it, and then
they sit around and then they end up throwing to
throw them out. Okay, they need the vegetables. The audience,
(36:56):
I think in newspaper world clearly was into Steph Curry.
He was the best selling jersey for like four straight
years in the middle of Lebron's prime, kind of a
big deal. There was a time from like twenties, fifteen, sixteen,
seventeen eighteen, or any NBA game you went to any
arena in the country. You go to a game in Memphis,
(37:19):
you go to a game in Portland's, you go to
a game in Miami, and there were a lot of
people in the Lower Bowl wearing Steph Curry jerseys. Any
arena and I think that irked the hell out of
a lot of NBA stars. Chris Paul is one of them,
Russell Westbrook's one of them. We know they've had beef
booth Curry. For whatever reason, the fans were attracted to
(37:44):
Steph Curry's game again under below the rim guy shooting threes,
the ultimate American underdog story. And I know you could say, well, wait,
his dad was in the NBA. Fine, his dad was
in the NBA that did that. That also had him
zero scholarship offers. Okay, at the high major level, Davidson
offered him as Scali Virginia Tech famously. Sorry we can
(38:08):
you can be a walk on like that is the
American dream. Okay, you go to Davidson, prove everybody wrong.
Take Davidson too, the Elite eight, and you make yourself
a household name. Oh yeah, and then what happens at
the NBA draft? You get overlooked for a bunch of bigger, faster,
stronger athletes or a bigger name from Syracuse. Uh, the
(38:31):
kid Johnny Flynn who was a nice player at Syracuse.
He had an injury and never was anything in the NBA.
My favorite Curry story, Wow, not my favorite. One of
my favorite is my two favorite Steph Curry stories obviously
involved me. I'll tell you this in a second, Um,
Steph Curry had a workout set up against Tyreek Evans.
(38:55):
They had both of them in for a workout and
they had to play one on one. Tyreek Evans went
to Memphis. He was a scoring machine, unbelievable high school player,
really good at Memphis. I don't think they did anything
in the n c A tournament. And they played one
on one, which is asinine because you know, Tyreek Evans
has built like a bull and he's like six three
six four baby, and Curry's like frail coming out of Davidson.
(39:16):
Come on, guys, skinny, and Tyreek Evans destroyed Curry one
on one. He will admit this story happened. And of
course the Grizzlies are level. She's gotta take Tyreek Evans.
This guy just murdered Curry one on one. Well, you
know how that worked out. I think Tyreek Evans one
Rookie of the Year. You know, I'm sure Curry is
very happy with not winning Wookie the Year in his career.
(39:38):
My two favorite step Curry stories, just because this has
been a long pod dedicated to a guy who's taken
over sports This week, I don't know what I mean.
The NBA drafted, NFL Draft, sorry, is coming up this
next week. It's gonna be exciting. But right now it's
Steph Curry's world. We just live in it. I had
started a podcast at the website, The Big Lead Way
way Back. I don't know, two thousand tennis. Maybe he
(40:01):
has eleven twelve somewhere around there. Well, now I should
be able to get the date, because it was, you know,
after Curry had come into the league, and this was
early on in the podcast space like Spotify I don't
think existed, and I wanted to have a big name guest.
So I had known a guy who was a fan
(40:22):
of the website. His name's Bill Voth, and he's from
North Carolina, and he happened to work at a local
TV station where uh near Davidson, where Steph Curry was
becoming a superstar. And of course Bill had interviewed Curry
a bunch and got to know like his circle. And
Bill was like, listen, man, I liked that you're starting
to pot I like the website. You've done great stuff.
(40:43):
I can get you Curry, and I was like, wow, sure,
oh my gosh. Of course Curry got on the phone
with me for like fifteen minutes to talk about Hey,
he was closed. It was right before he signed that extension,
which turned out to be like one of the greatest
contracts ever for a team. He had to take a
bit of a haircut because he had the ankle injury,
(41:04):
and I think they only gave him eight email or
whatever it was when all the extensions were bigger, way
bigger money than that. And so that's my favorite stef
Corey Curry story. The second favorite is UM twenty nineteen
after the uh Raptors Finals. Um, Curry starts the season
(41:25):
and gets hurt, breaks his hand, I guess, and Um,
he came out to my neck of the woods out
here in southern California for surgery. A buddy of mine
knows the surgeon who did it, so Curry had to
then come back for the surgeon to you know, give
the check up or whatever. So when Curry came back here,
he ended up going to my gym. And you know,
my gym just happens to be uh the former Clippers
(41:49):
facility and a lot of NBA players work out there
leading up to the draft, Wendell Carter, Jalen Brown, and
so I know the trainers there and like, you know
Damian Lillards there in the off season, like Jerry West
goes uh to check out NBA draft prospects. Like it's
it's a pretty good gym. And I get a text
during this is so funny, during my son's what was
(42:11):
third grade, third grade draft is happening, and I start
getting text from people at the gym like yo, Steph
Curry shooting at the gym right now, Like what wow,
that's wild. And they're like, I'm going to check it out.
You know, a Lonzo Ball had been there. Nobody's going
to check at Alonzo ball. So like two days later,
I'm at the gym. I go to a morning run
with some friends and I come out, um to get
(42:35):
a towel. After, you know, I light some team up
for a bunch of points. You can laugh at that, um,
And I walked back in. I'm like, all right, I
got one more game, so we play one more game.
I walk out early. I could have stuck around, but
I walk out early. It was as if not to
get all religious on you, but like a higher power
of saying, Jake, get up out of there. I leave.
