Warriors" Stephen Curry talks of home before…
SportsNBAGolden State Warriors
Warriors" Stephen Curry talks of home before Charlotte game
By Diamond Leung |
PUBLISHED: November 27, 2014 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: August 22, 2018 at 12:00 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dell and Sonya Curry still keep a room for their son, Stephen, in their Charlotte, North Carolina, home where they hosted Warriors teammates and about 40 family members for Thanksgiving.
Memorabilia from Stephen"s high school days at Charlotte Christian School remains inside the household where the boy grew up a Hornets fan after his father had played 10 seasons for the team.
Before Curry and the 12-2 Warriors face the Hornets on Friday, he spoke of it being natural to have always thought about playing for his hometown team.
"That"s hard to get out of your head, but obviously, it has no bearing on decisions that I make down the road," said Curry, who can become a free agent after the 2016-17 season. "It"s just a fun thought to have. The Hornets name does mean a lot to my family, and obviously I"m starting a new thing with the Warriors. I definitely feel right at home here (with Golden State)."
The Warriors point guard will play in front of a hometown crowd for the first time since becoming an All-Star and at a time when he is considered to be an early candidate this season to become the NBA"s Most Valuable Player.
He ranks fifth in the league not only in scoring (24.2 points per game), but also steals (2.07 per game) to go along with averaging 7.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds. He leads the league with 49 3-pointers, as he shoots 50 percent from the field and 92 percent from the free throw line.
Curry poured in 68 points over the past five quarters headed into the Charlotte game. What caught coach Steve Kerr"s eye is the underrated aspect of his star player"s game.
"I"ve seen really good defense," Kerr said. "That"s the thing that"s impressed me the most is Steph"s commitment on that end. Offensively, I already knew what he could do just watching the highlights the last couple of years. I think he"s become a really well-rounded All-Star. He was already an All-Star, but now I think he"s an All-Star at both ends of the floor."
Kerr has made it known he considers Curry to be the NBA"s best point guard. After Kerr challenged Curry to cut down the turnovers, the 26-year-old responded with 60 assists and 15 turnovers during the team"s seven-game winning streak while focused on the coach"s mantra of making the simple play.
Curry has led the Warriors to their best start in franchise history and noticed the resulting MVP talk, which has come from media members and teammates.
"That"s a goal is just to keep playing well, keep winning games and be in that conversation at the end of the season," Curry said. "You don"t think about what stats you need to make for your case. You don"t think about anything other than just playing well every night, being as consistent as possible, taking advantage of every opportunity and winning games."
Curry raised some eyebrows in August when he told CBS Sports Radio he "always had thoughts about playing at home, what it would be like." LeBron James, the four-time MVP, had made it a reality by signing again with Cleveland and going home.
"I"ve always thought about it, but who wouldn"t want to play in front of the fans and family that watched me grow up?" Curry, who"s in the middle of a four-year, $44 million contract with the Warriors, said this week.
"Charlotte means a lot. That"ll never leave me."
But Curry is now an East Bay resident who spends the majority of his offseason at his new home. He"s spoken of a window of opportunity he has to win a championship with the Warriors" talented roster. His chemistry with backcourt mate Klay Thompson, who signed a four-year contract extension last month, continues to grow.
"Hopefully, we get to do it for a long time," Thompson said.
For more on the Warriors, go to Inside Warriors blog at www.ibabuzz.com/warriors. Follow Diamond Leung on Twitter at twitter.com/diamond83
Warriors (12-2) at Charlotte (4-12), 4 p.m., CSNBA
Diamond Leung
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