(42:57):
I have my bag on my shoulder, you know. I'm
looking at my phone seeing the text I got, and
I look up and there's this big, skinny guy right
in front of me and I'm like, oh, ship, that's
Steph Curry. He's right in front of me, and he's
got a guy on each side. And I started looking
around and everybody, of course, is staring at him as
he's walking down, and UM, I'm like, all right, well,
(43:19):
what's the play here? What's the move? And uh, I
just say, hey, Steph, you probably don't remember me, and
he turns around. I'm like, I had you on my podcast.
I'm at FS one and he's like, oh, yeah, I
remember you. And I'm sure he was just I know
he was just saying that to be nice, but we
should start talking. And I'm like, all right, Steph, give
(43:41):
me a seth. I'm gonna text my wife to pull
my kids out of school and bring him over here.
And he starts cracking up. I did not do that. Um,
And eventually, you know, he walks over and all these
people are just staring at him. You know, it's housewives
and a couple of housewives come up for a photo
and he's like, Yo, can you give me a minute?
Let me uh put my stuff down, blah blah blah.
So I'm like, do I do the picture? Why? Why not?
(44:03):
You know, I'm like, I'm a media guy. I I've
never done this in my life where I'm like, hey,
can I get a picture? Never once, I mean you
see people out and about, I've never said let me
get a photo. And Magic Johnson was my favorite player ever.
The first time my dad took me to an NBA
(44:23):
game in New York Madison Square Garden. It was the
Lakers versus the Knicks. It was like holiday break, so
we had traveled from Virginia up to New York. My
dad got tickets and it was amazing. You know. I
was like, oh, this guy Magic is amazing, incredible, what
a talent. So Magic is my favorite player. And then
Curry starts doing his thing at Davidson and he comes
(44:43):
on the podcast of course uh and I became the
biggest step Curry fan, like he was my guy, and
he at some point passed. Magic is my favorite player.
So I'm like, I gotta get a picture. It's like
Stef can I get a pick as nerdy. But and
I I had let in with you know, Steph, I
put this out there on FS one. I'm sure you
(45:03):
disagree with it, but you know, you guys are gonna
be pretty bad with you out this season. And if
Janice and the Bucks stink and Janice is up for
his contract, you know, you guys offer that pick that
Timberwolves pick and he goes and we get nice with
like a smile like he had thought about it, and
I was like, yeah, he's like, oh, it's not bad.
(45:25):
It's like he you know, this is what the NBA guys, dude,
they think steps ahead. And I'm telling you right now,
like I don't think the way Curry is playing and
Rob you can disagree. I don't think even though they're
only five, that they're gonna be done trying to make
a run at a title with Curry. Would you agree
with that? I think they'd be foolish not to push
(45:45):
their chips and try to make a run at a
title with Steph Curry. I mean, why someone will come
back next year. I don't know what it would take
to get a guy like bal and would be all
work with Bill Clay and Curry Draymond and Wiseman. But
then you probably have to give up wise in right. Yeah, well,
with that lineup, you wouldn't need a center like that anyways.
You would need a guy who's just a switching big
(46:08):
Kevin Looney would be a fine JaVale McGee would be
a fine center. Stop come on with that. With that,
with that lineup, all you gotta do is be tall.
You don't really gotta do a whole heck of a
lot because the spacing is going to be unreal with
the lineup like that. I don't know. I had thought
Beale would be a contender to go after, um. The
(46:29):
other name that I keep hearing as Karl Anthony Towns.
Let's see what happens, um. But other than that, there's
not a lot of stars right now who are eligible.
Like strangely, you know, it's not like Deer and Fox
is gonna be going anywhere, right, Um, I don't know,
I'm I'm missing someone like I don't think you could.
Can you get Shay Gil just Alexander? Is he that
(46:52):
much of a difference maker? Though? No? I think the
only two names that you would consider would be Bradley
Beale or Towns. There has to be a screneled star
who's already been in the league for seven, eight, nine years. Yeah,
and I guess the problem is, you know, Clay's coming
back as a shooting guard, Like, they don't really need
a shooting guard. Can you move Clay to three? Well? Yeah,
I mean he's coming off these injuries. He's probably lost.
(47:13):
I mean, he's never really been the fastest guy to
begin with. But you imagine you might get a Clay
Thompson who's a half step slower and like ten pounds
heavier just because you would you go, would you make
a play for And again, I don't know if they
willing to part with him, but Pascal Siakam is at
a rough year with the Raptors. Can you get him
at a bargain basement price without giving up then the
(47:34):
Timberwolves pick? Could you part with Weissman in some way,
shape or form to get I think in that scenario
you would probably have to give up the pick and
keep wise. Now huh interesting? All right, anyways, we've gone
way long on Curry and the m v P. Rob
This was fun. Um, Hopefully you don't end this hating me.
(47:55):
I do like debate. I feel like I was born
for it. Yeah, and let me just say this before
we wrap it up. Um, I just noticed now on
our zoom, which is how we record all these interviews,
that your name is displayed as Steph Curry. Yes, it
took you forty seven minutes to realize that. My gosh,
I did that from the jump and I noticed you
didn't notice. I was like, oh, he'll see you later. Okay, Yes,
(48:15):
we do this over zoom and I named myself Steph Curry. Um,
I'm gonna go outside and shoot a bunch of threes today.
That's what I'm gonna do. All right, Thanks for listening everybody.
We will be back tomorrow. I'm out.
Host
Jason McIntyre
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